to this much larger space, just down the street and now right on the Mississippi River.
The main level includes a restaurant and bar, and a large patio overlooking the river. There are large carved posts and tikis, and walls lined with lauhala matting and and carved wooden tchotchkes. On weekends, house band Exotik-a-Go-Go plays Exotica music, and the upstairs area is open. The upstairs, Shangri-La, has three distinct themed bars: the Shrunken Head, Forbidden Cove, and Ports of Pleasure. Each of the upstairs bars can be rented out for private events.
KevinCrossman has visited Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
August 4, 2019, 11:56 AM
Minnesota Tiki Stop # 1 - Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge.
This place is an institution, having grown up in the early 2000s and in their current location for almost a decade. The vibe is old school in many ways, with some wonderful decor that’s tiki-heavy. Only the downstairs tiki bar is open right now, but the patio is there if you are feeling okay with the weather (it wasn’t the day we visited) or want to check out the Mississippi River.
Food is a mix of traditional tiki inspired dishes, such as the wonton cheese dip that was great. There are burgers and pizza, too. My chicken salad sandwich was great.
Drinks here unfortunately weren’t that good. Too fake sugary and artificial flavored.
I heard service can be hit or miss but last night it was great. They also have a gift shop up on the main level where you enter and they have mugs, books, and other items for sale. I bought a T-shirt that looks great. Loved the vibe here. If you’re a local, consider supporting the best tiki bar In Minneapolis.
(Oops, I didn’t remember save = post) charicatures that don’t add much to the tiki ambience.
The bar is a resin coated bambooish pattern, and there are a TON of small, strung, orange and purple lights. Honestly it feels more like my daufhter’s dorm room, alibet much cleaner and organized.
The music just began and it is exotica, so that is something. They also now have the torches lit outside so it has a little better vibe.
Finally my mai tai... I am a loss for words, and not in a good way. It is way too sweet and the bartender literally made it in less than 45 seconds. I didn’t see how he did it, but I think there is a premix involved. It was garnished with a pineapple and Sysco maraschino-style cherry. The drink menu says it should be garnished with mint and love. As the bartender isn’t my type, I opted to ask just for the mint. To his credit he didn’t sigh or get irritated, but I ended up with one leaf - seriously, one little mint leaf.
I don’t mean to begrudge this place, but I got to spend a lovely evening at The Inferno Room in Indianapolis a couple of nights ago, and while not a Hale Pale or Tiki Cat, they made excellent cocktails and could talk about rum, life, and the universe. Psycho Suzi’s is not in that league. It must survive as all Tiki bars must, just don’t come here thinking it is purist. It is a great college bar in the State of “good enough” (I believe that is what Minnesota means in Polynesian).
The first couple of times I was here I didn’t know the ways of Tiki, so I was a bit in awe that a bar like this existed. We sat outside and it is really cool. There is a very large tiki with fire. It is very cool.
Since traveling the seven seas (well, many states), I had the occasion to revisit Psycho Suzi’s. It is cold and wintery so I am relegated to the indoors. It feels designed-kitschy. There are tiki carvings - some intricate carved poles, but most are
KevinCrossman has visited Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
August 4, 2019, 11:56 AM
Minnesota Tiki Stop # 1 - Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge.
This place is an institution, having grown up in the early 2000s and in their current location for almost a decade. The vibe is old school in many ways, with some wonderful decor that’s tiki-heavy. Only the downstairs tiki bar is open right now, but the patio is there if you are feeling okay with the weather (it wasn’t the day we visited) or want to check out the Mississippi River.
Food is a mix of traditional tiki inspired dishes, such as the wonton cheese dip that was great. There are burgers and pizza, too. My chicken salad sandwich was great.
Drinks here unfortunately weren’t that good. Too fake sugary and artificial flavored.
I heard service can be hit or miss but last night it was great. They also have a gift shop up on the main level where you enter and they have mugs, books, and other items for sale. I bought a T-shirt that looks great. Loved the vibe here. If you’re a local, consider supporting the best tiki bar In Minneapolis.
(Oops, I didn’t remember save = post) charicatures that don’t add much to the tiki ambience.
The bar is a resin coated bambooish pattern, and there are a TON of small, strung, orange and purple lights. Honestly it feels more like my daufhter’s dorm room, alibet much cleaner and organized.
The music just began and it is exotica, so that is something. They also now have the torches lit outside so it has a little better vibe.
Finally my mai tai... I am a loss for words, and not in a good way. It is way too sweet and the bartender literally made it in less than 45 seconds. I didn’t see how he did it, but I think there is a premix involved. It was garnished with a pineapple and Sysco maraschino-style cherry. The drink menu says it should be garnished with mint and love. As the bartender isn’t my type, I opted to ask just for the mint. To his credit he didn’t sigh or get irritated, but I ended up with one leaf - seriously, one little mint leaf.
I don’t mean to begrudge this place, but I got to spend a lovely evening at The Inferno Room in Indianapolis a couple of nights ago, and while not a Hale Pale or Tiki Cat, they made excellent cocktails and could talk about rum, life, and the universe. Psycho Suzi’s is not in that league. It must survive as all Tiki bars must, just don’t come here thinking it is purist. It is a great college bar in the State of “good enough” (I believe that is what Minnesota means in Polynesian).
The first couple of times I was here I didn’t know the ways of Tiki, so I was a bit in awe that a bar like this existed. We sat outside and it is really cool. There is a very large tiki with fire. It is very cool.
Since traveling the seven seas (well, many states), I had the occasion to revisit Psycho Suzi’s. It is cold and wintery so I am relegated to the indoors. It feels designed-kitschy. There are tiki carvings - some intricate carved poles, but most are
I went around 4pm on a Wednesday. The hostess st the entrance was super nice and explained the multi-floor setup to me even though only the lower floor was open at the time. I took a quick look in the gift shop which has a nice selection of mugs and bowls, some of which you can purchase with a drink for a discounted price. They had several t-shirts and some other knickknacks as well. I then proceeded to the main bar and I was delighted to see so many tiki carvings and lots of great lamps and other polynesian decor filling the bar/restaurant. I ordered two drinks and a single pizza while there. The pizza, called the Thailand Island special, was quite good and had chicken, pineapple, carrots and a nice peanut sauce. My first drink was from the happy hour menu called the open mouth Trout, I believe. It was a balanced drink with a medium strength. The second drink was the miserable bastard. It's a strong drink and was a bit heavy on the allspice at first, but mellowed a bit as it diluted and turned into a nice, spicy sipper. I hope to get back again while I'm in town to see the upper bars. I absolutely recommend this crazy joint while in Minneapolis. It's worth the effort!
KillDevilJones has visited Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
November 6, 2017, 12:54 PM
Went on a pretty mellow Sunday afternoon and the upstairs bar was closed, but plenty of parking. Fun decor for Halloween, but the fountain was off. Great tiki mug collection around the room downstairs and the drink were fantastic. Fave was the Old Headhunter (I think it was called). Wonderfully balanced! Food was ok. Midwest comfort with a smaller Pu-Pu section of the menu. I liked it. If you're in the area, check it out. THey also have a local artist who does their own tiki mug- the Ports of Pleasure. They were sold out of the other one- the Psycho Suzie, perhaps?
This seems to be a really popular place. We visited for a couple hours to eat and sample drinks. We were stationed out on the expansive deck area, really cool overlooking the river. Lots of plants, a few water features and some carvings. Too hot to eat inside, but the mood and tikiness where better there. The upstairs was closed. Drinks(the Psycho Suzi was really good) were alot better than the food(needed polynesian options). I'm just spoiled living driving distance(5hrs) from the SF Bay Area and all the wonders there.
Very average on all levels. It's nice, but not worth a trip on it's own. Even though it's a big restaurant, it's very busy on weekends and parking is hard to find (They have a small free parking lot, but it's always packed) Large staff, so service is a mixed bag. Upstairs bars are worth a look.
wrongtiki is a semi-regular at Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge.
September 20, 2016, 1:25 PM
Fun and very Tiki vibe.. however music is below-standard sports bar fare and the weekend's are packed with the equivalent patrons. Specialty lounges are amazing and sometimes have live exotica music.
This place is an institution, having grown up in the early 2000s and in their current location for almost a decade. The vibe is old school in many ways, with some wonderful decor that’s tiki-heavy. Only the downstairs tiki bar is open right now, but the patio is there if you are feeling okay with the weather (it wasn’t the day we visited) or want to check out the Mississippi River.
Food is a mix of traditional tiki inspired dishes, such as the wonton cheese dip that was great. There are burgers and pizza, too. My chicken salad sandwich was great.
Drinks here unfortunately weren’t that good. Too fake sugary and artificial flavored.
I heard service can be hit or miss but last night it was great. They also have a gift shop up on the main level where you enter and they have mugs, books, and other items for sale. I bought a T-shirt that looks great. Loved the vibe here. If you’re a local, consider supporting the best tiki bar In Minneapolis.
Photos https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwnl0UaAGFQ/