This is a lively and happening place for good food and cold drinks, great service, and live music, especially after enjoying the summer sun while out on the boat! And the night vibe is fantastic! The bar staff were great as we waited for our table. Chance is a friendly, fabulous server and he managed our party of 12 famously. The food was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the chicken nachos and side orders of fries. We loved the live music by the Dave Hunter Trio. Shady Shack Grill has so much to offer their local community and weekend lake goers! read more

See all

The food wasn't bad. We really liked the tater tots - it had a nice crisp on the outside and was perfectly cooked on the inside. The shrimp was fresh and nicely fried. The macaroni bites and GOAT pizza were a bit salty for my taste. The ingredients on the pizza was a good mix. The arugula balanced out the goat cheese and grease of the pepperoni. There was a bit too much goat cheese and could've used more hot honey. My friend got the fish and chips and said the fish was bland and the fries were stale. I'd normally give this restaurant four stars but the service could use some work. Two of my other friends' orders did not come in. When it came for the bill, the orders they didn't receive were still on it. I know mistakes happen but this is a significant to make... overall, if you want a nice view of the lake while eating a meal, you can give this place a shot. There aren't many other restaurants in the area anyway. Just make sure you double check your bill to see you are charged correctly. read more

See all

Food was good. Staff was good! Atmosphere was fun. Any good restaurant on the water is a destination I want to check out! read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Mahi Mahi tacos and sweet potato tots - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

Summer must be here, because the lake tourist crowdis definitely here. It's a worthwhile pier front restaurant where the bar is oh so filled with patronstaking a break from their water aports activities. We arrived for a late lunch, and the crowd was still growing. The parking area is next to the marina shops. So you will need to walk amd pass the building to get near the restaurant, unless you arrive by boat. If so, then you can park the boat by the dock. There was at least a 20 minute wait for a table. We just decided to sit by the bar. There were two seats available only. We ordered the flavorful and juicy Buffalo wings and herbal flavored smoky wings, crunchy tator tots, and a pepperoni pizza. Also good, we ordered a couple good locally made beers. Their food was fresh, not frozen. If you'd don't mind the noise or getting bumped occasionally by random strangers, then this is a good respite to grab some food and ale. BTW, our servers/bartenders were great. They kept their attention on us while we were at the bar, gave us good recommendations, and accommodating. I would return here, because their staff were alert, quick and friendly. read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

See all

We stopped by here while visiting a friend on Lake Gaston. We pulled up to the dock and got gas for his boat then docked. We had a large party so it took a few minutes to get a table. We sat outdoors but you are covered over head . You have a nice view of the water. To start I had the fried pickles appetizer. They were good. For my main meal I had the pimento smash burger and sweet potato tots. The burger was really good and the tots were excellent. I had the pain killer drink. It really hit the spot for a hot day on the lake. Service was good for being a large table. I would recommend this place. It's a good spot on the water to enjoy a meal and drinks. read more

See all

Went here for date night and enjoyed the outdoor bar area and live music on a Friday night! The food was delicious and the beer was cold! Our bartender was very personable and provided great service. read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Outdoor bar area and hotdogs! - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

Great fun vibe, very good food. We had steamed shrimp, a great quesadilla, and wings. We enjoyed the vibe, service was very attentive, and drinks. A fun spot we will return. read more

Tried the restaurant this lake trip. Busy for a Thurs night, but our party of 8 was seated promptly. There was DJ blasting music in small area - unbelievably loud, we almost left, it was ringing music not pleasant at all. How you loose not attract customers. Food is above average, esp for such a small town. Lobster roll was meaty, bread toasty chewy. Tuna tostadas, had to dig for tuna, which was the melty star but way too much piled lettuce. Sweet potato tatter tots, Brussels sprouts with pork belly were other highlights - apps were more creative than mains. Drinks were meh but service friendly. read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Lobster roll and tuna tostadas - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

Great Lake side fun! Good music, good food Great Drinks (AWESOME BARTENDER JESSA!) and great service (Jay Jay is great!) Love this place!!! read more

My family came here yesterday visiting family who lives in Lake Gaston and we ate here for lunch - what a fun spot with a beautiful view! The wait staff were all very kind and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was very good and came out timely for our party of 6. They have a cute little boutique inside the marina store right beside the restaurant which has cute Lake Gaston items. Definitely excited to come back here next time we're in town! Bonus - they have 2 single stall restrooms outside that I was surprised were air conditioned! read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Beautiful view! - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

Both the food and the service are top- notch. My senior budget had to stretch a bit but things are expensive everywhere these days. Especially liked seeing well behaved dogs welcomed. read more

Lobster roll on left in New England. "Lobster" roll on right at Shady's. For God's sake, take it off the menu!! Pizza was excellent as well as the service. read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Real lobster vs whatever on the right. Mystery something. - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

twice now went there when it says it's open. first time people said they were closed. hours said open. today stood there at hostess stand and people there, but no one came to seat us or even acknowledge us. Other people at bar and at tables eating so open just no one doing the hostess job. I know it's end of season, but if you say you are open be open! read more

Fantastic service and great atmosphere including live music! Ryan and Ryan are the best. Highly recommend both the bar/grill and the marina.

Shady Shack offers a great view but it was hard to see since we were at a regular table. We both started off with a beer, the selection was decent. The draft beer that I sampled was a tad warm so I went with a Blue Moon bottle instead and my husband had a Corona. For food we split the Crab Bites to start followed by the Lobster Roll with sweet potato tots for me and the Gaston Grouper Sandwich (blackened) with rosemary fries for him. The food and service were both really good. read more

See all

Fun atmosphere, food and drinks were good. Staff were pretty cool and fun to be around. Visiting from Oklahoma so it's nice to find cool spots. read more

Got carryout. Ordered online and was ready in 20 minutes. It was a Tuesday, but still quick service and great food!

Under new management and great people! Atmosphere is awesome, music, food is good, lots of Cocktails, great staff and we ARE dog friendly! We have Handicap access and welcome any and all. Come and enjoy our lil Shady Shack on Lake Gaston in Bracey,Va. it's a must! The sunset will NEVER disappoint. read more

See all

Went there three times within one week. First time, everything was perfect. Second time, I ordered the same Mahi Mahi tacos and salad- perfect. He ordered pizza- it came about 10 minutes after I received my food and it was definitely burnt to a crisp. Third time, I ordered the same- Mahi Mahi tacos and a salad. He ordered the same taco, shrimp cocktail and sweet potato bites. Everything came out one by one for him, while I didn't get my food. When my salad came, it was wrong- I ordered no meat. About 10 minutes later here comes my salad. Great! Then I had to ask for my tacos again. after another 7 minutes, it comes with about one ounce of chopped up mahi mahi cold and dried up. His was the same. Asked about the fish portions and why it looked like that and was told it was supposed to be 6 ounces of fish and they cook it like that to ensure evenly cooked. Our meal was $100 and they gave use a $9 discount. We are very generous tippers and we could not understand how the quality, service, and everything else went from fantastic to crappy in a matter of one week. Probably won't go back as there are other restaurants along the water front to visit. We are looking for consistency all across the board! In read more

Amazing food. Amazing views and vibe. But more than that, the service was unreal. Dennise is probably the greatest waitress I have ever had.

We have had the pleasure of visiting Shady Shack twice so far this spring and plan to go back more even though it's a 75 minute drive. Well worth it! First, I mean you're on a lake with an amazing view and festive beach shack ambiance. Second, the employees are friendly and attentive. Third, the menu is varied and so far everything we have had has been great. Our favorites: the Gaston Grouper fish sandwich, the Lobster Roll, the Crab Bites, the peel and eat shrimp, and the French fries. They make one of the best bloody Mary's I have had in a long time and they have a great selection of cocktails. We will be spending a lot more time at Shady Shack Grill and Bar. read more

See all

This is great place to eat and hang out with friends on the water. They have live entertainment sometimes that gives it another dimension of fun and entertainment! The food is great too! I love the shrimp! read more

We have a home here for 16 years and just found this place! Fun beachy outdoor eating and we can get here quickly by boat. The food is pretty good- I think the nachos and fish dishes are their strengths. Service was prompt and friendly. Lots of families eating outside and bar seemed fairly stocked. There was a singer with guitar playing outside and he was awesome. The view is decent of the lake. I might recommend the staff move the high top tables more to the interior of the restaurant and the lower tables along the outside so that more people can see the views of the laje itself. read more

Great location food does not match, they need to step up their game and use quality ingredients. Peel and eat shrimp not bad.

Employees were nice and location (on the water) was great. The food was OK, but for a group of 10, they had a hard time getting basic food (burgers) out at the same time. Some people never received their order. All in all, I'd go again with less people and maybe only have drinks. Maybe it was an off-day...only rating based on what we experienced. read more

Not dog friendly. Can't make this shit up. Went for lunch on 8/24/22 @12:21 and was advised by hostess that dogs are not allowed on the outside bar in front the dock ??? However she did offer to sit us both in the 90 degree sun with a table with no sun blockage . There were only two people in the entire establishment. I'm kind of glad it happen because it gave me an opportunity to read all the negative reviews of this place. read more

One hamburger and fries, 1 wine and 1 draft beer, automatic 20%tip, total 46.00; last visit

Amazing smash burgers....I recommend the Murder Burger...maybe best burger I've ever had. And the fries and hand cut chips you can't go wrong, my favorite drink is the flip flop! read more

I understand the restaurant is under new management and it is running like a fine tooth machine! It wasn't terrible before, but WOW! It's great now! Right away you notice new signage and landscaping. Two young employees actually met us at the dock to help us with our boat. They've managed to increase the number of seats with new furniture and better use of space. And most importantly there was plenty of staff! We had the best waitress we've ever had at the lake. And the food!! We had lobster rolls and they were delicious! Some of the very best I've ever had. And very reasonable for the amount of lobster in each roll. There's also a very nice draft beer menu. Put that together with a beautiful view and live music and it makes for a fabulous experience! We hope to be regular customers all summer!! read more

We were from out of town and were here for the Dixie Boys World Series tournament and took a large group to the Shady Shack. Never once did that make us feel like we were overloading them. Incredible service by HAYLEE! She had a great personality and was super helpful. Nice docks for the boys to fish. Everything we ordered was delicious! We are actually going back tonight for dinner before we head back to Tennessee!! read more

Caught this place on a beautiful Sunday evening. Service was excellent! Husband and I got a few apps. The steamed shrimp and the loaded waffle fries were really good. read more

I was in South Hill VA on business and wanted a nice lake side dinner experience. My wife and I found the Shady Shake! GREAT SPOT! We sat at the bar and Holly was our bar tender. She took great care of us! We had some good drinks and met some cool people. The food and the service was great! And of course, the view by Lake Gaston is beautiful! Go kick back at the Shady Shack Grill! You'll be glad you did! read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - Lake Gaston view from the Shady Shack Grill - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia

This is a great spot on Lake Gaston! Nestled on Poplar Creek, we took the boat over for a great dinner! Ahi Tuna for appetizer, fish tacos and lobster roll for our meal. Will definitely be back and highly recommend. read more

Good bar and grill on the water! Can't wait to go this year! Heard it was even better than last season.

Celebrated 2 birthday today here! The food was great, the atmosphere is very cool, but our waitress...... Abi....... She was FANTASTIC!!!!! She will definitely be the reason we return!!!!!! She's a keeper!!!! read more

Awesome people awesome vibe awesome service. My favorite spot in the Bracey area. The food was very pleasurable as well. Thank you Shady Shack read more

Just as advertised -- Lake Gaston views, live music, bar food including delicious crab bites, creative cocktails and good craft beer selection read more

We went to eat their on a Friday. We like the atmosphere so we went there, but many things were wrong. We couldn't sit closest to the water because she had to get the servers assigned and organized, the tables were not taken while we were there, waitresses were all standing around talking. They had no lemonade, we were never asked if we wanted a refill and one order was the Wedge Salad with several pieces of lettuce on the plate, not a wedge. Bacon and tomatoes chopped on the side. This was unacceptable. We should have sent it back or not paid for ir. read more

Went by for lunch on 7/3/21. Was seated promptly and the hostess was friendly. Waitress cam by and was familiar with the drink menu that was offered. She returned promptly with that order. Appetizers were very tasty as we had fried crab . We ordered the monster burger and it was very good as well. Fast service from the kitchen as well as several people checking on us throughout the meal. The manager came by and checked on us as well. I would suggest to anyone that wants good service and prompt service. Nice people. read more

This is a difficult review for me to write. I really like Poplar Creek Marine and all the people that work there. Lots of friends work there so I'm torn. I'm hoping that I can come back at some point and revise this review from 2 stars but right now this is a much as I can do. The food is really quite good, if you can EVER get it. The service is beyond slow. I was there a couple of Sundays ago and it took 2 hours to get a couple of cheeseburgers with fries. Yes, I know they were short-staffed that day. They kept saying that but TWO HOURS? An entire table of 8 just ahead of us simply got up and walked out. They'd been there far too long as well. I really want Shady Shack to thrive but something has to change here. I know I'm reluctant to go back. I believe a lot of other people are as well. Hopefully they'll turn it around and I can come back with a better review. Until then, it's a cool bar with cold beer and good food, but don't be in anything that even resembles a hurry when you get there. read more

Shady Shack Grill & Flip Flops Bar - New American Near Me - Bracey, Virginia