There is a stretch of Lake Austin, just upriver from the 360 Bridge, where the trees thin out, a dock juts into the water, and a low, sun-bleached building with picnic tables out front comes into view. That’s Ski Shores. It has been sitting on that same patch of shoreline since 1954 — flip-flops on the deck, burgers on the griddle, cold beer on the bar — and it’s still one of the best reasons to point a boat upriver on a Saturday.
If you’re thinking about making the trip, here’s what to know: the story behind the place, what to order once you’re there, what the scene actually feels like, and the two easiest ways to arrive by boat.
A Quick History of Ski Shores Cafe
Ski Shores is older than most of the neighborhoods around it. In 1947, Marion Fowler moved his family out to the Green Shores area of Lake Austin — back when much of it didn’t yet have electricity — and set up a cluster of rental cabins for people escaping the city on weekends. Seven years later, in 1954, he opened a small burger and beer stand for the water skiers cutting up and down the lake. Locals called it a “glorified hot dog stand.” It never really stopped being one, and that’s the point.
For the next several decades, Ski Shores stayed almost exactly what it was on day one: a place where you pulled off the water, ordered a burger, and sat in the shade with your feet on the ground. It picked up a reputation as one of the true icons of old-Austin dining and has been passed between a handful of owners over the years.
In 2022, the Austin-based hospitality group MML (McGuire Moorman Lambert) took over and gave the place a light refresh — new paint, a redone bar, a tightened-up menu — without gutting what made it Ski Shores. The picnic tables, the dock, the laid-back rhythm of the afternoon: all still there.
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Local Tip: The unofficial dress code is still “no shoes, no shirt, no problem.” Show up straight off the water in a swimsuit and you’ll fit right in. Just bring flip-flops for the walk across the deck when it’s hot. |
What Ski Shores Is Like Today
Ski Shores has always been a two-part place: the lakeside deck and the food, and the scene under the trees. Both still work.
The restaurant sits right on the water, with an open-air lakeside porch and bar looking out over the boat traffic, an indoor dining room and “Captain’s Bar” for when the weather turns, and a big front lawn with fire pits and shaded picnic tables where most of the action happens on a busy weekend. Kids run between tables. Dogs sleep under them. A cover band works through the classics from a small stage in the corner. It’s the kind of casual that would be manufactured almost anywhere else — and here it just is what it is, because it always has been.
The Food and Drinks Worth Ordering
The menu is comfort food, done well. You’re not coming to Ski Shores for a tasting menu — you’re coming for a burger and a cold drink at a picnic table by the lake. A few things stand out.
The Ski Burger
The Ski Burger is the signature and has been for decades: a hand-formed, third-pound patty griddled to order, cheese, mayo, grilled onions, jalapeños, and fresh guacamole on a soft bun. It’s messy. That’s the idea. Order it with fries and don’t overthink it.
Fried baskets and fish tacos
The fried catfish basket is another Ski Shores staple — hand-breaded, golden, served with hush puppies and tartar sauce. The fried shrimp basket is the same idea in a different shape. If you’d rather stay a little lighter, the grilled fish tacos come in flour tortillas with red cabbage, tomato, and a remoulade sauce, and they hold up well after a morning on the water.
The bar
The house frozen margaritas are the drink of record. Cold Texas beer on tap, wine, and a short list of specialty cocktails round out the bar. The Captain’s Bar indoors is a good landing spot when the sun is at full strength; the lakeside bar is where you want to be for sunset.
The Scene: Patio, Fire Pits, and Live Music
A lot of what makes Ski Shores worth the trip isn’t on the menu. It’s the shape of the afternoon.
The front lawn is set up for lingering. Fire pits get going once the sun starts to drop. Picnic tables sit under mature shade trees. On weekends there’s usually live music running through the afternoon and into the evening — country, blues, classic rock, whatever fits the day. It’s the kind of place where a lunch stop turns into three hours without anyone noticing.
It’s genuinely family-friendly: the outdoor space gives kids room to move around, and dogs are welcome on the patio and lawn. Groups from bachelorette parties to birthdays to boat clubs all end up here on any given weekend, and the layout absorbs them all without feeling crowded.
Getting to Ski Shores by Boat
Ski Shores has its own dock on Lake Austin, and pulling up by water is by far the best way to arrive. You skip the parking situation entirely, and you get a scenic run up the lake as part of the deal. There are two easy ways to do it.
Take the boat shuttle
If you don’t have your own boat, the simplest option is to hop the Ski Shores boat shuttle, a scheduled captained ride between the Loop 360 Boat Ramp and the Ski Shores dock. It’s about a 20-minute cruise each way, sold per person, with the shuttle picking up on the hour throughout the day. Most groups stay a couple of hours for food and drinks and then catch a later shuttle back. It’s the closest thing Austin has to a water-taxi restaurant experience.
Rent a private boat
If you’d rather have your own boat for the whole day — swim stops, party cove, sunset run, dinner at Ski Shores, all on your own schedule — rent a private boat on Lake Austin with a captain. Pontoons and double-decker party barges are the popular picks for groups making a full day of it. You can see current boat rental pricing for the different boat sizes.
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Local Tip: Timing a stop at Ski Shores around sunset is a move. The light off the water in the last hour of the day is the whole reason people fell in love with Lake Austin in the first place. If a sunset dinner sounds right, look at the Lake Austin sunset cruise for the return leg. |
Practical Info Before You Go
- Address: 2905 Pearce Road, Austin, TX 78730, on the north bank of Lake Austin just upriver from the 360 Bridge.
- Arriving by boat: Pull up to the Ski Shores dock and walk right in. No advance dock reservation needed.
- Reservations: Ski Shores is a walk-in, first-come restaurant. On busy weekends and holidays plan on a wait for peak lunch and dinner hours.
- Best time to go: Late morning through early afternoon on a summer weekend is peak Ski Shores. Weekday afternoons are much quieter if you’re avoiding a crowd. Fall and spring shoulder seasons have the most comfortable patio weather.
- Payments: Card is standard; check the restaurant directly for current policies.
Why Ski Shores Is Worth the Trip
You could get a burger and a margarita a hundred places in Austin. What Ski Shores has that most of them don’t is time — 70 years of it, in the same spot, doing the same thing well. Pull up a boat, order a Ski Burger, and let the afternoon do what it’s going to do. That’s the whole point.
For more ways to fill out a day on the water, our guide to more things to do on Lake Austin covers the coves, landmarks, and other stops worth knowing.
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Ready to Cruise Up to Ski Shores? Skip the parking, take the scenic route, and let a captain handle the driving. Our Ski Shores boat shuttle runs on the hour between the Loop 360 Boat Ramp and the Ski Shores dock. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Ski Shores Cafe is a casual lakeside restaurant on the shore of Lake Austin that has been serving burgers, fried baskets, cold beer, and frozen margaritas since 1954. It’s one of the oldest and best-known waterfront spots in Austin, with a laid-back “no shoes, no shirt, no problem” vibe, a big outdoor patio, live music on weekends, and a private dock so guests can arrive by boat.
Ski Shores has been on Lake Austin since 1954, when Marion Fowler opened it as a small burger and beer stand for water skiers. It has been operating in roughly the same spot for over 70 years, making it one of the longest-running restaurants in Austin.
The menu leans classic American lakeside comfort food: griddled burgers (the Ski Burger is the signature), fried catfish and shrimp baskets, chicken tender baskets, grilled fish tacos, nachos, and pizza. The bar pours frozen margaritas, cold Texas beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. There’s a weekend brunch menu too.
Yes on both. Ski Shores has been a family spot for generations — there’s outdoor seating on the lawn, shaded picnic tables, and plenty of room for kids to move around. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor patio and lawn. It’s the kind of place where you can show up in a swimsuit off the boat and no one blinks.
Yes, and for a lot of visitors that’s the whole appeal. Ski Shores has its own dock on Lake Austin, so you can pull up, tie off, and walk right into the restaurant. If you don’t have your own boat, Austin Rental Boats runs a scheduled boat shuttle between the Loop 360 Boat Ramp and the Ski Shores dock, and also rents private captained boats you can take there yourself.
Ski Shores is at 2905 Pearce Road, Austin, TX 78730, on the north bank of Lake Austin near the 360 Bridge area. By car it’s a short drive from downtown Austin; by boat it’s about 20 minutes upriver from the Loop 360 Boat Ramp.