Best Espresso Martinis in Houston (and Other Coffee Cocktails)
Date Published
Houston's espresso martini scene runs from frozen to fancy to free of alcohol. One Midtown institution pours it frozen. A Rice Village bar that has been open since 1989 runs a whole "spiked coffee" menu. A Michelin-starred restaurant inside an art museum mixes its carajillo with pandan. And at one Upper Kirby restaurant you can order a zero-proof version with your eggs.
This is our shortlist of the best espresso martinis in Houston, plus the carajillos, Irish coffees and other coffee cocktails worth leaving the house for. Every bar and restaurant on it was checked against its own website, menu included, in October 2026.
The quick list
- Best classic with a twist: Julep, where the espresso martini gets mole bitters.
- Best value: The Marigold Club at Golden Hour, when a rum espresso martini is typically $10.
- Most fun: Brennan's of Houston's frozen espresso martini.
- Biggest menu: Under the Volcano, with a whole section of spiked coffee.
- Best carajillo: Bludorn, made with a tequila barrel selected for the restaurant.
- Fanciest: Le Jardinier at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
- Best view: Z on 23, on top of Le Méridien downtown.
- Not drinking? The Marigold Club offers a non-alcoholic version.
How we chose
We started with places whose own menus list an espresso martini or a real coffee cocktail, not just a coffee liqueur on the back bar. Then we looked for a reason to go: a twist on the recipe, a great room, a view, a good-value happy hour or a whole menu of coffee drinks. We left out anywhere we couldn't confirm on an official site. Menus rotate and prices change, so treat the prices here as typical and check the menu before you go.
Espresso martinis worth crossing town for
Julep
Washington Avenue, 1919 Washington Ave · cocktail bar · open daily
Julep says it has won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program and was named one of North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022. Its espresso martini is quietly clever. Vodka, cold brew and turbinado sugar get both orange bitters and mole bitters, so the drink tastes rounder and less sweet than most. There's a carajillo on the menu too, made with Licor 43 and cold brew.
What to order: the espresso martini, typically $16.
Good to know: Julep typically opens at 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 3 p.m. Friday to Sunday, and closes earlier on Sundays.
The Marigold Club
Upper Kirby, 2531 Kuester St · restaurant and bar
The Marigold Club offers two espresso martinis. The regular one blends Ketel One, Amaro Montenegro, espresso and orange peel, and it's marked on the menu as available non-alcoholic, made with Ritual Zero Proof. Golden Hour runs daily from 5 to 6 p.m., and the menu then lists a different espresso martini: El Dorado 12-year rum, crème de cacao and oloroso sherry, typically $10.
What to order: the rum espresso martini at Golden Hour, with a half-dozen oysters.
Also on the menu: a carajillo with Licor 43, listed with the after-dinner drinks.
Brennan's of Houston
Midtown, 3300 Smith St · Creole restaurant and Courtyard Bar · since 1967
Brennan's has served Creole food in Midtown since 1967, and its Courtyard Bar is a good place to drink coffee. The frozen espresso martini is New Amsterdam vanilla vodka, Mr. Black cold brew coffee liqueur and espresso. On the dessert menu, the Frozen Irish Coffee uses Jameson, Hoodoo chicory liqueur, cold brew and vanilla ice cream, which is about as New Orleans as a Houston drink gets. There's also a carajillo with Licor 43 and espresso.
What to order: the frozen espresso martini, typically $8 at happy hour (Monday to Friday, 2 to 6 p.m.).
Insider tip: Brennan's also advertises a weekday 25-cent martini lunch. Check the details on its site before you go.
Under the Volcano
Rice Village, 2349 Bissonnet St · neighborhood bar · open 365 days a year
Under the Volcano is a Día de los Muertos-themed bar that has been pouring since 1989 and calls itself the first craft cocktail bar in Houston. Its menu has a whole "Spiked Coffee" section. You'll find a carajillo, an Irish coffee, a Café Cubano with Appleton rum, a Mexican coffee with tequila and Kahlúa, and two nitro cold brew drinks, one with Frangelico and one with Bailey's.
What to order: the Nutty Nitro Brew (nitro cold brew, Frangelico and whipped cream).
Good to know: it typically opens at 11 a.m. every day, with a daily happy hour and live music on some nights.
Sophie
Montrose, 910 Westheimer Rd · cocktail bar and terrace · open daily
Sophie has two coffee cocktails on its menu, and both use coffee from Maven. The espresso martini adds vanilla, crème de cacao and oat milk to the usual vodka and Kahlúa, so it drinks like an iced latte with a kick. The Queen's Lover brings in Licor 43, orange bitters and cinnamon.
What to order: the Queen's Lover, typically $14, on the upstairs Terrace Bar.
Good to know: happy hour runs Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., and weekend brunch from noon to 4 p.m.
Aperitivo
East River, 2940 Riverby Rd, Suite F-500 · Italian rooftop bar · dress code
Aperitivo is a 5,000-square-foot Italian-style rooftop looking over Buffalo Bayou and the skyline, and it takes its coffee list seriously. The Amalfi Espresso Martini mixes vanilla vodka, Mr. Black, espresso, salted vanilla and rhubarb. The Carajillo Italiano adds hazelnut to reposado tequila and Licor 43. If money is no object, the 1942 Carajillo is built on Don Julio 1942 and is typically $35.
What to order: the Amalfi Espresso Martini, typically $18.
Good to know: the dress code is strict, so dress up.
Z on 23
Downtown, 1121 Walker St, atop Le Méridien Houston Downtown · rooftop
Z on 23 calls itself Houston's highest open-air rooftop bar, and drinking an espresso martini up there feels like having coffee in the skyline. The recipe is Grey Goose, illy espresso and Disaronno Velvet, a creamy almond liqueur. Golden Hour runs daily from 3 to 7 p.m.
What to order: the espresso martini, at sunset.
Sol 7 at Thompson Houston
Allen Parkway, 1717 Allen Pkwy, 7th floor · hotel rooftop
Sol 7's espresso martini skips the usual coffee liqueur. It uses Borghetti, an Italian espresso liqueur, with Ketel One and cold brew, so it tastes more of coffee and less of sugar. Pair it with a walk along Buffalo Bayou.
What to order: the espresso martini, before a downtown dinner.
Patterson Park
The Heights, 2205 Patterson St · treehouse patio bar · 21+ (kids until 9 p.m.)
Patterson Park is the most casual stop on this list. It's a multi-level patio bar at the White Oak Bayou trailhead. Its espresso martini is typically $12, with vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, Madagascar vanilla and a pinch of salt. The salt is a good trick: it takes the edge off the coffee's bitterness.
What to order: the espresso martini, after a bike ride on the trail.
The carajillo crowd
A carajillo is espresso mixed with a liqueur. In Houston that usually means Licor 43, a sweet Spanish liqueur, shaken or poured over ice. It's shorter and stronger-tasting than an espresso martini, and these restaurants make it well.
Bludorn (and Navy Blue)
Montrose, 807 Taft St · Rice Village, 2445 Times Blvd · restaurants
Chef Aaron Bludorn's carajillo is reposado tequila, Licor 43 and coffee at Bludorn in Montrose. At sister seafood restaurant Navy Blue in Rice Village, the Bludorn Barrel Carajillo names the tequila: El Tesoro Bludorn Select, a barrel selected for the restaurant group.
What to order: the carajillo with dessert, instead of coffee.
Le Jardinier
Museum District, 5500 Main St, Suite 122 · Michelin-starred French restaurant at the MFAH
Le Jardinier, inside the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, pours our favourite oddball carajillo. Le Carajillo blends Licor 43 and espresso with pandan, the grassy, vanilla-scented Southeast Asian leaf. It's on the dessert cocktails menu, typically $18.
What to order: Le Carajillo after dinner, or after an afternoon in the galleries.
Tiny's No. 5
West University, 3636 Rice Blvd · neighborhood café
Tiny's No. 5 is the easiest place on the list to have a daytime coffee cocktail. The menu has a straightforward espresso martini (Kahlúa, vodka, espresso) and Julia's Carajillo, made with Licor 43, espresso, cocoa and cinnamon, with a salt rim. Sister restaurant Tiny Boxwoods on West Alabama also lists a carajillo.
What to order: Julia's Carajillo, as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Dish Society
Heights, Katy, Memorial and West U/Bellaire · all-day café
If you're in the suburbs and want an espresso martini with lunch, Dish Society's locations have one. It's Stoli vanilla vodka, Kahlúa, cream, espresso and crème de cacao, typically $12.
What to order: the espresso martini with lunch.
Two bonus coffee moments
- The espresso martini you can eat: Common Bond Bistro & Bakery sells an Espresso Martini Entremet, a dessert of coffee mousse, Kahlúa caramel and cocoa nib cake.
- The alcohol-free cousin: Fellini Caffè in Rice Village and CityCentre serves an espresso crema shakerato, espresso shaken with ice, until late most nights.
Save this: the coffee cocktail crawl
Use a rideshare or a designated driver between stops.
- Golden Hour at Z on 23 (3 to 7 p.m.): an espresso martini with a skyline view.
- Happy hour at Brennan's (weekdays until 6 p.m.): a frozen espresso martini in the Courtyard Bar.
- Dinner and a carajillo at Bludorn: the barrel-select carajillo with dessert.
- Nightcap at Julep: the espresso martini with mole bitters.
Before you go: a quick checklist
- Check the menu on the bar's own site the day you go. Coffee cocktails rotate on and off seasonal menus.
- Hate a sweet drink? Ask for it less sweet, or order a carajillo.
- Not drinking? The Marigold Club offers a non-alcoholic espresso martini.
- Dress up for Aperitivo, which enforces a dress code.
Keep the night going
For more places to drink, start with our best cocktail bars in Houston and the best happy hours in town. If you want the view as well as the drink, see our rooftop bar guide. If you'd rather drink your coffee without the vodka, try our best coffee shops in Houston. Planning an evening out? Our date night ideas, Houston nightlife guide and Montrose area guide can help.
Last verified: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a frozen espresso martini in Houston?
Brennan's of Houston in Midtown serves a frozen espresso martini with vanilla vodka, Mr. Black coffee liqueur and espresso. It's typically $8 at weekday happy hour (2 to 6 p.m.).
Is there a non-alcoholic espresso martini in Houston?
Yes. The Marigold Club in Upper Kirby marks its espresso martini as available non-alcoholic, made with Ritual Zero Proof.
What is a carajillo?
A carajillo is espresso mixed with a liqueur, most often Licor 43 in Houston. Julep, Bludorn, Le Jardinier, Under the Volcano, Brennan's and Aperitivo all list one.
Where is the cheapest espresso martini in Houston?
Brennan's happy hour frozen espresso martini (typically $8) and The Marigold Club's Golden Hour rum espresso martini (typically $10, daily 5 to 6 p.m.) are the best deals we found. Check each menu before you go.
Which Houston rooftop bars serve espresso martinis?
Z on 23 downtown, Sol 7 at Thompson Houston on Allen Parkway and Aperitivo in East River all list espresso martinis on their menus.