What is the Difference Between Cafe and Bistro

The main difference between cafe and bistro is the type of food they serve. Cafés serve a snack menu like sandwiches and baked goods while bistros serve food like stews, soups, and cassoulet, which can be prepared in large quantities and kept over time.

Cafés and bistros are comparatively small, inexpensive places that serve food and drinks. They are not full restaurants and do not offer a wide variety of meals.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is a Cafe 
     – Definition, Features
2. What is a Bistro
     – Definition, Location, Features
3. What are the Similarities Between Cafe and Bistro
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Cafe and Bistro
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Bistro, Cafe, Restaurant

What is a Café

Café is a small restaurant that sells light meals and drinks. Therefore, it’s a place where you can find a good cup of coffee or drink. Such places are not full restaurants since they derive a majority of their income from selling drinks. These places often serve a limited menu of snacks like sandwiches or baked goods. Some cafés may also serve breakfast. It’s a small, intimate place where you find tables with people engaged in conversations.

The word café has a French origin, and it literally means coffee. In France, cafés may serve a snack menu like platters of cheese and/or charcuterie, sandwiches and salads. They may also sell cigarettes and tend to be a meeting point for people. In some areas, cafes may offer outdoor seating.

What is a Bistro

The term bistro also has a French origin. It’s a small, inexpensive restaurant. It serves food at moderate prices in a casual or modest setting. Moreover, bistros have a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Bistros may also offer wine or beer for consumption. It is said that bistros originate from basement kitchens of Parisian apartments where landlords increased their income by selling food to the public. Their menus had simple and homely food that can be prepared in quantity.

Bistros offer food items like stews, soups, and other slow-cooked foods that can be prepared in large quantities and kept over time. In France, bistros tend to serve hearty French home-cooking like cassoulet, steak-frites and blanquette de veau. Today, bistros can be connected to bars, pubs, or hotels. They serve cheaper and simple menus.

Similarities Between Cafe and Bistro

• Cafés and bistros are comparatively small, inexpensive places that serve food and drinks.
• Both have an intimate, informal atmosphere.
• They have a French origin.
• They are not full restaurants and do not offer a wide variety of meals.

Difference Between Cafe and Bistro

Definition

Café is a small restaurant that sells light meals and drinks while bistro is a French-style restaurant that serves simple and hearty meals, wine and coffee in a casual setting.

Type of Food

Cafés may serve a snack menu like sandwiches and baked goods while bistros serve food like stews, soups, and cassoulet, which can be prepared in large quantities and kept over time.

Alcohol

Traditionally, cafés don’t usually serve alcohol; they typically serve coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages; bistros, in contrast, serve alcohol.

Conclusion

Café is a small restaurant that sells light meals and drinks while bistro is a French-style restaurant that serves simple and hearty meals, wine and coffee in a casual setting. Cafés may serve a snack menu like sandwiches and baked goods while bistros serve food like stews, soups, and cassoulet, which can be prepared in large quantities and kept over time. Thus, this is the main difference between cafe and restaurant.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Coffee Shop Barista Cafe Free Photo” (CC0) via Needpix
2. “498504” (CC0) via Pixabay