What Is A Bistro Restaurant, Anyway?

While some restaurant categories — the pizza place, the creperie, the ice cream shop — are self-explanatory, others can be a little more mysterious. The word bistro, for example, evokes notions of romantic lighting, lilting music, and garlicky escargots. But ask the average diner to explain what a bistro is beyond notionally French cooking, intimate vibes, and pleasant tunes, and it gets a little murkier.

Merriam-Webster's definition of bistro, "a small or unpretentious restaurant," leaves way too much latitude for interpretation. With that definition alone, those pizza places, creperies, and ice cream shops could all also be bistros. Even words like "small" and "unpretentious" are subjective, depending on variables like geographic real estate trends and tax brackets.

There are a few critical qualities that separate run-of-the-mill cramped restaurants with curated Spotify playlists and a "Starry Night" print in the bathroom from real bistros. A true bistro is an inviting place that can please most palates in a comfortable environment designed for relaxation. The food may be common, but it is warmly familiar. The space may be bustling at times, but it puts guests at ease. The restaurant should have at least a few wine selections that aren't glaringly marked up. And a few further qualities narrow the field even further.

In cases of defining a specific style of restaurant, the process of elimination is practically scientific method. A bistro is the diametric opposite of a clubstaurant on a spectrum where family-friendly, themed dining chains are dead center. Ergo, a bistro is often the most petite yet still approachable sit-down restaurant in a given area, which is a more precise distinction than "small." Exempting any odd outliers, a bistro will neither dabble in the smoke and foams of molecular gastronomy, nor carry special-occasion price tags. It must serve a broadly appealing, if basic, menu that translates to average check totals. And, per conventional conception, a bistro will be even more identifiable as such with at least a little French influence that extends beyond a college dorm aesthetic.

There are still, to be fair, some know-it-when-you-see-it vibes that really make a bistro click into the category. Whatever restaurant row or block you're on anywhere in the world, you'll be able to spot the bistro by its air of intimacy, chicly casual and often cozy environment, and, yes, even the suggestion of a little romance.