Readers say these 11 Wichita restaurants make the best espresso martinis in town
These days in Wichita, it’s practically impossible to find a cocktail menu that doesn’t include an espresso martini — or some version of it.
The cocktail — one of the few that simultaneously gets people going and slows them down — was invented in the 1980s but started experiencing a nationwide resurgence three or four years ago, and the trend has really exploded in Wichita. Even the few local bars that don’t offer a traditional espresso martini — typically made with espresso, vodka, coffee liqueur and simple syrup — offer their own version of one. (See N&J Cafe west’s new Turkish coffee martini.)
The espresso martini is said to have been invented in London in the early 1980s by a bartender named Dick Bradsell. The story goes that he created the drink for a model who wanted something that would both wake her up and get her drunk. It faded out of fashion, but around 2021 — fueled by a growing coffee culture — it started making a comeback.
Espresso martinis became so popular at Grow, a plant store/cocktail bar at 320 N. Market in Wichita, that a couple of years ago, the bar started offering flights of espresso martinis: customers could choose from a list of five variations — classic, sea salt caramel, honey lavender, dirty chai and almond delight.
The flights will be back on the menu this fall, said Grow bar manager and event planner Emily Fertner, and until then, customers can choose from two rich, frothy espresso martinis: the classic, made with a fresh shot of espresso and Italian liqueur, or a dirty chai espresso martini, which adds house-made chai spice, brown sugar simple syrup and a caramel drizzle.
Fertner, who joined the Grow staff in April 2024, said that customer demand for espresso martinis continues to grow each year. She loves them, too.
“I used to be a vodka Red Bull girl,” she said. “But this is a sophisticated way to get a pick-me-up for people that their friends drag them out, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m tired. I don’t know if I want to,’” she said. “This will change your mind. You’ll get a little pep in your step.”
The key to a good espresso martini, she said, is quality. The espresso shot in the martini must be freshly brewed and hot when it’s added to the shaker.
“It has to be just made,” she said. “That way, you get the good foam on top and the good presentation.”
A good espresso martini also is traditionally garnished with three coffee beans, which symbolize health, wealth and happiness.
Recently, I asked readers to tell me which local bars and restaurants made the best espresso martin in Wichita. I got nearly 150 responses and tallied them up to create this unscientific but still informative list of Wichita’s best espresso martinis.
Spoiler alert: Readers say the best one is made at Georges French Bistro, whose espresso martini is made with a shot of fresh-made espresso. According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Georges served 3,015 espresso martinis in 2024, making it the restaurant’s fourth most popular item last year after French onion soup, steak frites and berry pavlova.
Wichita’s 11 best espresso martinis
Note: Good Company, Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, The Candle Club and Lotte all earned the same number of mentions:
8. Good Company Taps & Spirits, 930 W. Douglas: Is it any surprise that Good Company makes good espresso martinis? After all, this cocktail bar operates as a coffee shop — Pennant — during daytime hours. In addition to a classic espresso martini, it’s currently offering a seasonal espresso martini made with clarified Oreo milk and topped with Oreo cold foam.
8. Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, 104 S. Broadway: Siena is the restaurant that operates inside the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Wichita. It spotlighted its ”bold, smooth” espresso martini on National Martini Day in June.
8. The Candle Club, 6135 E. 13th St.: You have to be a member — or know a member — to get into this throwback private Wichita club. But if you do, you can sample its espresso martini, made with Stoli vanilla vodka, espresso, Spirit Hound Cafe, creme de cacao and half and half.
8. Lotte, 320 S. Market: This fine dining restaurant serves an espresso martin that’s made using Le Bon orange whiskey from Una Vida Tequila.
Note: Larcher’s and First Mile Kitchen received the same number of mentions
6. First Mile Kitchen, This restaurant has an espresso martini made with Licor 43, coffee liqueur and a shot of espresso that it serves at both brunch and dinner.
6. Larcher’s Market, 3555 E. Douglas: This sister concept to The Belmont makes its own version of an espresso martini. It’s called Apollo’s Batch and is made with Licor 43, house chai and espresso. The bar also makes an espresso martini cocktail called Chai Carajillo and is happy to prepare classic espresso martinis upon request.
5. Chester’s Chophouse, 1550 N. Webb Road: Espresso martini fans say that Georges French Bistro’s sister restaurant also makes an excellent espresso martini.
4. Grow Plant Bar, 320 N. Market: This combo plant store/coffee shop/martini bar makes its espresso martinis with Reverie Coffee Roasters espresso. People can choose from either the classic recipe or a dirty chai recipe now and sample espresso martini flights starting in the fall.
Note: Vora and Bubbles Champagne Bar got the same number of mentions
2. Vora, 3252 E. Douglas: This upscale restaurant in the Douglas Design District offers a long list of cocktails, and the espresso martini is on it.
2. Bubbles Champagne Bar, 523 E. Douglas: Groups of girlfriends can often be seen sipping espresso martinis together at this bar, tucked inside The Workroom gift shop in downtown Wichita.
1. Georges French Bistro, 4618 E. Central: The bar whose espresso martini was most mentioned was Georges French Bistro
Other Wichita restaurants that readers said made great espresso martinis included Napoli, 7718 E. 37th St. North; Vorshay’s Cocktail Lounge, 417 E. Douglas; The Sweet Spot, 7703 E. Douglas; Cocoa Dolce east, west and downtown; Flight 1868, 3700 E. Douglas; YaYa’s Eurobistro, 8115 E. 21st St.; and Layali, 236 W. Greenway St.
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