Minnie's is a Polynesian restaurant with immense charm, and is deservedly beloved by many. The Chinese food is typically dressed-up (for instance, the appetizers are labelled "tidbits of delight"), but the shocker here is that the food is actually fairly good. The restaurant features carvings and artwork throughout, most notably a large number of beautiful oil and black velvet paintings by the Leeteg-esque artist Tyree.

There are two bars at Minnies: a vast outdoor patio bar, and a dimly lit indoor bar encrusted with dollar bills and business cards all over the walls and ceiling, left by patrons over the years. The tropical cocktails at Minnie's leave something to be desired, but it's about as good as you're likely to find in Modesto anyhow.

Parking is free in the lot at the rear of the restaurant. After dinner service closes, the front door to Minnie's is locked, and you must enter the bar using the rear parking lot entrance (there is no sign at the front to let you know this, unfortunately).

Minnie's is just down the road from the Tropics Motel

classic

and Tiki Lounge

Comments

Mahasamatman

Mahasamatman has visited Minnie's Restaurant.

May 7, 2019, 5:44 PM

While it may be the case that Minnie�s was once a hip and happening tiki attraction, it is now a sad shadow of it�s past. The restaurant has closed (as of Jan 2019) and tiki drinks are a dim memory in the mind of the (very nice and accommodating) bartender. Minnie�s is now a run-of-the-mill local bar with the thin trappings of tiki inside and some nice window-dressing outside (probably because it is way too heavy to move).

mamavaca

mamavaca has visited Minnie's Restaurant.

May 6, 2019, 1:04 PM

Note: no longer does Minnie�s have a restaurant. We were informed by the bar tender this afternoon that as of January this year, the restaurant portion closed down and it is now only a bar. ALSO note: the bartender told us that she hasn�t made a Dark and Stormy (or other traditional) tiki drinks �in a long time� so I ordered a coke and Jeff asked for a Negroni instead. It�s still quite tiki-feeling in there and had a great old classic tiki bar feel, but no music only sports on the TV�s. The staff and locals were very friendly, though and nice to visit with.

Monster A GoGo

Monster A GoGo has visited Minnie's Restaurant.

January 31, 2019, 7:43 PM

Believe it or not, there is a small tiki hub in the middle of nowhere (aka Modesto, California). Minnie's is the heart and soul of that little hub---and it really is a cool place.

I visited Minnie's a little more than a year ago. It was old school and had seen better days, but I still really dug it. And it's HUGE! The main dining room is nice, but the dining area sprawls to a cozy smaller room in the "front" of the building and then beyond the bar to the "rear" of the building...and there is also a huge outdoor patio area and, if I'm not mistaken, a whole other dining room upstairs (that I did not get to see). Groovy!
I have a (bad) blog about my visit ---which also includes a stop at the (former) Tropics Motel and Tiki Cocktail Lounge. You can read about it HERE: https://monsterago-go.blogspot.com/2017/11/im-freaky-for-tiki-9-tiki-in-modesto.html

I'd give Minnie's a thumbs up. It may not be the best tiki bar/restaurant in the wprld, but it is a good one---and the ONLT one really for miles and miles and miles around.

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