Café vs Bistro vs Brasserie

A brasserie is open until 01:00, a café often closes at 14:00. A bistro is a small restaurant with a set menu. A "salon de thé" is a tearoom. Picking the wrong one for the meal slot costs you a 30-min walk.

Meal slot

Hunger level

Arrondissement or area

Budget

What this tool actually solves

Most travel guides use "bistro" and "brasserie" interchangeably. They are very different:

Café: serves drinks + light food (croque-monsieur, omelette, quiche). Open morning + afternoon, closes 19:00–22:00. No full dinner service.
Bistro (bistrot): a small restaurant, often with a daily-changing menu. Open 12:00–14:30 and 19:30–22:00. Closed between meals.
Brasserie: a larger restaurant, often Art-Deco woodwork, with a longer opening — 11:30–01:00 continuous service. Famous for seafood platters and choucroute.
Salon de thé: a tearoom, opens 14:00–19:00. Pastries, hot drinks. Most cities have several.

How to read the result

The result gives you the right choice for your meal slot, hunger and budget. The "trap" line tells you which venue type to avoid at this hour.

Limitations

The classification is fuzzy — many "cafés" run dinner service on Thursday–Saturday, many "brasseries" close on Sunday. The opening hours below are central-Paris averages; provincial venues often close 1–2 hours earlier.

FAQ

Can I get a real espresso after 22:00?

Yes — a brasserie or a 24/7 boulangerie chain. Standard cafés close 19:00–22:00.

Is « Bistrot » the same as « Bistro »?

Functionally yes. The extra "t" is a stylistic choice — "bistrot" with the t is sometimes used to invoke the 19th-century working-class eatery. "Bistrot" in the 1920s referred to the cheap wine-and-food spot.

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Estimate only. Opening hours vary by venue.