Looking for a cafe experience on the lake? Well, look no further than Sundancer Grill, the 2014 People’s Choice award winner from Taste of Lake Travis. Located in the spot formerly known as Shades Cafe that closed in 2013, Sundancer Grill serves up bistro dining in a relaxed atmosphere with a beautiful view of Lake Travis.
Sundancer Grill is right next to the Sail & Ski Yacht Club at 16410 Stewart Road off of RR 620. It’s a hop, skip and a jump from Lakeway with no winding roads required. Sundancer has indoor seating, outdoor seating and a little playscape out front for little patrons. The retractable glass walls provide great views of Lake Travis and functionality despite the weather, so Sundancer Grill is able to stay open year-round.
The chef and owner of Sundancer Grill, Ben Nathan also owns Cafe Blue in the Hill Country Galleria. Early in his career, he worked with French Chef Jean Michael Bergougnous at L’Absinthe Brasserie in Manhattan and then spent time in New England working at numerous nationally acclaimed restaurants.
Chef Ben embarked on his culinary adventure in Austin in 2005. He taught at the Texas Culinary Academy, one of a handful of Le Cordon Bleu teaching institutions in the United States. He has also served as executive chef at some of Austin’s most favorite restaurants like The Belmont and Chez Zee.
Chef Ben brings his love of coastal cuisine to Lake Travis in a variety of ways, whether he’s taking you to Key West with his legendary Key Lime Pie or giving you a taste of his childhood in Boston with his Boston Bibb Wedge Salad.
Sundancer Grill features live music every Friday night and great specials throughout the week: Monday – kids 12 and under eat for free; Tuesday – buy one get one free burger; Wednesday – all you can eat farm raised catfish; Thursday – steak night featuring a ten ounce grilled black angus ribeye, a loaded baked potato, and a side house salad for $19.95. Sundancer also has Happy Hour specials Monday through Friday from 4-6 pm.
In addition to the weekly specials, Sundancer Grill hosts brunch every Sunday with mouth-watering menu items like French Toast stuffed with bananas, chocolate chips, cream cheese and bacon and Tex-Mex goodies like their Southwest Crab Omelet with home fries. Yum!
It’s wonderful to see talented chefs and business owners like Chef Ben in Lake Travis, because they are all important to the revitalization and health of our local economy. Last week, we shared the news that Lucy’s Fried Chicken will open a new location in the space that was vacated by Iguana Grill.
As we see more businesses open shop in Lake Travis, the best thing we can do is take advantage of the cool spots in our own backyard and spread the word to residents. Who’s hungry?
