For many tourists and French citizens, Paris would not be Paris without its local bistros and sidewalk cafes. Whether small or sprawling, they are inseparable from the city’s iconic image — immortalized in Hollywood movies and novels.

But are they among the world’s intangible cultural heritage? For Alain Fontaine, a bistro owner and president of the association pushing the Unesco idea, the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

“For centuries, they have been melting pots, places where people of different ethnicities, professions and social classes mix,” said Mr. Fontaine, who owns Le Mesturet, an old-fashioned bistro with a zinc bar and chandeliers made of wine bottles.

Support for the cause has come from Parisian actors, writers and residents for whom their local cafes and bistros represent a way of life. Many attended a news conference this past week at Le Mesturet to explain the rationale.

The bistros and cafes are not just places to sip an espresso and people-watch or to have a meal with a glass of wine. They can be arenas for robust debate, offices to seal deals or places to woo a romantic interest.