If you’re roadtripping across Texas this summer, you have to stop at Czech Stop

The three, but really four, hour drive from Dallas to Austin, Texas, is long enough for your butt to fall asleep, but too short to be able to complain about. The one redeeming part of the trip comes in the form of a Czech deli/pastry shop beside a Shell gas station.

The Czech Stop first opened its doors in 1983 in the town of West, Texas, about 15 miles North of Waco. Since then, it has gained notoriety for its Czech delicacies, such as strudels and kolaches. For those native to Texas, the kolache is a sacred gift – a breakfast staple that brings our understanding of pigs in a blanket to a new level. As far as kolaches go, the Czech Stop is the master.

The establishment’s reputation is far-reaching. Employee Brandon Spears says such fame makes his job a unique experience.

“Working here isn’t like working anywhere else,” he said.

The Czech Stop also boasts the equally respected and delicious Little Czech Bakery. A long line of customers weave throughout aisles in both establishments, a testament to the site’s popularity. The wait passes by swiftly though, with head shots of famous patrons lining the walls and Texas souvenirs to peruse. If that doesn’t keep one distracted, the impending pressure of deciding what to order certainly will.

The biggest takeaway for Jonathan Cardenas during his time working there? “How to survive the line at the Czech Stop,” he said.

Jonathan assisted me in selecting five Czech stop favorites to sample, which included a jalapeño sausage with cheese kolache, a sausage with cheese kolache, a hot chubbie and a strawberry and blueberry cream cheese pastry.

I took my five items to go, loaded up into the car with my trusty road trip sidekick Nick Sun and began the sampling on my final leg home to Dallas.

The hot chubbie was spicier than I expected, but in an enjoyable way that urged my taste buds onward, potential heartburn be damned (no such heartburn made an appearance in the end).

The sausage with cheese kolache was more of a classic take for me. The kolaches I got growing up at local donut shops also took the straightforward sausage and cheese route, which may have contributed to why I enjoyed this one the most.

The jalapeño sausage and cheese was a little much for me, but I think this mostly has to do with the fact that I’m not a jalapeño fan in general. I know, I know, how can I even call myself a Texan with such a lukewarm opinion of jalapeños? In fact, why order something to begin with that you know you do not like? I thought the Czech Stop had the power to make everything magical and tasty. But it turns out even the Czechs cannot help me like jalapeños.

The blueberry cream cheese pastry and the strawberry cream cheese pastry were equally tasty. I am on board for preserves of all sorts, but when it comes to their use in pastries, the proportions can be make or break for whether or not I enjoy it. There is such a thing as too much jelly, unfortunately. However, the ratio of dough to fruit filling to cream cheese was fantastic, where one taste never overpowered the other.

Road trips can easily lose their adventurous spirit, but this roadside eatery has the charm and taste to renew your faith. To experience the perfect intersection of Czech heritage and Texan attraction, look no further than the Czech Stop.