What is the difference between a bistro and a neo-bistro?

The classic bistro serves traditional cooking, œuf mayonnaise, slow-cooked dishes, grandmother-style desserts, in a decor of counter and chalkboard. The neo-bistro adds a more creative chef's hand: those tables have their own collection, Paris bistronomy.

How many of these bistros hold a Bib Gourmand?

Five addresses in the selection carry the Michelin Bib Gourmand, which rewards value for money: Le CasseNoix, Baca'v, Jouvence, Les Canailles and Le Radis Beurre.

Which bistro for a small budget?

Bouillon Pigalle remains unbeatable: the great bistro classics served from noon to midnight at small prices, no reservations. The queue is part of the folklore, as more than 57,000 reviews attest.

Strongly advised almost everywhere: Les Arlots is fully booked weeks ahead according to the specialist press, and the rooms at Bistrot des Tournelles or Les Canailles are small. Bouillon Pigalle takes no reservations.

Which neighbourhoods does the selection cover?

Almost all of Paris: the Marais and Les Halles (Bistrot des Tournelles, Au Vieux Comptoir), the left bank (Baca'v, Le CasseNoix, Le Radis Beurre, Le Grand Pan), the 9th and 10th (Les Canailles, Les Arlots), the east (Jouvence, L'Ébauchoir) and the north (Bouillon Pigalle, Le Bouclard).

The best bistros in Paris

Places in this guide

N°1Bistro
Les Arlots
The most famous sausage and mash in Paris, awarded by Le Fooding, amid broken-tile floors and bottle-lined walls. One Gault&Millau toque, 20 press sources and weeks of waiting for a table.
« Les Arlots is still going strong and is considered to be one of the best bistros in Paris. »
— parisupdate.com
18 mentions
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N°2Bistro
Bistrot Des Tournelles
Between place des Vosges and Bastille, Édouard Vermynck and Geoffroy Langella's retro den cultivates bistro nostalgia with a chef's rigour. Hailed by Le Fooding and Time Out, its stock keeps rising, with more than 20 sources covering it.
« Édouard Vermynck (ex-Entrée des Artistes) and Geoffroy Langella (son of Neapolitan butchers, trained at Ferrandi) keep up a delicious bistro nostalgia »
— Le Fooding
17 mentionsRating rising
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N°3Bistro
Le Radis Beurre
On boulevard Garibaldi, the offal lover's Bib Gourmand: pig's trotters with foie gras and pink kidneys as cult dishes, one Gault&Millau toque, and the complimentary butter radishes that give the house its name.
« Lovers of delicate pig's trotters and pink-cooked kidneys »
— Time Out
9 mentions
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N°4Bistro
Le Grand Pan
Benoît Gauthier's retro bistro in the 15th, crowned best bistro by the Le Fooding guide and toqued by Gault&Millau. Speckled tiles, marquetry counter and fine meats, steps from Brassens' old home.
« Benoît Gauthier's retro bistro (speckled tiles, marquetry counter, polished wooden tables) has been thrilling taste buds for a good fifteen years »
— Le Fooding
10 mentions
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N°5Bistro
Le CasseNoix
Steps from the Eiffel Tower, a Bib Gourmand run by a chef trained at the Crillon and La Régalade. Generous traditional cooking, old-time bistro decor and nearly 1,000 reviews saluting its consistency.
« This Orléans native, trained in the big city of Paris, learned his craft with the very best. »
— gillespudlowski.com
9 mentions
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N°6Bistro
Baca'v
Gilles Choukroun's bistro in the 5th, doubly distinguished: a Michelin Bib Gourmand and two Gault&Millau toques. Lively, mischievous plates that change with the market, rated 4.8 by the regulars.
« Over and done with every fashion, he now plays the good-natured innkeeper with talent, offering lively, mischievous dishes »
— gillespudlowski.com
12 mentions
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N°7Bistro
Les Canailles
On rue La Bruyère, cuisine canaille by the book: a Bib Gourmand, one Gault&Millau toque and a neighbourhood room scoring 4.8 across more than 1,000 reviews. The sommelier and service are regularly singled out.
« Excellent across the board. Service and sommelier at the top of their game. »
— Google
8 mentions
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N°8Bistro
Bouillon Pigalle
The bouillon that revived the genre: œuf mayo, bourguignon and old-fashioned desserts at small prices from noon to midnight, one Gault&Millau toque and more than 57,000 reviews. The queue on boulevard de Clichy is part of the scenery.
« From noon to midnight, Bouillon Pigalle delivers the great bistro classics at small prices, at a sustained pace. »
— Sortir à Paris
19 mentions
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N°9Bistro
Le Bouclard
Behind place de Clichy, a refuge of French bistro life the critics call a public utility: unshowy bourgeois cooking, a warm welcome and a 4.7 rating from its faithful.
« Le Bouclard, a bistro of public utility »
— gillespudlowski.com
6 mentions
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N°10Bistro
L'Ébauchoir
The institution of rue de Cîteaux, local and seasonal produce in a room that has stayed packed for decades: nearly 2,500 reviews, the largest crowd of regulars in this selection.
« The slightly battered back streets of the 12th arrondissement don't immediately suggest a good quality bistro specialising in seasonal, local produce. »
— Time Out
5 mentions
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N°11Bistro
Jouvence
A 1900s pharmacy turned Bib Gourmand bistro, steps from the Aligre market. The original decor remains, and market-driven cooking has done the rest since 2016.
« steps from the Aligre market, Jouvence has occupied a 1900s former pharmacy since 2016 »
— starwinelist.com
13 mentions
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N°12Bistro
Au Vieux Comptoir
By Les Halles, Anne's counter where the Richelieu pâté en croûte and truffled saucisson are nibbled at ease: one Gault&Millau toque, more than 1,000 reviews and a proper bistro cellar in the 1st arrondissement.
« Friend Franco Gulli's truffled dry sausage is nibbled with ease. »
— gillespudlowski.com
10 mentions
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