Photo Courtesy of SocialHouseMPLS.com

About Social House Minneapolis

Social House (previously Zeno & Fusion) is located in the heart of Uptown at the corner of Hennepin Ave and Lagoon. Since switching over from Fusion last year and totally renovating the space they seem to have found their niche and based on the traffic I’ve seen there over the past few months I’d say they’re definitely going to be around for quite some time.

They specialize in delicious, exotic cocktails in an elegant and cozy environment, but probably what they should be best known for is their sushi.

Hours of Operation

Mon-Wed 4pm-12am
Thur-Sat 4pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Main Kitchen
Mon-Wed 4pm-10pm
Thu-Sat 4pm-11pm
Sunday Closed

Appetizer Kitchen
Mon-Wed 10pm-12am
Thu-Sat 11pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Sushi
Mon-Wed 4pm-12am
Thu-Sat 4pm-2am
Sunday Closed

Photo Courtesy of SocialHouseMPLS.com

Ambiance and Decor

The overall feel of the place is a chic, elegant, cozy bar/restaurant/lounge which besides Chino, there isn’t a lot of in Uptown. One thing I do miss about when it was Fusion was the whole upper (1 step up) area was a large lounge area with comfy sofas and plenty of room for kicking back on a date or Happy Hour with friends. I understand why they switched that as there’s much more room now for dining and they can fit more people in that area, but I do still kind of miss it. They did however add two new lounge sections on the other side of the restaurant and usually it isn’t too difficult to grab a spot. Probably the best thing they changed is the size of the bar. Previously the bar only seated about 5 people which is horrible when it’s busy and you’re trying to get a drink while waiting for a table. Now the bar goes the whole length of the place and typically there’s at least 2 bartenders on at any given time.

Although I’d say it’s a great place for just about anytime with anyone… It’s first and foremost a great place for a date. They even have “Date Night” on Tuesday’s which consists of an appetizer, 2 full sized dinner entrées and a bottle of wine for $30. You can also add two movie tickets from Landmark Theaters for $10 extra.

One drawback from the setup is it’s not much of a summer or warm weather place. Although they do have a small group of tables outside on the Hennepin sidewalk, it’s really not much of a patio atmosphere. And in Minneapolis… we love our rooftop patio months. Still a great spot for Happy Hours, date night or even a Sunday Funday.

Below I’ll go into a little more detail about each aspect of Social House Minneapolis.

Food and Drinks

While probably being known more for their drinks and atmosphere… Social House also has some amazing sushi. My favorites are the signature sushi rolls (Tuna Two Roll or the Copasetic). For an appetizer the Social House Shrimp is phenomenal.

One item I do miss from the menu that Fusion had was the fried Mac and Cheese. Not something I would normally order at a nicer restaurant, but man was that dish good. It’s possible they’ll still make it, but just currently not on the menu as it really doesn’t fit into the whole Asian-Fusion theme.

As for their drinks… While I don’t drink coffee or stray far from my vodka/sodas I will say their signature drink is their Expresso Martini. I’ve had a couple of them and loved it and know many friends that go their at least once a week just to get those. Not a bad choice for a cold winter night or Sunday Funday either.

You can view the whole food and drink menu here.

Specials and Happy Hours

Social House has one of the better Happy Hours in my opinion. They have a normal daily Happy Hour and also a late night one as well which comes in handy if you couldn’t break away from the office early enough. You can of course hit the early HH and stick around for the late night one, but then you’re just asking for trouble. Most items are half off and typically includes beers, house wines, apps and the more traditional sushi rolls.

Daily Happy Hours
Daily from 4pm-6pm
1/2 Priced Drinks
1/2 Priced Starters
$4 House Sake
$4 House Wine
1/2 Priced Tier 1 Maki Rolls

Late Night Happy Hours
Mon-Wed from 9pm-Midnight
1/2 Priced Drinks
1/2 Priced Starters
$4 House Sake
$4 House Wine
1/2 Priced Tier 1 Maki Rolls

Prices

Social House isn’t cheap, but it isn’t out of this world expensive either. I’d consider it on the high end of Uptown for drink prices. Happy Hour definitely comes in handy as you can get rail drinks for around $3.

Shots on the other hand are expensive and also fairly small compared to Chino. I always like to judge a places prices by how much a vodka soda and a shot of Patron are. At Social House two shots or Patron will run you about $20 + tip which is a little steep especially since it comes in a traditional small shot glass.

Sushi prices are about average compared to Masu or Seven as most people go with the signature sushi rolls with are priced around $16 – $20.

Customer Service

I have to admit the service at Social House is 50x’s better now then when it was Fusion or Zeno. Back then it would take 20 minutes on a slow Sunday afternoon to even get the attention of a waiter. Now they seem to be fully staffed and everyone I’ve come across is extremely friendly and sociable.

Tips and Tricks

• Like anywhere, Happy Hours will save you a ton. Luckily they have two per day.
• Try the Expresso Martini. It’s delicious!
• Try the Social House Shrimp for a tasty app.
• For Sushi try the Copasetic or Tuna Two Roll.
• Belly up to the bar and look for George (I believe). Great bartender. Funny, fast and always great service.

Recent Experiences

I recently just had my 36th Birthday party at Social House and all I can say is that it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had for a birthday. Lots of great friends, fun drinks, delicious food… all in a beautiful atmosphere.

The staff was amazing, especially considering I set all this up for a Friday night at 8PM for 40 people and only spoke with them about it a week in advance. Not easy for most restaurants to pull off, but they did.

Only complaint I had was half our group couldn’t sit for about 45 minutes as another group was still finishing up their drinks, but not everything is gonna work out perfectly and Brent and his staff did an incredible job in a short period of time.

Thanks again for a great birthday experience!

You can visit the Social House website here. You can also follow them on Twitter @socialhousempls and Facebook for updates to events and specials.

Let me know what you thought of Social House Minneapolis in the comments section below.

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Click play then the arrows on bottom right to view full screen.

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