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We have the area’s Czech immigrants to thank for giving us the kolache, the sweet pastry that now is as much a top-of-the-morning Texas staple as a buttermilk biscuit or a breakfast taco.
The beloved pastry (a soft, yeasted dough filled with fruit or sweetened soft cheese) is ubiquitous in the local counties of Central Texas (including Fayette, Austin, Washington and Lavaca) that are often called the “cradle of Czech immigration.”
Sidestepping the debate about whether meat and sausage varieties can be called kolache (Czechs call meat-filled pastries klobasnek), we are just glad the area is blessed with great access to one of our favorite treats. Driving into the Round Top area from Houston, Dallas or Austin, here are some of our favorite kolache shops:
Slovacek’s West: The town of West is ridiculously endowed with kolache options including this bakery that offers a whopping 37 varieties. Slovacek’s further distinguishes itself by offering homemade cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, specialty breads and Czech sweet buns called buchty. 214 Melodie Dr., West; slovacekwesttexas.com
Czech Stop: Garden & Gun magazine wrote that a drive on the I-35 corridor without a stop here is “unthinkable.” We concur because we put the brake on for kolaches. The bakery/convenience store is beloved by many for its assortment of impeccable pastries. 105 N. College Ave. (Exit 353 on I-35), West; czechstop.net
Gerik’s Ole Czech Bakery & Deli: There’s an extensive food menu here, but Gerik’s is a must stop for kolaches that the bakery calls traditional and authentic. The charming townie setting here also puts out serious Old Texas vibes, yet another nod to the bakery’s real deal status. 511 W. Oak St., West; geriksoleczechbakerydeli.shop
Hruska’s Bakery: One of the most celebrated bakeries can trace its kolache fame to a Czech family recipe that Adolphine Krenek used for the pastries she made by hand (using dairy from her own livestock) for Hruska’s to sell to its customers. Today, those kolaches are known far and wide and Hruska’s remains a beloved stop in Ellinger for pastries and so much more. 109 State Hwy. 71, Ellinger; hruskas-bakery.com
Weikel’s Store & Bakery: “We Gotcha Kolache” is the motto of the famed La Grange landmark. And how! The store is vast and the bakery selections epic. Nobody leaves here without the kolaches. Why would they? A second full-scale batch bakery happily serves Brenham the same award-winning kolaches that made Weikel’s famous. 2247 W. Hwy. 71 Business, La Grange, and 2155 US Hwy. 290, Brenham; weikels.com
Original Kountry Bakery: Czech and German heritage are steeped in the Besetsny family bakery that opened in 1979 in Schulenburg. The original kolaches were made from scratch (dairy and eggs from the family farm) using an Old World family recipe. Those kolaches remain the heart of the much-expanded bakery operations. Ask a local and they’ll steer you to the cream cheese and cottage cheese kolaches. 111 Kessler Ave., Schulenburg; kountrybakery.com
Chappel Hill Bakery: This family-friendly general store offers barbecue, Blue Bell and clean bathrooms for travelers. But locals praise it for its bakery goods, especially the assortment of perfect fruit and meat kolaches. It’s hard to miss this big outpost off 290, and you’d be crazy to pass it without stopping in for kolaches. 8900 Hwy. 290 E., Chappell Hill; chappellhillbakeryanddeli.com
Prasek’s Family Smokehouse: Texas traditions run deep at Prasek’s where guests can find a full-service barbecue restaurant; house-made sausages and smoked meats; Texas craft jerky; and kolaches, of course. While the bakery offers a full lineup of cakes, rolls, breads and turnovers, the fresh-baked kolaches rule. 2949 SW I-10 Frontage Road, Sealy; praseks.com
Buc-ee’s: The cult of Buc-ee’s seems to grow by the day. And that’s OK. The rest of the world needs to know how good we have it in Texas. And while we could spend all day enumerating the divine pleasures of Buc-ee’s, we must give praise where praise is due: the always reliable lineup of pillowy kolache we’re happy to have ride shotgun on any road trip. Multiple locations including area outposts in Giddings, Bastrop and Sealy; buc-ees.com
We have the area’s Czech immigrants to thank for giving us the kolache, the sweet pastry that now is as much a top-of-the-morning Texas staple as a buttermilk biscuit or a breakfast taco.
The beloved pastry (a soft, yeasted dough filled with fruit or sweetened soft cheese) is ubiquitous in the local counties of Central Texas (including Fayette, Austin, Washington and Lavaca) that are often called the “cradle of Czech immigration.”
Sidestepping the debate about whether meat and sausage varieties can be called kolache (Czechs call meat-filled pastries klobasnek), we are just glad the area is blessed with great access to one of our favorite treats. Driving into the Round Top area from Houston, Dallas or Austin, here are some of our favorite kolache shops:
Slovacek’s West: The town of West is ridiculously endowed with kolache options including this bakery that offers a whopping 37 varieties. Slovacek’s further distinguishes itself by offering homemade cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, specialty breads and Czech sweet buns called buchty. 214 Melodie Dr., West; slovacekwesttexas.com
Czech Stop: Garden & Gun magazine wrote that a drive on the I-35 corridor without a stop here is “unthinkable.” We concur because we put the brake on for kolaches. The bakery/convenience store is beloved by many for its assortment of impeccable pastries. 105 N. College Ave. (Exit 353 on I-35), West; czechstop.net
Gerik’s Ole Czech Bakery & Deli: There’s an extensive food menu here, but Gerik’s is a must stop for kolaches that the bakery calls traditional and authentic. The charming townie setting here also puts out serious Old Texas vibes, yet another nod to the bakery’s real deal status. 511 W. Oak St., West; geriksoleczechbakerydeli.shop
Hruska’s Bakery: One of the most celebrated bakeries can trace its kolache fame to a Czech family recipe that Adolphine Krenek used for the pastries she made by hand (using dairy from her own livestock) for Hruska’s to sell to its customers. Today, those kolaches are known far and wide and Hruska’s remains a beloved stop in Ellinger for pastries and so much more. 109 State Hwy. 71, Ellinger; hruskas-bakery.com
Weikel’s Store & Bakery: “We Gotcha Kolache” is the motto of the famed La Grange landmark. And how! The store is vast and the bakery selections epic. Nobody leaves here without the kolaches. Why would they? A second full-scale batch bakery happily serves Brenham the same award-winning kolaches that made Weikel’s famous. 2247 W. Hwy. 71 Business, La Grange, and 2155 US Hwy. 290, Brenham; weikels.com
Original Kountry Bakery: Czech and German heritage are steeped in the Besetsny family bakery that opened in 1979 in Schulenburg. The original kolaches were made from scratch (dairy and eggs from the family farm) using an Old World family recipe. Those kolaches remain the heart of the much-expanded bakery operations. Ask a local and they’ll steer you to the cream cheese and cottage cheese kolaches. 111 Kessler Ave., Schulenburg; kountrybakery.com
Chappel Hill Bakery: This family-friendly general store offers barbecue, Blue Bell and clean bathrooms for travelers. But locals praise it for its bakery goods, especially the assortment of perfect fruit and meat kolaches. It’s hard to miss this big outpost off 290, and you’d be crazy to pass it without stopping in for kolaches. 8900 Hwy. 290 E., Chappell Hill; chappellhillbakeryanddeli.com
Prasek’s Family Smokehouse: Texas traditions run deep at Prasek’s where guests can find a full-service barbecue restaurant; house-made sausages and smoked meats; Texas craft jerky; and kolaches, of course. While the bakery offers a full lineup of cakes, rolls, breads and turnovers, the fresh-baked kolaches rule. 2949 SW I-10 Frontage Road, Sealy; praseks.com
Buc-ee’s: The cult of Buc-ee’s seems to grow by the day. And that’s OK. The rest of the world needs to know how good we have it in Texas. And while we could spend all day enumerating the divine pleasures of Buc-ee’s, we must give praise where praise is due: the always reliable lineup of pillowy kolache we’re happy to have ride shotgun on any road trip. Multiple locations including area outposts in Giddings, Bastrop and Sealy; buc-ees.com
