Legend has it that "bistro" is from the Russian word for "quick" (быстро) as shouted by Cossack mercenaries during the occupation of Paris in 1814 as they pounded their glasses on the table demanding to be served in a hurry. Bistros may in fact be the original providers of ‘fast food’ .

Bistro (or bistrot as often spelled in French) is a type of restaurant which typically serves sizeable French home-cooked dishes. Bistros differentiate themselves from fine dining restaurant with modestly priced meals and a more relaxed ambiance. Bistros tend to be easily confused with brasseries which are large, noisy open restaurants with a focus on sauerkraut (choucroute), large seafood platters and art nouveau style decorations.

About 10 years ago some of the top chefs started opening bistros next to their restaurants offering gourmet French traditional cuisine in a casual environment at affordable prices. This movement is called ‘bistronomique’. Bistros such as P’tite Ardoise Bistro in Beaufort St have brought this movement to Perth.

In Perth, the term bistro is widely used by restaurants offering something completely different to what bistros are in France. This article provides an explanation of what differentiates a bistro from other restaurants and where to find French bistros in the Perth region including Fremantle and Joondalup.

Genuine bistros are authentic places fulfilling most of the traditional bistro characteristics listed in this article. For instance, a “bistro” serving italian cuisine is a an italian restaurant, not a bistro even though the place may offer a bistro like ambiance. People in Perth are lucky enough to have the following range of bistros:

Traditional Bistro Restaurants in Perth

This article has been written with the best of our knowledge and the contributions from the bistros.

If you know about a place where to find a guenuine bistro in Perth please don’t hesitate to contact us.

last updated 25-Mar-2017

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Where to find Genuine bistros in Perth

Bistro Atmosphere

Bistro are small neighborhood-style restaurants with an informal ambiance.

Chairs and tables are typically made of simple wood covered with butcher's paper as tablecloth. It used to be common for waiters to add up bills on the table cover.

the menu of the day may be written on a blackboard (ardoise) in the dining room. Space between tables is usually minimised resulting in a warm and fairly loud tone.

Familiar, low-key unsophisticated waiters typically provide an attentionate service in the traditional French practises. Most of the bistros’ service referenced in this article is provided by French waiters either full time employees or backpackers.

The clientele is very diversified from young lovers in the corner holding hands to businessmen whose path would not normally cross elsewhere.

Conversations in French can easily be found in the bistros referenced in this article. If you want to immerse yourself in a French ambiance while enjoying traditional bistro food served by French waiters, ‘French immersion’ evenings are proposed at the P’tite Ardoise Bistro on Beaufort street the first one will start on April 11th please see flyer with special Perth à la Carte offer below and check for updates on next ones on their Website or Facebook.

Food

The cooking is a crucial element of what defines an authentic bistro, it being casual, generous home-style type food based on the most traditional but not sophisticated French dishes, standard enough to have been compiled into cookbooks.

Food served in authentic bistros often include coq au vin, blanquette, cassoulet, pot au feu or boeuf bourguignon… The choice of main dishes almost always include roasted chicken or chicken served in mushroom cream sauce, entrecote steak (cut of beef from the rib area) or rumsteak served with a sauce (Béarnaise, pepper , Maître d'Hôtel butter or blue cheese), duck meat being either confit or magret and a fish option. Steak Tartare would be proposed as a main dish in France but tend to be offered as an entry in Perth.

Bistros typically have a fairly short wine list but reasonably priced. In France, most bistros offer an option of wine by the carafe or open wine which is most of the time very decent for the price but we haven’t found this in Perth.

Wine

Bistros are moderately priced which is one of the reasons why they are so popular.

There are various upscale bistros and "bistros de luxe" which together with gastronomic French restaurants have tent to make traditional bistros an exception in Perth.

In genuine bistro restaurants in Perth, s starter would typically be around A$15-20, a main dish A$30-40 and a dessert around A$15.

Price

A French bistro menu is always composed of a mouthwatering list of starters. French onion soup, Salade Lyonnaise (a mixed leaf salad with speck bacon, parmesan, crouton, poached egg and French dressing), charcuterie, pate, rillettes or foie gras and escargot are all classic options to start a bistro meal on the right foot.

Cheese is always an option in French restaurants, bistros included. The cheese plateau typically include the most classic choices of French cheeses.

The list of desserts is far from being less attractive with various tarts such as lemon meringue or tatin, profiteroles, crème brûlée, Île flotante (Soft meringue with vanilla anglaise and caramel), chocolate fondant and more...

Sides generally include fresh Seasonal Vegetables, Potatoes either prepared as pommes frites or gratin dauphinois and Rice (mainly to accompany the fish).