Since 1848, a restaurant has stood at 33 rue de Lille.

It began as the Grand Restaurant Georget, which remained until 1903, followed by the Bouillon Poensin until 1965. That same year, Raymond and Michel Oliver, arriving from the celebrated Grand Véfour, opened what would become the Bistrot de Paris.

The restaurant's original interior was redesigned in 1965 by the renowned decorator Slavik, establishing the Bistrot de Paris as a landmark of Parisian literary, intellectual, artistic, and political life.

Faithful to the tradition of the great cafés and bistros of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Bistrot de Paris has long served as a gathering place for some of France's most distinguished literary institutions. Since their inception, it has hosted the Valery Larbaud Prize (1967), the journal Commentaire (1978), the Revue des Deux Mondes Prize (2008), the André Gide Prize (2014), the Robert Ganzo Poetry Prize (2017), and the Prix des Romancières (2017).

Today, the spirit of the house continues to be sustained by its loyal patrons, preserving the unique character of a place so deeply cherished by figures such as Paul Valéry, André Gide, and Serge Gainsbourg.