When we are near a large water body, we always expect to find a restaurant at a marina. There is something about the atmosphere at the marina bars and restaurants, that just gives you a warm and relaxing vibe. Shookys on the Lake at Parsons Marina in Whitney, Texas didn’t disappoint. It sits near the south end of Lake Whitney, just off state highway 22 and not far from the city of Whitney.
We arrived about 6pm on a Saturday evening and walked up to find an open-air setting out on the rear patio, with a musician, Joe Parker, waiting to take requests. Inside was casual, you walk right up to the bar to place orders. We left a card to start a tab, and ordered a couple drinks, a pizza and a rice and chicken basket. Outside on the patio is where we chose to eat at a large picnic table with others.
The first thing that struck us was the view. Across the lake, the sun was setting and was just a perfect sunset with music coming from the makeshift stage setup on the porch. The musician played his guitar and sang mostly country tunes and customers sat and enjoyed their drinks and dinner. Some chose to dance, and others chose to just sit, converse, and enjoy the environment.
Our food was brought out to us along with fresh drinks. While nothing fancy, our dinner was surprisingly really good. And for the prices, it just couldn’t be any better. These types of restaurant settings are meant for the great vibes, and when they also come with good food, it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. My pizza was brick-oven baked and Tabby’s dinner was well put together and tasted freshly cooked. There was a stray cat that has been adopted by the restaurant family, and I’m pretty sure it got as much of my pizza and Tabby’s chicken, as we did.
We stayed for about 3 hours and after several drinks, our dinner, and a tip for the musician and the waitress, we spent about $70. We met some new friends and fellow travelers and will probably stay in touch after this. Luckily, Tabby didn’t bring home any stray cats, and we both left there wanting to go back.
We plan to go back to Shookys next weekend. If you’re in the area, we do recommend Shookys. It’s well worth the stop and we promise you will want to stay a while and enjoy the place. You can visit their Facebook page and see what they have going on while you’re near.
