Bistro Font

Bistro is a calligraphy font. The letters have the smooth movement of real pen lettering, which is why even a single name looks special in it. You can download it for free and test it with your own words in the preview above.

Bistro Font Details

• Category: Calligraphy font
• Font styles: 1 (Regular)
• Weight: Regular (400)
• Glyphs: 147
• Characters: A–Z, a–z, 0–9 and basic punctuation
• Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian
• OpenType features: Ligatures
• Extra characters: 8 copy-and-paste alternates (Private Use Area)
• Kerning: Built in
• Version: 1.001
• Download: Free ZIP (88.9 KB) with one OTF file

What You Can Type With Bistro

You get every letter from A to Z in both cases and all the numbers from 0 to 9, which means Bistro can handle full sentences, dates and prices. Everyday marks like &, !, ? and @ are there too. Thanks to its accented letters, it also works for Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian, not just English.

How to Use the Alternate Letters in Bistro

Its 8 alternates are stored as separate characters, so you can copy them from Character Map on Windows or Font Book on a Mac and paste them anywhere, including Cricut Design Space and Canva. Its ligatures switch on by themselves in most design apps: certain letter pairs join into one specially drawn shape.

Where Bistro Works Best

Designers usually reach for fonts like Bistro when they're making wedding invitations, certificates and elegant quotes. Its lowercase letters are small compared to the capitals, so set it a size or two bigger than usual. Script fonts read best in short bursts, so keep it to names, titles and one-line quotes. Skip all caps: script capitals are drawn to start a word, not to fill one.

Bistro Font FAQs

Is Bistro font free to download?

Yes, Bistro is a free download here (free ZIP (88.9 KB) with one OTF file), no sign-up needed. For commercial projects, read the license note on this page first, since that's set by the designer.

How do I install Bistro on Windows or Mac?

Unzip the download first. On Windows, right-click the font file and choose Install. On a Mac, double-click it and click Install Font. The ZIP contains OTF files, which work on Windows, Mac and in every major design app. Restart any app that was already open so it picks up Bistro.

How do I get the alternate letters and swashes in Bistro?

The 8 alternates are separate characters, so copy them from Character Map on Windows or Font Book on a Mac and paste them into your text. This works in Cricut Design Space and Canva too.

Can I use Bistro in Canva and Cricut?

Canva lets you upload it on Pro, Teams and other plans with font uploads (Brand Kit > Upload a font); free accounts can't upload fonts. For Cricut Design Space, install it on your computer first and it shows up under System fonts.

Does Bistro support accented letters?

Yes. Bistro includes the accented letters needed for Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian, so it works for more than just English.

What fonts pair well with Bistro?

For the small print, like dates, addresses or menu items, pair it with a clean sans serif such as Montserrat or Lato.