Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, Minneapolis, MN (restaurant)

Carolyn Kopecky has posted on TC before and she's on Ooga-Mooga. She does design work for a giftware company called One Hundred 80 Degrees. That is the company that made the Ports of Pleasure mug.
It's a great mug, I bought one 2 weeks ago.

This tiki was finally moved to the current site from the old location and from the ground it must have been recently.

I thought this was a carved stump but I'm not sure on that point (but it seems reasonable given it was not moved until now or maybe it is just really heavy). I didn't get a chance to look at where it was to see if it was sawed off.

Psycho Suzi's owner is taking the original location back for a new resturant so maybe this guy got saved/spared from the impending construction for the ferris wheel.
http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/betty-dangers-to-take-over-former-psycho-suzis-space

On 2013-07-27 16:03, martian-tiki wrote:
This tiki was finally moved to the current site from the old location and from the ground it must have been recently.

I thought this was a carved stump but I'm not sure on that point (but it seems reasonable given it was not moved until now or maybe it is just really heavy). I didn't get a chance to look at where it was to see if it was sawed off.

Psycho Suzi's owner is taking the original location back for a new resturant so maybe this guy got saved/spared from the impending construction for the ferris wheel.
http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/betty-dangers-to-take-over-former-psycho-suzis-space

The link wasn't working. Here is a different one: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2013/07/07/minneapolis-parking-marshall-issue-betty-dangers-country-club-development

If you visit Suzi's, be sure to go on any Friday or Saturday night and sit in the upstairs section--you'll get to check out their fantastic house band, Exotik-a-Go-Go. They have a classic exotica sound and are very accomplished musically. We were there Saturday and watched their whole set (7-11 pm), and one really interesting thing that they are doing lately is that they're taking classic Exotica and surf songs and rewriting them for a new twist. For example, "Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish" has become "Tasmanian Devil Girl;" "Telstar" becomes "Sputnik." Still slightly recognizable as the originals (same chord changes) but with a completely new melody. Their entire set was these reworked classics with a few completely original compositions.

The other BIG reason to go upstairs is to order drinks from the Forbidden Cove bar (the middle one right behind where the band plays.) This is their "premium mixology" bar, where they offer a Mai Tai with aged top shelf rums and homemade orgeat; a drink called the Exotica which contains Lemon Hart 151, passion fruit syrup, lime and maraschino liqueur; and best of all the delicious Kapu-Lani--dark top shelf rum with pimento dram and lime (similar to Beachbum's Ancient Mariner). There's a couple others on the menu, and I believe the plan is to occasionally rotate some new ones in and out. You can also order a good number of quality rums for sipping. The drinks in Forbidden Cove are $10 or 11 instead of $7 or 8 apiece, but it is well worth it. I think they made this move to better compete with the huge number of craft cocktail bars in Minneapolis.

Was here this week....wow great place...I thought this was one of the better tiki establishments I've been too. The decor was good, the music was good, the drinks were good, a view of the water...awesome. It was a great night, and very crowded..so looks like it will be there for folks to enjoy for awhile...wish we had something like this in Detroit

We got back yesterday from another Minneapolis trip and of course worked in our customary multiple visits to Psycho Suzi's.
Not really much to report that's different from my previous notes. Things are still going strong.

We were able to hit upstairs on both Friday and Saturday night. Remembering how crowded it was during our previous visits, we arrived shortly after opening - before 5:30 - both nights. This time we were surprised that upstairs wasn't as packed as we expected; we remembered being lucky to snag a table in the past but it was wide open that early both nights this time. The crowd did pick up later, but walking around we realized that downstairs and especially the patio were busier than upstairs.

Exotik-a-GoGo still create a great, relaxing atmosphere. It's so cool that there's a place like this - with an actual live exotica band playing twice a week in the middle of a bamboo-covered restaurant serving up good cocktails! We picked up their newest CD.

We went back again on Monday for a full downstairs visit. We sat in the bar area again and all was good. I was more impressed with the drink quality downstairs this year. The menu is basically the same but things tasted better than I remembered. A nice surprise. They don't have a jukebox anymore but the music was similar to previous visits - kinda punky rocky, a little metal, a little this, a little that. Not tiki, but it works for us.

Food was also the same as on previous visits; no real complaints. We also had really good service again each night. There was a bit of a delay getting our first order in on Monday, but the place was absolutely PACKED. It was Memorial Day and everyone came out early to enjoy the warm weather on the patio. Once a server had a chance to get to us initially, though, they kept checking back and all was well. As Matiki said, it's a really popular place and the patio in particular seems to always be crowded.

Sandbartender here in my role of "Official Thread Necromancer" :wink: , with a question for the MN-locals.

How is Psycho Suzi's these days?

I'd heard that one of the owner's places (can't recall if it was Suzi's or Betty Danger) was "not what it had been".
I'm looking at visiting some fam up in the Twin Cities in a month or so, and am wondering if it's worth the hour trip all the way across town.

I'm guessing what you're hearing is the grumbling that I always hear, that Psycho Suzi's is "not as good" as it was before they moved to their new larger location in 2010. It's usually a nostalgia thing, and the fact that the old place had more of a "punk/rockabilly" vibe than the current. Personally, I love the new spot, and appreciate that it feels more authentic and classic tiki. (I could be wrong, maybe the grousing you hear is something else--fewer appearances by Exotic-a-Go-Go? Upstairs lounge open much less frequently?)

I think it's worth the stop. Drinks are not really awesome, but they're mostly good and a lot better than they were 8-10 years ago. Exotik-a-Go-Go is definitely worth seeing, but I don't know if they're doing any shows at Psycho Suzi's this month (PM them on their Facebook page to find out).

Don't bother with Betty Danger's, it's not very good. Unless you really want to ride the ferris wheel (which might not even be open in winter.)

On 2019-01-14 14:45, Sandbartender wrote:
Sandbartender here in my role of "Official Thread Necromancer" :wink: , with a question for the MN-locals.

How is Psycho Suzi's these days?

I'd heard that one of the owner's places (can't recall if it was Suzi's or Betty Danger) was "not what it had been".
I'm looking at visiting some fam up in the Twin Cities in a month or so, and am wondering if it's worth the hour trip all the way across town.

[ Edited by: Quince_at_Dannys 2019-01-14 15:03 ]

Hey, Quince - is upstairs regularly open to the public these days? We sent a friend there (probably over a year ago) and they told him upstairs was only open for private parties at that point - they said it wasn't ever open to the public at that time.

I just checked the website and it looks like upstairs is now open on Saturdays only? No mention of Friday, so perhaps they are reserving that for events.

(Whoops - duplicate post)

[ Edited by: bamalamalu 2019-01-14 19:15 ]

On 2019-01-14 15:01, Quince_at_Dannys wrote:

Don't bother with Betty Danger's, it's not very good. Unless you really want to ride the ferris wheel (which might not even be open in winter.)

[ Edited by: Quince_at_Dannys 2019-01-14 15:03 ]

Weirdly enough, the way you phrased that totally jogged my memory- it was Betty Danger's they were talking about.

Although, now that the topic has come up, I'd hate to go there and NOT be able to visit the awesome-looking upstairs bars, so I'd be interested to hear about if they're regularly open or not.

I think the upstairs is open Saturdays, but I haven't actually been there on a Saturday for awhile... the upstairs is closed for private parties every time I go (which is usually on a Thursday or Friday. I only make it over there 3-4 times a year so I'm not sure.

On 2019-01-14 19:14, bamalamalu wrote:
Hey, Quince - is upstairs regularly open to the public these days? We sent a friend there (probably over a year ago) and they told him upstairs was only open for private parties at that point - they said it wasn't ever open to the public at that time.

I just checked the website and it looks like upstairs is now open on Saturdays only? No mention of Friday, so perhaps they are reserving that for events.

Thanks for the update! The website does mention upstairs on Saturdays and I found some fairly recent posts from Exotik-a-Go-Go mentioning playing there on Saturdays, so those are goods signs. But I'd certainly call before making a long drive.

It'd be a shame to never be allowed to go.

Looks like I forgot to update after our visit last October, 2021. Sadly, upstairs was only open occasionally for private events. And downstairs they were doing the Mary's Christmas Palace thing.

Just got back from another visit, October 2022. Upstairs is sadly basically closed all the time - I could see that the door was ajar and asked if I could just take a quick peek inside, but they said it's just used for storage now and was off limits. Sad.

Downstairs, they're once again doing the Christmas thing. It's all decked out in lights and decorations. Honestly, I wish it were just normal. I like Christmas too, but AT Christmastime. Four month's worth really isn't necessary, in my opinion (and I'd rather see over the top Halloween decor in October.)

To be fair, we went early on a weekday, but we've done so before and this was the quietest I've ever seen it. There isn't even anyone at the hostess stand, they just leave a pile of menus with a sign to seat yourself. All ordering is done through an app, unless you sit right at the bar. Drinks & food were pretty much the same as last year. Not terrible, but again I wish there were more normal drink options on the menu rather than everything being Christmas/Winter themed. The mai tai was decent.

I didn't see it posted here that Psycho Suzi's is now up for sale. I'd love to see someone take over and revive the upstairs service. It is a really cool venue overall and hope it can continue with new owners. I did not will the Powerball drawing so, sadly, it won't be me.

Here's an article on the sale; there are some people-free pictures for posterity:

https://racketmn.com/wanna-buy-psycho-suzis-bar-minneapolis/

Looks like this these days...

Had to make another visit to Minneapolis a couple weeks ago and stopped in again. We were thinking about skipping it this trip, but decided to go for lunch on Saturday since we were free. I won't post new pictures - since they're still doing the Christmas thing, it looks exactly the same.

On the plus side, it was VERY busy. Though there were tables available, we noticed that lots of people had made reservations. We sat at the bar to avoid ordering with the app; bar staff rotated a few times while we were there, but all were good and we even got a couple freebies from a duplicate order. Did notice some people from tables coming up to order in person, too. Mai Tai was again decent, as was the White Elephant (though apparently that drink varies week to week.)

All in all, a good visit. It was especially encouraging to see so many customers after our previous visit. Haven't seen or heard any updates on a sale. Would really love to see the upstairs reopened and thriving again.

[ Edited by bamalamalu on 2023-01-27 15:47:07 ]

Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge announced it will permanently close on August 19, 2023. Owner Leslie Bock, in a Facebook post writes:

"For the past two decades we've welcomed you through our tiki laden jungle to enjoy tropical drinks, pizza pies, waterfront seating, and the company of new and old friends… but all good things must come to an end and this Psycho Suzi is ready to hang it up and put on her retirement hat,"

Full post at

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0EsRPYcGNbrncQkDYrG68K6C6m8kguF3VAF7MhZ83YbHBpk4Ud4dNxw1WCChwMNhZl&id=100071150083847

Apparently everyone has gotten the memo, because Wednesday at 7 pm seemed like a weekend at prime time. There was a giant line for walk-ins, but thankfully we made a reservation a few weeks ago. That said, all your ordering is done via a web app on your phone (more on that later), or via a gigantic line at the patio bar (yes, even if you have a table reservation). Everything on the lower level and on the patio was completely filled, but the staff made good time running around delivering food and drink orders that came pretty quickly. They weren’t seating upstairs, and sadly the gift shop is also closed.

We had some issues getting to the checkout screen on the app but once we force-quit the browser it worked finally. Our personal sized pizza’s were okay (too heavy on the crust, especially on Mrs. Mai Tai’s pizza). There’s not a lot of variety on the food menu these days.

I ordered two drinks. The Paralyzed Politician has four rums, hibiscus, grapefruit and citrus. Or so they say, since this didn’t have a lot of flavor to be honest. Thankfully, the Mai Tai was pretty reasonable. There’s a little pineapple juice in there, so it leans a little sweet, but overall this was a refreshing tropical cocktail. I didn’t love the plastic glasses.

Thanks for the update; sorry it was a lesser experience. Sounds like the crowd took a toll - never had drinks in plastic before, even when they were swamped during summer. We're arriving again on September 1st, so sadly won't get another chance for a last visit. Wish it hadn't been Christmas overload when we were there last October even more now.

Still hope someone buys it and brings it back to it's former self, but not expecting it.