Type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting
In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves dishes and other meals.
The word "brasserie" is French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brewing business". Although most brasseries still serve a large selection of beers, most of them offer a wider choice of beverages such as wines and liquors. A brasserie can be expected to have professional service, printed menus, and, traditionally, white linen—unlike a bistro which may have none of these. Typically, a brasserie is open every day and serves the same menu, generally composed of a few traditional French dishes, all day. A classic example of a brasserie dish is steak frites.
Etymology.
The term "brasserie" is French for "brewery", from Middle French "brasser" "to brew", from Old French "bracier", from Vulgar Latin "braciare", of Celtic origin. Its first usage in English was in 1864. The origin of the word probably stems from the fact that beer was brewed on the premises rather than brought in: thus an inn would brew its own beer as well as supply food and invariably accommodation too.
In 1901 "Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language" defined "brasserie" as "in France, any beer-garden or saloon". In 2000 "The New Penguin English Dictionary" included this definition of "brasserie": "a small informal French-style restaurant".
Parisian examples.
Amongst the most renowned places considered to be brasseries, Bouillon Chartier is probably the most emblematic. Located in the 9th arrondissement in Paris, it was opened in 1896 by the brothers Frédéric and Camille Chartier. The brand soon expanded to over ten brasseries in Paris; three remain today, alongside the initial location on the Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre: on the Boulevard du Montparnasse in the 6th arrondissement and on the Rue du 8-Mai-1945 in the 10th arrondissement. Former locations still operating include:
To this day, both locals and tourists visit the Bouillon Chartier establishments, decorated in the Belle Époque style, to eat traditional and cheap dishes.
The Closerie des Lilas, located in the 6th arrondissement, opened in 1847 and has been visited by many creatives such as Pablo Picasso, Jean-Paul Sartre, Oscar Wilde, Louis Aragon, Ernest Hemingway, Émile Zola, Paul Cézanne, as well as F. Scott Fitzgerald. Brasserie Lipp on Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement sponsors an annual literary prize, the Prix Cazes, named for a previous owner.
La Mère Catherine, a brasserie founded in 1793, is the oldest still-operating restaurant at the Place du Tertre in Montmartre. The Grand Café des Capucines, opened in 1875 on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement, soon became a well-known place for dinner after shows at the Opéra Garnier nearby.
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