Reading the Signs: Restaurant, Bistro, Brasserie or Café?

The first thing to know about eating out in France is that not every eatery is the same kind of place. France has Restaurants, Bistros, Brasseries and Cafés. If one of those words is on the sign, you can eat there, but each has its own character.

A Restaurant is the most formal of the four. It is also the only category that can earn Michelin stars, and it can serve any cuisine, whether Italian, Korean or Greek. For a romantic dinner for two, a Restaurant is usually the better pick because it tends to be quieter. A Bistro is more casual and trendy, and often pretty lively. It serves traditional French cooking rather than foreign or fusion food.

Both of these close between services, so plan around them. Lunch usually starts at noon and runs until about 3 p.m., with last orders often around 2:30 p.m., so don't let the lunch window slip by while you're sightseeing. After a long afternoon break, they reopen at 7 p.m. and typically serve until 10 or 11 p.m. The late evening opening comes down to French eating habits: dinner rarely starts before 7:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. is more usual.

A Brasserie also serves traditional French cooking, like a Bistro, but it's a notch more upscale than a Bistro, and you'll often see business diners there. It's lively too, so it's not the place for a truly formal meal. Its big advantage is that it stays open all day, from early morning until midnight, and some places keep going until 2 a.m.

A Café keeps the same hours as a Brasserie, and it is not a coffee shop. It's an everyday, casual place to eat, with real historical weight: in the 18th century, the age of the Enlightenment, it was where writers, philosophers and artists met and socialized. In this audio guide, all four types are simply called restaurants.

One more tip for summer travelers. Many French people take the whole of July or August off for their vacances, and it's common to find restaurants with a "closed for vacation" sign on the door. Check that a place is open before you go.