Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A small, informal restaurant serving wine.
- noun A small bar, tavern, or nightclub.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun a small informal restaurant, especially one serving alcoholic beverages.
- noun a
nightclub .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A small European-style
restaurant . - noun A small
bar orpub .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a small informal restaurant; serves wine
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word bistro.
Examples
-
But just because I am annoyed by the ubiquity of restaurant reviews doesn't mean there is anything actually wrong with the word bistro.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed RUSSELL SMITH 2011
-
But just because I am annoyed by the ubiquity of restaurant reviews doesn't mean there is anything actually wrong with the word bistro.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed RUSSELL SMITH 2011
-
Well, OK, I threw in "bistro" because it sounded good but this is really about some of the stuff Bubba does besides BBQ, fried chicken and other Texas "high" cuisine.
-
Well, OK, I threw in "bistro" because it sounded good but this is really about some of the stuff Bubba does besides BBQ, fried chicken and other Texas "high" cuisine.
-
Well, OK, I threw in "bistro" because it sounded good but this is really about some of the stuff Bubba does besides BBQ, fried chicken and other Texas "high" cuisine.
-
This French-German bistro is Berlin 's version of Michael' s in New York.
-
Eat dinner at Chartier, an authentic Paris bistro from the turn of the century.
What to Do in Paris / Que faire a Paris? - French Word-A-Day 2009
-
This French-German bistro is Berlin 's version of Michael' s in New York.
The New German Expressionism Monica Khemsurov 2010
-
But these days, this popular Second City bistro is anything but first rate …
Every Episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” In One Convenient Blog Post | Best Week Ever 2007
-
And if you ask me, the nicest time to sit in a cozy bistro is when the snow is whirling outside.
Escaping the cold at L'Ourcine Michele 2006
-
After arriving home from the Price’s offices, I pulled on what’s known in the catering world as “black bistro” and went to serve cocktails at a private party in a $32m home in Beverly Hills for $25 an hour.
I applied for LA’s basic income program – and the process was startling Ruth Fowler 2021
asativum commented on the word bistro
From the Russian for "fast," or so I've always heard, which the French adopted for a place to get a quick bite to eat.
December 16, 2006
seanahan commented on the word bistro
That etymology is disputed. Bistro at Wikipedia
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the word bistro
Aha! One of the most interesting kinds of etymology. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
December 18, 2006
look_it_up_family commented on the word bistro
A friend told me the word "bistro" comes from the Russian word for quick or fast. The implication is that the food at a bistro is served more quickly than in a restaurant. Although my Russian dictionary does have a similar looking word, I am dubious about the etymology.
April 19, 2009
super-sdb commented on the word bistro
The Russian word for fast is ?????? (which roughly equates to "bistro"). But this account of the etymology is not to do with the service being faster - almost the opposite. When the Russians occupied Paris in 1814, soldiers would sit at tables in the cafes and shout "bistro!" at the waiters to try and get served quicker.
Although it's quite possible that the Russian soldiers behaved in that way, it's unlikely that this is in fact the origin of the word in French, as there is no recorded use of the word bistro in the French language until 70 years later, in 1884.
June 26, 2009