The 2026 Pudlo Bistro Awards Winners
The 2026 Trophées Pudlo des Bistrots took place in Paris on 8 December. It’s the fourth edition of the awards created by Gilles Pudlowski, the critic behind the annual Petit Pudlo des Bistrots guide.
The ceremony brings together chefs, owners, front-of-house teams, and producers to highlight the bistrots that define everyday French cooking.
The awards follow the guide’s core values: seasonal dishes, honest execution, solid wines, warm service, and a room with real life in it.
The 2026 edition is backed by Marché de Rungis, the giant wholesale market south of Paris where most of the city’s restaurants source their produce. Its support is a natural fit for an award built around seasonal cooking and product quality.
This year’s ceremony also coincides with the release of the 2026 guide, which lists about 200 Paris bistrots plus 40 regional picks, giving the winners a clear national context.
Here are the places and people who shaped this edition.
1. Casimir (10ᵉ) – Bistrot of the Year
Casimir sits on rue de Belzunce near Gare du Nord. It’s a compact bistrot where the daily menu depends on the morning market run.
The jury praised the seasonal discipline of the cooking, the clarity of the flavors, and the steady level of execution.
Plates rotate often, with dishes like croquettes made from Gascogne ham, an aubergine “schnitzel,” or a simple ramen when the kitchen feels like it. Desserts stay anchored in Paris tradition with Paris-Brest or crêpe Suzette.
Regulars fill most tables, and the wines are chosen to stay accessible.
Casimir earned the top award because it shows how a neighborhood bistrot can stay rooted in tradition while keeping each service alive and moving.
2. Phébé – Chez la Vieille (17ᵉ): Cheffe of the Year
Pauline Nicolas received the year’s top individual cooking prize. The Pudlo team highlights her precision, her instinct for produce, and the balance she brings to each plate. Her dishes carry a bistrot spirit but show a clear technical backbone.
This award often marks chefs who will shape the next decade of Paris cooking, and her place at Phébé positions her as one of the central figures to follow.
3. Capsule (14ᵉ) – Bistrotiers of the Year
Florian Woelflinger, Pierre Thomas, and Mickaël Falotte earned this award for the way they run their room.
Capsule works as a tight unit, with a team that supports both the kitchen and the front of house. Service stays smooth even at peak hours, and the room holds a steady neighborhood pulse.
The Pudlo guide uses this category to highlight the people who define the dining experience as much as the person cooking.
4. Le Verre à Vin (12ᵉ) – Art de Vivre & Tradition
Le Verre à Vin stands out for its attachment to classic Paris bistrot life. The award recognizes its handling of wine, pacing of service, and the way the room feels settled in its neighborhood.
It shows how older bistrot customs can stay relevant when the kitchen and dining room work in sync.
5. P’tit Bon (9ᵉ) – Accueil & Convivialité
This category focuses entirely on human warmth. P’tit Bon earned the award for consistent hospitality, a team that remembers returning guests, and a room that feels open from the moment service starts.
The guide notes that the atmosphere here shapes the meal as much as the food.
6. L’Opportun (14ᵉ) – Bistrot Canaille
This award celebrates hearty, full-flavor cooking tied to French comfort dishes. L’Opportun fits that lane with confidence.
The guide points to its consistency and the way it holds onto this style without softening it for trends. It’s the kind of bistrot where the cooking has clear identity and doesn’t drift.
7. La Cantine du Troquet – Transmission Award
La Cantine du Troquet was honored for the way it trains teams and passes on bistrot techniques and values.
This prize highlights establishments that take continuity seriously. It’s a signal that the place acts as a bridge between past and future cooks and servers.
8. La Belle Maison & Au Coin des Pucelles – Openings of the Year
Two new addresses share this title. The guide emphasizes their immediate impact, the strength of their early identity, and how quickly they found their footing in their neighborhoods.
They enter the guide as newcomers with clear direction rather than work-in-progress openings.
The Petit Pudlo des Bistrots 2026 Guide
The new guide appears in mid-December. It includes around 200 Paris bistrots and 40 additional picks across France, covering Lyon’s bouchons, Alsace’s winstubs, and traditional estaminets in the North.
The winners sit within this wider map of regional cooking, which helps explain the choices made during the ceremony.