One of Manchester’s best cocktail bars is rolling out a whole menu dedicated to espresso martinis, in celebration of Espresso Martini Week.
Three Little Words, a bar, restaurant and distillery tucked beneath the arches of Manchester Central, is teaming up with Australian coffee liqueur brand Mr Black to craft the ultimate experience for espresso martini fans.
If you like your cocktails with a kick of caffeine, this is a week dedicated to the world’s most iconic coffee cocktail that you don’t want to miss.
They’re even giving you a chance to win a cocktail tree of four drinks for free.
Three Little Words takes its spirits seriously – it’s founded by Manchester Gin, and the bar is home to the Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
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That means a whole host of gins and vodkas are distilled right next to where you’ll be ordering your cocktails from, including Sphere Vanilla and Tonka vodka, which happens to be the perfect base for an espresso martini.
It’s not just the alcohol that’s taken seriously here either, with Three Little Words teaming up with the legendary Mancoco to create a custom coffee blend specifically for espresso martinis.
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Espresso Martini tree at Three Little WordsThree Little Words in Manchester has a full espresso martini menu
Running from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 March, Three Little Words has a full menu of five different espresso martinis for you to try.
There’s the classic you already know and love, made with Sphere Vanilla and Tonka Vodka and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur.
Then there’s a mind-bending illusion of an espresso martini, the bar’s brand-new Clear Collection #1 – it’s a completely clear cocktail (compared to the usual dark brown espresso martini), which still delivers all the velvety intensity of the classic.
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You can also order a Flat White Martini, which has Baileys in it; a Black Cherry Martini, featuring One-Eyed Rebel Black Cherry Spiced Rum; and the Mayan Martini, made with tequila and espresso.
Or if you can’t decide, order an espresso martini tree and you can mix and match any four espresso martinis in one go.
On Espresso Martini Day itself, which falls on Saturday 15 March, there’ll be Espresso Martini Tarot Cards in play – pick the winning card, and your espresso martini tree is free.
Three Little Words’ Espresso Martini Week celebrations will run from 12 until 16 March – find out more HERE.
Inside Chinatown’s enormous new three-storey restaurant, with futuristic karaoke booths
Daisy Jackson
A gigantic three-storey restaurant and karaoke bar has just opened its doors in Chinatown in Manchester.
Sovereign Clouds is the newest addition to one of the city’s most beloved and ever-evolving neighbourhoods, taking over a sizeable building on Faulkner Street that’s been vacant for 10 years.
Inside the 1,000 sq metre space, you’ll find a glittering restaurant adorned with marble and gold, where you can tuck into a massive menu of dim sum and traditional dishes.
One floor up and you’ll find yourself surrounded by live lobster tanks and the massive kitchen, alongside several flexible private dining spaces.
And up on the top floor are the most futuristic karaoke rooms in town, where you can customise lights, LED ceilings, and even sing through an autotune microphone.
Three roast meats from Sovereign CloudsDelicious dim sumAuthentic Chinese cooking from Sovereign CloudsBlack Gold Lava Buns with salted custard fillingThe massive Sovereign Clouds restaurant
On the menu you’ll find tonnes of steamed dim sum, stir fries, traditional claypot stews, roast meats, and loads more.
There’s seafood like stir-fried lobster with salted egg yolk, and traditional Cantonese steamed grouper; a whole section for abalone (advance orders only) including braised goose feet and fish maw; and a good selection of spicy Sichuan dishes.
The chefs here also have an impressive array of Chinese roast meats, like Peking crispy duck, pork belly, and char siu, as well as three roast meats with rice.
Futuristic karaoke roomsThe main restaurant at Sovereign CloudsFuturistic karaoke rooms
And that’s alongside ingredients you don’t find on a lot of menus in Manchester, like jellyfish, tripe, and century eggs.
It’s all led by Terry Ni, who has been behind the popular Dynasty Chinese and Thai takeaway in Timperley for more than a decade, and has spent years transforming this empty old building into one of Chinatown’s most glittering restaurants.
Come for dinner, stay for a turn on the karaoke upstairs, and tell everyone – Sovereign Clouds is a fantastic addition to Manchester.
‘Surreal’ moment Stevie Wonder dines at Stalybridge restaurant after enormous Manchester gig
Daisy Jackson
Stevie Wonder has stunned a local restaurant in Stalybridge after he popped in for dinner after his massive Manchester show.
The soul icon had performed a huge gig at Co-op Live on Sunday night, performing hits from his illustrious, decades-long career.
And while you might expect someone of Stevie’s fame and stature to dine at one of the city centre’s many Michelin-recommended restaurants, the star instead headed straight for the suburbs.
He was spotted dining at Cafe Continental, an independent restaurant that’s become one of the Greater Manchester’s most-hyped neighbourhood haunts since it launched two years ago.
The stylish spot is famed for its European-style restaurant and cafe culture, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of the sort of place you’d stumble upon down a back street in Rome or Paris.
On the menu they’ve got a rotation of small plates, open-fire dishes, pastas and burgers, along with their divine Parisian hot chocolate, served with a bowl of whipped cream on the side.
Cafe Continental has had a good track record for pulling in local famous faces, but arguably nothing comes close to Stevie Wonder himself.
Inside Cafe Continental in Stalybridge. Credit: The Manc GroupSoup and focaccia at Cafe Continental. Credit: The Manc Group
The night before Stevie’s visit, they’d served his band and daughter – and clearly word got back to Stevie fast, because he returned the next night to test it out for himself.
Cafe Continental posted: “Surreal things happen now and again. This is one of them! Pleasure to welcome Mr Stevie Wonder to the restaurant to close off his tour!”
And according to the MEN, Stevie left a whopping £1,000 tip for the staff.
Not only did Stevie Wonder support a local hospitality business, but he also arrived dressed in Drama Call, a Manchester-based sportswear brand.
Daisy Jackson -
13th March 2025 
