Definition of Brasserie, Bistro, Café, and Salon de Thé

I was asked to explain the different distinctions of French eating establishments by a client last month, and I thought it would make an informative blog post. Below are four categories: Brasserie, bistro, café, and salon de thé.

Brasserie
A brasserie is a restaurant that serves the same menu all day, sometimes with a few specials/plat du Jour. The cuisine is classic French with dishes like charcuterie, plats de mer, steak tartare, onion soup, and confit de canard.  Brasserie also means brewery and many of them serve a good selection of beer on tap. Some well known Parisian brasseries include Brasserie Lipp, Bofinger, Vaudeville, and La Coupole.

Bistro/Bistrot
A bistro is a small, informal, neighborhood restaurant with simple food, usually with a single owner or chef-owned. They are open at set times, approximately from 12PM to 2 or 2:30PM for lunch and 7:30PM to 10:30 or 11PM for dinner and most of the time closed either Sunday or Monday, or both. Legend has it that how the name bistro came about is when Russian soldiers were at a restaurant in Montmartre on Place du Tertre in 1812, their food was too slow in coming, so they yelled "Bistrot! Bistrot!", which means quickly in Russian. Some of my favorite bistros are Le Reminet, Chez Janou, L' Atelier d'Antan, and Chez Dumonet.

Café
The most common eating establishment, the café, focuses more on beverages including coffee, tea, wine, and beer, and many now have cocktails and Happy Hour. Cafe's are open all day and night serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the same menu is served throughout the day, with more casual fare of sandwiches, croques, omelets, and salads. Most cafes have outdoor terraces which open all year round with heat lamps in winter. Some classic cafes include Cafe de Flore, Cafe de la Paix, Les Deux Magots, and Le Fouquet's.

Salon de Thé

More informal than a café, a salon de thé specializes in cakes and pastries along with tea and and coffee.They are usually open from morning to early evening and sometimes serve light lunches and small dishes. Popular salon de thé's include Ladurée, Carette, Angelinas, and Mariage Freres, and one of my personal favorites is Comme a la Maison.

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 Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

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New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
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Comments

[Sarah T Skinner]

This was informative and enjoyable to read... it got me thinking about the places in my neighborhood and what their definitions would be.

[Sandra Sheridan]

Great post! It's so important to understand the "rhythms" of the city - what's open when, what type of service. Our favorite Salon de The is on Ile Saint-Louis. Your photography also is outstanding - very much enjoy your site.

[Chezbonnefemme]

Yay Bofinger (top photo)! I never go to Paris without a visit to this wonderfully preserved brasserie. Love the Choucroute Garnie! Thanks for the photo. It definitely took me there.

[Marion]

It should read that salons de thé are more _formal_ than cafés, shouldn't it?

[Yetunde Oshodi]

Hey Richard, too funny, we were going to post exactly the same thing. I will instead make reference to your post. ; ) Thanks - Yetunde

[Foodmeomaha.wordpress.com]

Great info. I have shared this on a post explaining the meaning of brasserie. Thanks for sharing.