Bistro - wikipedia Bistro This article is about the type of restaurant. For other uses, see Bistro ( disambiguation ). At the Bistro, Jean Béraud A bistro or bistrot / ˈbiːstroʊ /, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home - style cooking, and slow - cooked foods like cassoulet, a bean stew, are typical. Contents 1 History 2 Etymology 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History Bistros likely developed out of the basement kitchens of Parisian apartments where tenants paid for both room and board. Landlords could supplement their income by opening their kitchen to the paying public. Menus were built around foods that were simple, could be prepared in quantity and would keep over time. Wine and coffee were also served. Today, Bistros are mostly still part of the hospitality industry. They are often connected to hotels, bars and pubs. They still often serve cheaper simplified menus, and / or menus that are not tied down to a specific cultural cuisine. Etymology Plaque about the legend of the origin of the word `` Bistro '' at 6, place du Tertre, Paris French - styled bistro in Münster, Germany The etymology is unclear, and is presumed to come from a regional word : bistro, bistrot, bistingo, bistraud, bistouille or bistrouille. The first recorded use of the word appears in 1884. A popular folk etymology of the word claims that it originated among Russian troops who occupied Paris following the Napoleonic Wars. This etymology has been generally discredited due to its manifest illogic, and to the 69 year gap between the proposed origin and the first attestation. See also Brasserie, a slightly more formal French restaurant that may brew its own beer Parisian café, centers of French social and culinary life Sidewalk cafe References Jump up ^ Porcelli, Joey ; Fong, Clay ( 2006 ), The Gyros Journey : Affordable Ethnic Eateries Along the Front Range, Fulcrum Publishing, p. 98, ISBN 978 - 1 - 55591 - 579 - 7 Jump up ^ Jacqueline Picoche, Dictionnaire etymologique du Français, Dictionnaires Le Robert, 1994, p. 51 Jump up ^ David L. Gold, Studies in Etymology and Etiology Universidad de Alicante, 2009, p. 19 - 47. Jump up ^ Alain Rey, Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Dictionnaires Le Robert, 1998, p. 408. External links Look up bistro in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Merriam - Webster definition Paris Bistros : The Democratization of Excellence Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bistro&oldid=845865498 '' Categories : Restaurants by type French cuisine Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca বাংলা Български Català Cymraeg Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Italiano עברית Lietuvių Македонски Nederlands Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Svenska Tagalog Українська 中文 16 more Edit links This page was last edited on 14 June 2018, at 17 : 38 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what kind of food does a bistro serve
Answer: French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods