The Evolution of Paris’s Bistros

There was a time when you could get two kinds of meals in Paris: an expensive, formal (but ambitious and well-executed) meal in its hushed dining rooms, or comforting – albeit less ambitious and slightly predictable – food in its bistros, complete with red checked tablecloths and a zinc-topped bar.

There was no happy medium; no place that married the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of a local bistro with inventive, refined food. Young chefs started to buck the trend, wanting to create good food in a place where it could be enjoyed. It began with Yves Camdeborde and Le Comptoir du Relais (9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006), a tiny popular place where you’ll find dishes like roasted scallops in algae butter and oozing cheese boards (go for the prix-fixe dinner to beat the crowds).

Then in 2011 Bertrand Grébaut opened Septime (80 rue du Charonne, 75011), creating seasonal, inventive, modern French dishes in a setting that’s stylish, contemporary and laid-back. The term ‘bistronomy’ – once an insult – became a positive and something that chefs around the city strived for.