Appetizers So Amazing You're Going to Want to Try Them All!

The first section you'll come across on the Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina menu titled "Starters" is full of amazing dishes that will definitely catch your attention. (Keep reading past them though, because the rest of the menu is just as awe-inspiring!) 

The appetizers at our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront restaurant & bar are the perfect beginning to any meal and make a wonderful midday snack. As a matter of fact, the portions are large enough that you may be able to make a meal out of one of these! Here's a peek at the delicious dishes we're talking about. 

Smoked Wings
Our house-smoked wings are served original, extra hot, garlic parmesan, or barbecue in orders of 10 or 20. 

Fried Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes deep-fried to a golden brown and served with our house Cajun mayo. 

Creole Quesadilla
A bountiful blend of Andouille sausage, crawfish, and shrimp with pepper jack cheese and sauteed peppers & onions. 

Pork Nachos
Slow-smoked pulled pork, Turbodog cheese sauce, and red beans piled high on corn tortilla chips and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos. Available as a full order or half order.  

Blackened Chicken Nachos
Tortilla chips piled high and smothered in our Turbodog cheese sauce then topped with spicy chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos. Served with salsa and sour cream. 

Chicken Tenders
Fresh chicken tenders are hand-breaded and fried to a golden brown. 

Crab Artichoke Spinach Dip
A mouthwatering mixture of crab, spinach, artichoke, and blended cheese served warm with tortilla chips. 

Crab Cakes
Two handmade shrimp and lump blue crabmeat cakes rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs and topped with shrimp in our seafood cream sauce. 

Big Easy Shrimp
Large gulf shrimp sauteed in butter, white wine, and garlic with lemon, rosemary, and Cajun seasonings. 

Blackened Shrimp
Large gulf shrimp seasoned and blackened in one of our cast iron skillets and served with a lemon wedge. 

Peel and Eat Shrimp
Large shrimp spice-boiled and served with our house Bloody Mary cocktail sauce. 

Sweet Coconut Shrimp
Large gulf shrimp breaded in a sweet Frosted Flake and coconut breading and served with our house-made sweet raspberry sauce. 

Cajun Fried Oysters
Lively seasoned, hand-breaded, southern-fried oysters served with our house Bloody Mary cocktail sauce. 

Seared Ahi Tuna
A 6-oz. sesame encrusted sashimi-style Ahi tuna served with sesame ginger dressing and a wasabi cream sauce. 

Beignets
Try this French Quarter favorite, Louisiana's doughnut. Perfectly deep-fried pastry tossed in powdered sugar and served with our house-made raspberry sauce. 

Now that you know how you're going to start your meal of the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks, it's time to move on to the rest of the menu. Stop by Shorty Pants Lounge soon and get a look (and a taste) of the many amazing dishes we've got in store for you. You'll never leave hungry, but you'll always leave anxious to come back for more!    

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!

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Everyone's Showing Some Love for Shorty Pants Lounge & Our Vacation House Rentals

Many people are extremely excited about our Cajun waterfront restaurant & bar at the Lake of the Ozarks opening back up for the season next week. For those of you that have not yet experienced the excitement and deliciousness that is Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina, here are some customer reviews that will give you a good look at what dining with us can be like. 

We also have two of the best waterfront vacation house rentals at the Lake of the Ozarks right next door to the restaurant and marina. Those are available year-round. If you will be needing a place to stay while you're in town, the reviews at the end of this blog just may convince you to stay with us!   

Shorty Pants Lounge Reviews 

TripAdvisor Reviews

"Delicious Cajun Food and Tasty Drinks: Always a great environment at Shorty Pants. Delicious foods and drinks. Affordable, friendly staff, and an enjoyable spot on the Lake. Always look forward to a stop here." 

-callmegypsy, Nebraska

"Harbor Hop was a Blast!: We stopped in here during the harbor hop and had a great time. Didn’t get to try any food but the drinks were cold and service was fast & friendly. Will be back!"

 -kristinh868, Camdenton, MO

"Cajun Deliciousness: Excellent Catfish, Bourbon Chicken and Bourbon Carrots were a real treat. The corn muffins have a surprise flavor kick. Would return to try more of the Cajun dishes."

 -macs521, Montgomery, TX

Yelp Reviews

"This place is fantastic. Their food is great but I love the service even more than the food. We have friends who live on the lake and this is always the first place they want to take us when we are on their boat. I can see why." 

-Kris R, Camdenton, MO

"Service was friendly and fast and the food was really good! We didn't know what to expect being in mid-Missouri and going for Cajun style food but all four of us enjoyed the food and the setting by the lake was great! Definitely would go back here again!" 

-Keith W, Mobile, AL

"I love Shorty Pants! The Asiago chicken sandwich is to die for! The bartenders and servers are some of the best on the lake!" 

-Briana H, Osage Beach, MO

Facebook Reviews

"Love this place!! Wonderful service every time we visit!! Food is always phenomenal, great southern Cajun cuisine! Great bands and nice view of the lake and on chilly days a cozy outdoor fireplace warms you up!!" 

-Lori N Tom Austin

"Recommend the Cajun quesadillas so good with lots of heat! Great staff and the outside deck is such a great view of the lake!" 

-Edie Yvonne Mullins

"Enjoyed the drinks, appetizer, and the service, a fun place! Very nice waitress." 

-Don Klein

Vacation House Rental Reviews

We have two vacation house rentals available. The Red House can host up to 16 guests and the Glass House can sleep up to 8.  

The Red House

"Perfect House for Large Group/Family: This house has everything you need; plenty of space, screened in porch with a huge table for hanging out in the evenings, enough bathrooms for all guests, TWO kitchens, and a great deck (you can listen to the live music from Shorty Pants which we loved). We will definitely stay there again, thank you for making my wife's 30th birthday a great weekend!!!"

-Dan G.

"Great Property: We had a wonderful stay at this property. The house was clean, had plenty of beds, bathrooms, towels, kitchen items, etc. The view was beautiful & convenient to the restaurant and marina. Would highly recommend!! Thanks so much!!"

-Dawn P.

"Beautiful home - can't wait to go back: This home is stunning & was absolutely perfect for 16 of us this past weekend. We had so much fun and Ashley was so accommodating to all of our needs from the get-go. Can't wait to book it again next summer. Thank you Ashley for everything!!!"

-Aubrey L.

The Glass House

"Wonderful long weekend: We spent a long weekend at The Glass House with two other couples and had a wonderful time. The house was very clean and decor was perfect for a lake house get away. The boys loved playing the arcade game while waiting for the ladies to get ready to head out for an adventure. Location was perfect as just across the street from Shorty Pants Lounge where we were able to stop in for a convenient and tasty meal! I highly recommend this property for your vacation!"

-Kirsten P.

"Amazing: The Glass House was amazing. Went for a girls weekend and everything was perfect. Nice and clean, great decor, fully equipped kitchen, and plenty of towels. For sure would book again."

-Sash B.

"House on Lake - Osage Beach: Great place. Spacious and just across from Shorty Pants. Easy access to all. Quality throughout from linens, to dishware, and furniture. Very nice place to stay and the owner was great with quick answers to any questions." 

-Becky Y.

Hopefully, the kind words above have convinced you to give Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina in Osage Beach a try the next time you are in the lake area. We love meeting new people and we are always excited to see familiar faces back again each season. 

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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10 Things You're Going To Miss This Winter... So Get Them NOW!

It's always hard to see the end of another season at our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront restaurant & bar coming up on the calendar, but we all knew it was coming. Knowing that Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina will be open again serving all of your favorites next spring helps to ease the sadness some. So does coming in during these final weeks to enjoy a few of those favorites before they go into hibernation. 

Everyone has an opinion about what our best dishes happen to be. Here are 10 of them that get ordered often, and you've still got until Saturday, November 17, 2018, to come in and get them along with rest of our menu filled with the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks.  

Crab Cakes
Our amazing handmade shrimp and lump blue crab meat cakes are an extremely popular menu item. They are rolled in our seasoned bread crumbs and topped with shrimp, then covered with a savory seafood cream sauce. As fantastic as they are on our own, when we place them on top of a bed of fresh fettuccine for our Crab Cake Pasta, the taste is elevated to a whole new level! 
   

Shrimp & Grits
A Cajun classic! This dish contains large shrimp that are sauteed with Andouille sausage, hickory-smoked bacon, onions, and mushrooms. That mouthwatering mix is served over a heaping helping of homemade Cheddar Cheese & Jalapeno Grits. We've also got another terrific version with our Shrimp & Grit Tacos, which place the famous jalapeno grits under shrimp, Andouille sausage, bacon, and a jalapeno lime sauce in a flour tortilla. 

Smoked Wings 
Wings are always a menu favorite, especially when they're perfectly house-smoked over hickory like we do them! You can find a very similar wing at our sister restaurant, Wobbly Boots Roadhouse, the king of hickory-smoked meats, year-round. When you get them here, we offer them in the following ways:

• Original
• Extra Hot
• Garlic Parmesan
• Barbecue

Catfish
Catfish is used often in Cajun cooking, plus it's delicious, so you will find it offered quite a few different ways on the menu at Shorty Pants Lounge. Catfish lovers will need to come in a few times to try all of these!

• Catfish BLT
• Catfish Po Boy
• Smothered Catfish (covered in creamy Crawfish Etouffee!) 
• Catfish Dinner

Po Boys
You can't run a Cajun restaurant without perfecting the Po Boy, and we believe we've done exactly that! One of the wonderful varieties we serve has already been mentioned above, but we've got even more for you to enjoy. In case you're not familiar with this fantastic sandwich, it's a French roll containing lettuce, tomato, homemade Cajun mayo, and one of the following meats:

• Catfish (fried or blackened)
• Fried Oysters
• Fried Shrimp
• Andouille Sausage (This one features our homemade remoulade sauce in place of the Cajun mayo.) 

Creole Quesadilla
Quesadillas are most often considered Mexican cuisine, but not the way we stuff them! Our version contains Cajun flavors that will make your mouth water before you even take a bite! It's a bountiful blend of Andouille sausage, crawfish, and shrimp with pepper jack cheese and sauteed peppers & onions. Mmmm boy! 

Big Easy Shrimp
Sure, we make it fresh right here in mid-Missouri, but it tastes like it came straight out of the Big Easy! These large gulf shrimp are sauteed in butter, white wine, and garlic with lemon, rosemary, and Cajun seasonings. It's available as an appetizer or an entire signature entree. 

New Orleans Medley
For the diner that has trouble deciding on which dish to order, this menu item offers you four of our very best all on one plate! You get creamy Crawfish Etouffee, rich Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, and a half-link of our Andouille Sausage. Make sure you attack this plate with a big appetite!

Beignets
This is Louisiana's version of the doughnut. It makes an excellent dessert and an equally delicious appetizer. Our housemade sweet raspberry sauce is served with this perfectly deep-fried pastry tossed in powdered sugar. Great for sharing, but you may want to keep them all to yourself! 

Hurricanes
We take the classic cocktail created in New Orleans and do it justice, plus we came up with a few of our very own variations on the delicious drink. Our freshly muddled Mojitos and Cajun Bloody Marys are also amazing, but there's something special about Hurricanes and Cajun food together. Here at Shorty Pants, your choices include: 

• New Orleans Hurricane
• Rainbow Sherbert Hurricane
• Spring Hurricane
• Freedom Hurricane

There's a lot more on the menu than the items we just mentioned, so if you want to get a few more helpings in before we close for the season, we're still open 7 days a week at 11 am for lunch and dinner. Also, if you're really going to miss us over the next few months, swing by the marina (which is open year-round) and pick up a comfy Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina sweatshirt. That way when you miss us this winter, you can cuddle up with it and feel a little closer to your favorite Cajun restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks!

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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The End of our 2018 is Near... Stop By SOON!

We are just 2 short weeks away from the day you dread every fall... the time when your favorite Lake of the Ozarks waterfront bar & restaurant closes for the season. Our last day open for 2018 will be Saturday, November 17.  

Don't waste your time being sad. Instead, make plans now to get on over to Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina one more time this year (or a few more times) for all of the amazing things you're going to miss about us over the winter. 

Amazin' Cajun
The best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks comes out of our kitchen, and it's full of authentic rubs and spices direct from Louisiana and made with recipes that any New Orleans native would be proud of! If you close your eyes after taking a bite, you just might think you're actually in the French Quarter instead of mid-Missouri. 

The majority of our menu is filled with creative Creole cuisine. Some of our most popular dishes that keep bringing people back year after year include our Crab Cake Pasta, Smothered Catfish, Creole Quesadillas, great big Po Boy Sandwiches, and our New Orleans Medley which offers a taste of not just one but four of our famous menu items. 

...and There's MORE!
Even though we're most well-known for our fantastic Cajun cooking, our diverse menu has quite a few non-Cajun dishes to offer too, so there's truly something for everyone! You'll find savory steaks as well as many signature sandwiches. We've also got a great selection of juicy burgers, succulent seafood, salads, wraps, tacos, and a lot more. Whether it's lunchtime, dinnertime, or snack time, you're sure to find something you'll love!  

Creative Cocktails
You don't want to go into the off-season without getting at least one more glass of your favorite Shorty Pants Lounge cocktail. A few of the legendary drinks we're popular for include freshly muddled Mojitos, Cajun Bloody Marys, fantastic frozen drinks, and a long list of New Orleans style Hurricanes. The bar also carries an impressive wine list and the coldest beer in town. Plenty of choices to whet your whistle! 

That Fantastic Lake View
As long as the sun is out, it's still wonderfully pleasant to sit outside and enjoy our gorgeous lake view most days. When the chill of autumn is more than you're willing to bear, our smoke-free indoor dining room is warm, cozy, and filled with the sights and scents of our terrific Cajun creations. 

Speaking of warm and cozy, don't forget about our awesome outdoor fireplace. The area is covered and there is a TV out there so you can keep an eye on whatever game happens to be playing while you're here. 

Stay With Us This Winter
While the restaurant, bar, and marina take a break for the winter, our two amazing Lake of the Ozarks vacation rental houses are available for you to enjoy all year long. There are plenty of incredible things going on in the lake area during the off-season, and we've got the perfect place for you to stay while you're in town. 

The Glass House can easily host up to 8 guests, and the Red House offers enough room for up to 16 people. Both offer all the comforts of home, a fantastic lake view, and are centrally located to many of the best attractions and events at the Lake of the Ozarks. You can check availability online and book your stay through our website.    

The season's not over for our Lake of the Ozarks Cajun restaurant quite yet, but the end will be sneaking up on us before you know it. Please stop by and visit us at least one more time before Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina's last day for this season, Saturday, November 17, 2018. Let's end this year together because it's always more fun when you're here!

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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The Taste of Bourbon Street Smack Dab in the Middle of Missouri!

You don't have to travel all the way to New Orleans to enjoy the amazing flavors that Bourbon Street is famous for. Right here in mid-Missouri, we serve the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks seven days a week. Close your eyes and take a bite of one of our Creole creations at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina and you'd swear you're in Louisiana! 

Cajun Inspiration
Our talented chefs use only the most flavorful rubs and spices direct from Louisiana. You'll find all of the Creole cooking staples in our recipes - rice, sausages, seafood, and vegetables - alongside lots of other delicious ingredients, put together masterfully for your dining pleasure. There are amazing Cajun dishes throughout our entire menu, but one section in particular that exemplifies what we can do is our Bourbon Street Eats.

Bourbon Street Eats
Each of these incredible dishes is served with a garden salad or mini Caesar salad and your choice of French bread or corn muffins.

New Orleans Medley
A plateful of our signature entrees: creamy Crawfish Etouffee, rich Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, and a half-link of Andouille Sausage. 

Easy Street Trio
You will love this sweet and spicy blush cream sauce with Andouille sausage, shrimp, and tender chicken served over fresh fettuccine. 

Cajun Alfredo
A mildly spiced Alfredo tossed with fresh fettuccine noodles. If you'd like to add meat, we have chicken, shrimp, or a combination of the two. 

Crab Cake Pasta
Two delicious handmade shrimp and lump blue crab cakes are placed on a bed of fresh fettuccine with a delicious seafood cream sauce. 

Jambalaya
A Louisana rice-based dish steamed in rich and subtle Cajun spices, Andouille sausage, chicken, and shrimp. Try it "dirty" topped with red beans! 

Red Beans 'N' Rice 
This classic dish is seasoned to perfection and served with a link of Andouille sausage. 

Smothered Catfish
A catfish filet served on a bed of rice, smothered in our crawfish etouffee. Enjoy it fried or blackened. 

Voodoo Chicken
A spicy marinated blackened chicken breast is placed over a bed of sauteed onions, peppers, and rice. 

Chicken New Orleans
A blackened chicken breast sauteed with a trio of bell peppers and our Cajun cream sauce served over rice. 

Crawfish 'N' Shrimp Etouffee
Crawfish and shrimp smothered in a rich creamy etouffee sauce with creole vegetables served over rice. 

Shrimp 'N' Grits
Large shrimp sauteed with Andouille sausage, hickory-smoked bacon, onions, and mushrooms served over our homemade Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeno Grits. 

C'mon, you know your mouth is watering! One taste of any of these delicious dishes is enough to prove to you that a trip to New Orleans isn't necessary. Simply head on over to our Cajun restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks and even though you're in mid-Missouri, your taste buds will be on Bourbon Street! Join us soon at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina. You're going to be happily impressed.  

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina is AWESOME, but Don't Just Take Our Word For It...

We can talk about how awesome our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront restaurant & bar is until we're blue in the face, but anyone that hasn't been to Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina in person is going to be skeptical. That's perfectly natural. 

That's why customer reviews are so very important. First of all, they let us know what we're already doing right and areas we could improve. Those reviews also provide unbiased opinions about a real Shorty Pants experience from customers that have been here. Here are a few of the most recent reviews we found online. 

"The New Orleans Medley is very good and authentic. Comes with excellent étouffée which can be hard to find!"

~Keaton Ashlock, Google review

"Cajun deliciousness: Excellent Catfish, Bourbon Chicken, and Bourbon Carrots were a real treat. The corn muffins have a surprise flavor kick. Would return to try more of the Cajun dishes."
~macs512, TripAdvisor review

"I love Shorty Pants! The Asiago chicken sandwich is to die for! The bartenders and servers are some of the best on the lake!"
~Briana H, Yelp review

"Great Cajun food! Loved the fried catfish with the etouffee on top. Yummy!"
~Kerry Scott, Google review

"Good Food, Relaxing Atmosphere: We came here for dinner one evening during the week. The service was good. Me and 3 friends all had different Cajun dishes. All were excellent. The outdoor seating on the lake was very relaxing. Would recommend!"
~Doug B, TripAdvisor review

"Outstanding Cajun food. I worked in Shreveport, Louisiana for 4 1/2 years and the Cajun food here is as good, or better, than any 4 or 5-star restaurant there!! Waitress was friendly and very attentive. Makes you wanna come back.
The view of boats coming in & out to eat here makes it very enjoyable!! Last but not least, the beignets are delicious. We had two orders and crab cakes for appetizers, to start the feast off right. Straight 5-star goodness here. This will be one of my top two or three regular stops, now that we live at the lake!"
~Mike L, Yelp review

"Great atmosphere: Food was great! Couldn't decide on a burger or steak and cheese sandwich so my husband and I split and shared. They were both very good. I had a hurricane and it was delicious. Topped off the meal with their beignets and they were as good if not better than ones we had in New Orleans!"
~eckbuild, TripAdvisor review

"Met up with friends: There were 8 of us and we were well taken care of. Atmosphere was great, outside, nice weather and great food and drinks."
~WayneP412, TripAdvisor review

"Love this place!! Wonderful service every time we visit!! Food is always phenomenal, great southern Cajun cuisine! Great bands and nice view of the lake and on chilly days a cozy outdoor fireplace warms you up!!"
~Lori N Tom Austin, Facebook review

"One of our favorites at the Lake. Service is always great. Food and drinks are always excellent. Great place to watch football in the fall!"
~Sharon Falter, Google review

"Awesome waterfront dining: A great casual place right on the water. Awesome for a nice dinner with friends. The service was awesome and the crab cake fettuccine was to die for. Try the pain is the a$$ you won’t be sorry."

~Jzaret67, TripAdvisor review

"Service was friendly and fast and the food was really good! We didn't know what to expect being in mid-Missouri and going for Cajun style food but all four of us enjoyed the food and the setting by the lake was great! Definitely would go back here again!"
~Keith W, Yelp review

"Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Food was worth the price. Jambalaya was excellent. Will go there again on my next trip to the lake."

~Jerry Mynatt, Google review

"Recommend the Cajun quesadillas, so good with lots of heat! Great staff and the outside deck has such a great view of the lake!"
~Edie Yvonne Mullins, Facebook review

"Excellent service and amazing food. We had the Ahi tuna salad with a ginger sesame dressing and shrimp and grits."
~Elizabeth Swanson, Google review

If you've already been to Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina in Osage Beach, we would love to hear all about your experience too! If not, we hope that you get the chance to visit us soon for the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks. We're open daily beginning at 11 am and looking forward to serving you a meal, and an experience, you won't' soon forget. 

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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