The Dictionnaire de l'Académie française dates the word from the 19th century term, bistro, "innkeeper", and suggests that it may be linked to the Poitevin word bistraud ("little servant"), or to bistrouille ("cheap liquor"). It recommends the spelling "bistrot" in preference to "bistro".

A bistro is most commonly associated with upscale, often french cuisine, and this is fitting due to the fact that the word bistro most likely originated in France. Etymologists identify the first uses of the term bistro in France in the early 19th Century.

According to this theory, Russian soldiers used a Slavic word pronounced like “bystry” — which means “quick” or “hurry” — to demand that their food be produced as soon as possible. The term stuck, and restaurants that served simple food quickly became known as bistros.