/bis"troh/ ; Fr. /bee strddoh"/ , n. , pl. bistros /bis"trohz/ ; Fr. /bee strddoh"/ .
1. a small, modest, European-style restaurant or café.
2. a small nightclub or restaurant.
[ 1920-25; bistro ( t ), orig. argot, first attested in the sense "proprietor of a tavern" (1884); of obscure orig. ]