8 Best Kolaches in Austin
Imagine a soft pillowy dough, wrapped around a sweet fruit filling, a sausage, a rich cheese, or even a jalapeno, or a combination of a couple of the above. That’s a kolache, a pastry of Czech origin. Cute, bite-sized, and incredibly addictive, the kolache has nestled itself into Texas hearts and minds as it has made a place for itself in local pastry shops around the state. The extent of my kolache knowledge was limited, I didn’t even know kolaches could be sweet, before this assignment, but after multiple tastings, I have grown to appreciate kolaches as more than just something that a little me’s friend’s parents would stuff into our mouths the morning after a sleepover or a pick-me-up after a late night out. There’s something special about the first bite into a kolache. It’s always softer than I expect it to be. It’s always subtler in taste. And, you’re always left wanting more.
Austin is no newcomer to the kolache scene. Central Texas, after all, is considered one of the capitals of the kolache. Some of the best I have had lies within the confines of Travis county — although I can’t say I had tried anything other than The Kolache Factory growing up; kolaches weren’t very popular in my family. Moonlight Bakery, Lone Star Kolache, and Batch Craft Beer stand out as some of the best the city has to offer, if not some of the most geographically accessible from the directly Austin area (curse the distance of the ever-so-far Round Rock Donuts and their eye-opening kolaches). So, without further ado, here are the best kolaches in Austin.
8 Best Kolaches in Austin
1. Moonlight Bakery
2. Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
3. Lone Star Kolache
4. Grand Donuts
5. Austin Kolache and Koffee
6. Capital City Bakery
7. S H Donuts
8. Round Rock Donuts
1. Moonlight Bakery
2300 S Lamar Blvd #102, Austin, TX
There’s something familial about Moonlight. The location is unassuming with its goofy-faced moon hanging still above the front door and the off-brown walls enveloping the showcased pastries. It maintains an ambivalent airiness. That airiness translates into their kolaches. These religiously traditional kolaches are incredibly fluffy and fruity but aren’t overpowering in any given way. Moonlight Bakery led me to believe in the power of kolaches. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6:30 AM to 5 PM. They do not offer delivery.
2. Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
3220 Manor Rd, Austin, TX
I rarely walk into a place as different as Batch. It feels culturally different. The air hangs heavy. Eclectic is a word thrown around a lot, but I couldn’t imagine describing Batch any other way, especially with their offbeat taco offerings. The bearded cashier’s go-to is the jalapeno, sausage, and cheese kolache, so that is what I got. The cheese was deep, sausage rich, and the jalapeno was just spicy enough to be uncomfortably pleasing. The craft beer outlet also serves seasonal kolaches. The current one is a pumpkin based. Batch is open Monday through Wednesday from 8 AM to 10 PM; Thursday and Friday sees them extend their hours until 11 PM. On Saturday they open at 9 AM and close at 11 PM. Finally, on Sundays, they open from 9 AM to 9 PM. They do not offer delivery.
3. Lone Star Kolache
7 different locations in the Austin area
Lone Star is the variety pack of kolaches. There isn’t much they don’t offer. Their specialty is that they have no specialty. A jack of all trades in every sense of the word. All Lone Star Kolaches are open from 5:30 AM to 2:30 PM so make sure to stop in early while the kolaches are fresh. They offer delivery.
4. Grand Donuts
615 W Slaughter Ln #112, Austin, TX
There are few shops as mysterious as Grand Donuts in the digital age. Want to find out their hours? You can’t on google. Website? Doesn’t exist. The only trace left to lead you towards Grand and their delectable kolaches is the review trail left behind. Everything you can expect to find at a traditional donut and kolache shop, but something else shines through, and it might just have to do with the mystery, some special sauce hidden under the layers of Czech dough.
Austin Kolache & Koffee; Photo by: Austin Kolache & Koffee
5. Austin Kolache and Koffee
8127 Mesa Dr B202, Austin, TX
A lot of kolache places fill their savory line-up with one-off, irrelevant sausages. They focus more on the dough, the cheese, and maybe even the jalapeno. Austin Kolache and Koffee begs to differ with sausages and venison sourced from Hudson Meat Market, a specialty meat shop. Ingredients always trump. Here it is no different. Get in early for the venison and jalapeno cheese kolache before they are sold out. They are open 7 AM to 8 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 8 AM to 8 PM on Sundays. They do offer delivery, through DoorDash as well.
6. Capital City Bakery
2211 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX
If you have ever had a hankering for vegan kolaches, Capital City is the place for you. It isn’t everyday that you can find good vegan kolaches. Vegan sausage, vegan ham, vegan cheese, vegan eggs, I could go on, but I think you get the gist. They are open 10 AM to 6 PM Thursday through Sunday, but they close the rest of the week. Delivery is not an option, but you can order in advance for pickup.
7. S H Donuts
5313 Manor Rd, Austin, TX
S H Donuts is just damn good. There isn’t really much to say. It’s simple. There is nothing incredibly unique here. Somehow, someway, S H has elevated their kolaches, which, by the way, are an absolute bargain. S H is open from 6 AM to 1 PM Tuesday through Sunday. Delivery is offered, and you can find them on Grubhub.
8. Round Rock Donuts
106 W Liberty Ave, Round Rock, TX
Round Rock Donuts needs no introduction. I know this article is about kolaches, but the first time I had a donut from Round Rock, it was enlightening. I didn’t know donuts could be so good. I had good donuts. I had bad donuts. I had never had anything even close to Round Rock. Their kolaches are no different. Ask almost anyone about their favorite kolaches in Austin and Round Rock Donuts is bound to make a cameo. It’s far, but it’s worth it. They are open from 4:30 AM to 6:30 PM all week long.