Dreaming Disney - Psycho Suzi's

Psycho Suzi's Easter Island Head

I blame the Poly! 

The Between Tween loves Hawaiian culture.  The kid loves Tikis, dark woods and fruity drinks.  We once took the Between Kids to the Polynesian Resort to eat at ‘Ohana and from that moment the kid has been hooked.  If the kid cannot live in Anaheim or Orlando as an adult, Hawaii is the place the kid wants to be!

For a birthday celebration the Between Wife found Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge as a Tiki themed restaurant within driving distance in Betweenland.   Admittedly the whole family would have preferred a trip to ‘Ohana instead of car trip to North Minneapolis!  But we did make the best of it and took in an early lunch on a rainy Saturday to celebrate the Between Kids' birthdays. 

Let’s just get this out early.  The initial reaction I got from a friend when I told him we were planning to take the kids to Psycho Suzi’s was, “You’re taking your kids there!  It’s a bar.”  And all I can say is yes, yes it is.  We found several online reviews that noted that kids were not admitted in the evening.  But we also saw several that noted they took their kids.  So here is my opinion.  I think the earlier you go in the day the more kid friendly the atmosphere will be.  We arrived before noon on a weekend and the restaurant was not packed with drinkers.  Yes, there were folks at the Bloody Mary bar, but they were not disruptions to our experience.  And we did not have to field any questions about alcohol inspired behavior.  But I am sure hours later the whole atmosphere is probably more like a rowdy Trader Sam’s (I want to go there). 

Psycho Suzi's Dining Area

One of the reasons we wanted to go was to pick up some Tiki inspired glasses for the Between Tween.  We found out from our server that only alcoholic drinks were served in the Tiki glasses.  This method allows the staff to know that only drinking age adults have alcoholic drinks in these fun glasses.  We knew that the Between Tween would be sad but we adults decided to take the bullet and split an alcoholic beverage early in the morning, for us early.  We knew that the look of the glass would impact our drink decision and our server let us know that we could view all the glasses in the gift shop.  Once there we found out that we could just buy the glass!  So instead of having an early cocktail we just bought empty glasses.  We were really pleased that this was an option especially since they had a great selection of really fun mugs and glasses.

A Nice Choice of Tiki Glasses

The food was in the Disney price range, on par with a pricey quick service meal, and much cheaper than a Disney buffet.  The kids got typical fare in hot dogs and a small pizza.  The Between Parents split a deep dish medium pizza which was very good, especially for those we have not had a deep dish in awhile.  The Between Tween also got a mango soda water which received a thumbs up.  In the end I don’t feel like we were adventurous enough.  And if a second trip ever occurs I believe the adults will focus on sharing beer battered appetizers and perhaps skip the pizza.  Also we had discussed getting table s‘mores for desert, which we did not indulge in this time.  But we all agreed they sound really fun.

The dining area itself is decorated in deep dark wood themes.  This theme even goes down to the carpet which is stylized after a wooden plank floor.  From where we were sitting we could see Tiki statues and Tiki glasses and mugs decorating other parts of the dining room.  But in our area of the dining room the decorations were primarily giant wooden utensils!  The reason we sat in this area was to get a view of the deck.  We all wished it was not raining as the deck was where we wanted to be.  It was decorated with a Tiki and Polynesian theme and was situated next to the Mississippi River.  If we come back, which we might with some interested family members, this is where we want to be.

The Outside Deck

Did I mention I really want to go to Trader Sam’s?  Overall, Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lodge gave the Between Family a fun and tasty lunch.  And we walked away with some prized souvenirs, decorating the Between Tween's bedroom.  I think the real lesson here is though you may not be able to get a table at your favorite Disney restaurant because of where you live, does not mean you still can’t find dining that reminds you of those special meals.