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A bistro or bistrot (), in its original Parisian form, is a small restaurant serving moderately priced, simple meals in a modest setting.
A Paris newspaper in 1892 referred to dishes served at a bistro, including , veal with sauce ravigote, navarin of lamb, shepherds pie, eggs, sausages and hot roast chicken.Anfossi, Marc. "Un bistro – fin de siècle", Le Petit Moniteur universel, 29 June 1892, p. 2, column 5
The Oxford Companion to Food comments that the idea of simple inexpensive food served in a French atmosphere has wide appeal, so that by the end of the 20th century the term had "begun to be annexed by more pretentious premises".Hyman, pp. 77–78
The word was used to describe a drinking establishment, estaminet or small popular local restaurant where alcoholic beverages were served. In the early part of the 19th century, the term "gargote" signified a basic style of restaurant, but the term "bistro" or "bistrot" is not recorded until towards the end of the century. An early appearance of the term in print is in Les deux gosses by Pierre Decourcelle, published in 1880.
A popular folk etymology, not attested by the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, claims that the word originated among Russian troops who, following the Battle of Paris in March 1814, occupied the city and visited these tiny places to drink a coffee. They might have shouted bistro! bistro! () when they wished to be served quickly. This etymology has been dismissed by linguists, because there is no attestation to the occurrence of the term until the late 19th century.Gold, pp. 19–47; and Rey, p. 408
In the 20th century, these places became very popular and widely represented the diversity of the Parisian life. More than that, bistros became the hallmark of the French lifestyle and inspire a multitude of artists (photographs, writers, etc.).
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