Czech It Out: The Most Amazing Kolaches in Austin

While it's true that Mrs. Johnson's main claim to fame is donuts, don't deny yourself the savory joy of a melty, piping hot ham and cheese kolache. At $12/dozen, it's fairly easy to treat the whole office too.

Now "Kolache Creations," this is one of the sweetest little bakeries in town, run by a husband and wife with kolaches in their familial veins (and probably their intestines). Here you'll find massive kolache variety -- not just the sausage/cheese/jalapeno standby, but sweet fruit versions, like apple, blueberry, and even pineapple.

Two words: The dough. Enveloping each and every luscious kolache like a sweet, airy pillow, Lone Star's dough is absolutely divine, and would be great on its own as a dinner roll. But no! Instead, it devotes itself to the care of delicious fillings, like broccoli and cheese, BBQ beef, and chorizo, never allowing your kolache to fall apart prematurely or your teeth to grind while you get to the good stuff. Well done, Lone Star dough.

While "palace" might be overstating things just a bit, their kolaches are fit for a king. And the sausage/cheese/jalapeno kolache -- oh! It's so moist, spicy and delicious, it's worth any amount of ensuing gastrointestinal pain.

Oh, what treasures do you hold, Moonlight Bakery kolache? Local sausage? Soft cream cheese? Succulent blueberries? They're all so extraordinarily tasty that I can never limit myself to just one -- and neither should you.

Be honest with me, Reader. Did you know about Chuy Bakery, prior to reading this? If not, time to correct that: Chuy Bakery is NOT part of the Chuy's tex-mex restaurant franchise, but a big, bumpin' panaderia, filled to the absolute doorframe with every type of Mexican pastry imaginable. And, they are international! Czech eaters (well, every eater) will love their take on the kolache, a meatier, more massive version than the petite kind you find at most kolache shops. Me gusta.

Securing a kolache from Kolache Factory in the morning is a bit like being on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, what with all the wild gesturing, the yelling, the faces stricken by anxiety and then (after their first bite) sweet relief. I think it's the location, but anyway, the kolaches themselves are solid and petite, with a slightly less sweeter bun than Lone Star's. If you want to avoid the morning pandemonium, get there between 1:30-2:00 before close, when kolaches are half off.