noun
bistro
BEEST-roh
Bistro (noun) means a small, casual restaurant, often serving simple French-style food. Example: “They found a cozy bistro tucked down a side street in Paris.”
noun
1
A small, casual restaurant, often serving simple French-style food.
"Now, a coalition of bistro owners, unions and trade organizations is lobbying to get Unesco to grant Paris's sidewalk bistros and cafes official status as France's "intangible cultural heritage.""
— Claire Mufson, Paris Bistros Became Symbols of Resilience. But Are They Unesco Worthy? (2018)
"They found a cozy bistro tucked down a side street in Paris."
"The rule that Christmas preparations should wait until after Thanksgiving doesn't apply to Hugue Dufour and his wife, Sarah Obraitis, the owners of M. Wells, a Québécois bistro in Long Island City."
— Nina Mesfin, The New Must-Have for Every Stocking: French Canadian Meat Pie! (2023)
How to use bistro
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small, relaxed restaurant, typically French in style.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a French bistro
bistro menu
corner bistro
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Word forms
- Plural
- bistros
- Third person singular
- bistros
- Past tense
- bistroed
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
They found a cozy _____ tucked down a side street in Paris.
Etymology
From French bistro(t), first recorded around the 1880s meaning "tavern keeper", of uncertain regional dialect origin.
Class of 1880
bistro joined the language around 1880.
See the full Class of 1880 →
Frequently asked questions
What does “bistro” mean?
The word “bistro” means a small, casual restaurant, often serving simple French-style food. In plain terms, a small, relaxed restaurant, typically French in style.
How do you pronounce “bistro”?
“Bistro” is pronounced BEEST-roh (/ˈbiːstɹoʊ/ in IPA).
How do you use “bistro” in a sentence?
Here is “bistro” used in a sentence: “They found a cozy bistro tucked down a side street in Paris.”
What part of speech is “bistro”?
“Bistro” is a noun.
Where does the word “bistro” come from?
The word “bistro” dates back to around 1880 and comes from French. From French bistro(t), first recorded around the 1880s meaning "tavern keeper", of uncertain regional dialect origin.
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