A bistro is a small, inexpensive restaurant that typically serves home-style food. In the United States, bistros are often places for people to meet for drinks and appetizers before going to dinner at another restaurant or to have a light meal before going out for a day or night on the town. Most bistros will serve a variety of foods, including soups, salads, sandwiches, portions of pasta, and main dishes. Here are some ideas for new dishes for your bistro menu.
Flatbread
This type of bread is popular in the Middle East, where it is used to scoop up dips and spreads like hummus (chickpea purée). In the United States, it is sometimes used as a wrap for sandwiches. Flatbread comes in many different kinds, including 8 slice whole wheat flatbread. It is made from whole grains. Every container is packed with eight slices of whole wheat flatbread that come in a paper box.
Grilled Cheese
A grilled cheese sandwich is a popular and easy meal that almost everyone loves. It’s just bread, cheese, butter, and heat. You can add whatever ingredients you like to make it even more delicious, such as ham, pickles, or pears. You can also offer to have it toasted for different periods of time, offering golden brown or extra crisp. Grilled cheese can be a simple dish, but there are a lot of options for what you can do with it to make it more unique or tasty.
Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese is a classic tasty dish that both adults and kids love, meaning you have a menu option for everyone both young and old. A lot of restaurants offer this dish as an appetizer or a side dish on their menus, but since the point of a bistro is eating light you have the option to serve it as a main course. There are a lot of ways you can change up this dish as well, such as adding extras in like bacon or jalapenos or including a bread crumble on top to give it a bit of an extra crunch.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
A grilled chicken Caesar salad is a salad that is topped with grilled chicken breast strips, croutons (small pieces of bread), and Parmesan cheese. It is usually served with a creamy Caesar dressing, hence the name. This is another popular dish and offers a healthy option for customers to choose when deciding what they’d want to eat.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
A grilled chicken sandwich is typically made with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Although, again, you can do as you please if you believe you know a way to make it taste better. You might consider adding cheese, or different condiments such as barbecue sauce. This sandwich is also usually served with French fries and a pickle on the side, though customers could probably choose something different if they were so inclined.
Panini
A panini is a pressed sandwich made with Italian bread (a type of bread with crispy crusts on the outside), Italian cheeses, vegetables, and seasonings. It is usually served open-faced (without the top of the bread). For example, the Panini at Wendy’s consists of salami and mozzarella cheese melted between two slices of Italian bread that are pressed together on a hot panini grill for about four minutes until the cheese melts and the bread turns crispy brown.
As you can see, the above-discussed are ideas for new dishes to add to your bistro menu. Try to introduce them to your guests, and you can experiment with what sells well and what doesn’t, then adjust accordingly. In no time at all, you should have a unique if not incredibly tasty menu that’s a hit with all your regulars if not all your customers.