This restaurant, as they say, “is sitting on the dock of the
bay”. Or more correctly about halfway up the steep hill slope overlooking
beautiful Lake Travis in Volente, Texas.
To reach the restaurant, you must travel down the side of the hill on an
self operated tram which holds about six or eight people on its up and down
course. The dock itself is further down
the hill on the lake. Shack 512 is perched on stilts over the water’s edge with
an outstanding view of Lake Travis. Fortunately,
it faces west and from its weathered interior, you can observe beautiful sunsets
over the Texas hills and the shimmering waters of the lake.
A restaurant like Shack 512 is not especially noted for its
food. It is the location and atmosphere
that counts. The restaurant is open on
three sides to the lake with flickering tiki lights along the border and
providing most of the light for the restaurant.
There are misting fans around and above the restaurant to provide relief
from the Texas summer heat. All tables
can take in the beautiful slow sunsets over the lake as you dine. Yes, atmosphere is what they are noted for
and they take home the top prize.
Oh yes, it is a restaurant and it does serve food. As mentioned, it is best to make your menu choices
before the sunset is complete or you may have difficulty reading the menu it if
you are sight impaired as I am. The
typical appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and salads are available. I chose the BBQ Pulled-Pork Sandwich which
came with onions and pickles and sea salt and black pepper fries. The sandwich was very tasty. Especially after an afternoon of boating on
the lake, almost anything would be tasty.
The menu also offered such interesting treats as Pimento Burgers, Hippie
Hollow Burgers and the Sunset BBQ Burger.
The wait staff was very friendly, efficient and accommodating. We arrived at about 8:45 thinking the restaurant
closed at 10 p.m. Only after we had ordered
did we discover they closed at 9 p.m.
But the wait staff was very gracious to us and said not to hurry, they
would allow us to dine as long as we wanted.
Our late hour actually gave us a private dining room overlooking the
lake as all the other diners had departed.
So forget about the food at Shack 512 and just sit back and
relax and soak in the atmosphere. It is worth
it.
According to their website, “Shack 512, located adjacent to
Sandy Creek Marina, on the shore of scenic Lake Travis, offers American
Southern cuisine in a relaxed, beautiful Hill Country lake setting. We are a
casual, outdoor venue offering spectacular panoramic views of Lake Travis and
the surrounding hills. Accessible by land or by water, we welcome all and have
car parking and plenty of public boat parking next to the Sandy Creek Yacht
Club. Located in rustic Volente, TX, Shack 512 is just a short, scenic
drive outside of Austin. Our motto of
service is "No Customer Leaves Unhappy". Our place is your place, a
warm welcoming environment where the food is awesome and the views are better! SHACK
512...~WE DO SUNSETS! “
