"While the Big Kolache's kolaches are not much bigger, sizewise, than most others I've tasted, their flavor is huge. The fruit filling of this peach kolache isn't just jelly. It really is very peachy. A wonderful match for the soft, sweet dough in which it nestles. BTW, The Big Kolache does make coffee and espresso drinks -- essential kolache companions."
Michael Stern
"Elgin sausages are chewy and well-peppered, a drastic and delicious contrast to the soft kolache dough that envelops them. If you look very closely at the top of the pastry where I tore it open, you will see bits of jalapeno pepper, an option that gives this little snack a big kick."
Michael Stern
"So many apricot-filled Danish pastries are only barely fruity. Not this kolache. Its flavor is sunshine-bright, an eye-opener that begs to be accompanied by hot coffee."
Michael Stern
"So many of the great restaurants of central Texas exude old-time charm. Not the Big Kolache! But even if it looks like a thousand other strip-mall eateries, it is a great opportunity to taste a unique local specialty in myriad variations."
Michael Stern
"The 'and such' part of this menu remains to be tasted, but I can say that the pecan puffs looked mighty inviting."
Michael Stern
"The pecan puff is certainly the prettiest pastry in the case."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"We actually preferred the pecan puff to the kolaches. Part of that is probably due to our love of pecans. Also, the pastry seems less "white-bready" than the kolaches."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"What looks like about a couple hundred dollars worth of sevruga on this kolache is actually poppyseed filling."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"A sausage in a sweet roll. They call this Elgin sausage, and maybe it is, but these cured, pink sausages don't seem much like the sausages we tried in Elgin."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"A sausage & cheese kolache is a hot dog in sweet pastry dough. An interesting novelty."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"Spinach, mushrooms, and cheese fill this kolache."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
Nobody has Roadfood radar as sensitive as Jane. As we headed out of Austin early one morning, she called out "Big Kolache!" In a nondescript strip mall by the side of the road, to which I was completely oblivious, she had spotted a small storefront with a name that demanded attention. The kolache is a Czech-ancestored pastry that once was obscure but now is popular throughout central Texas. In its most typical form, it is like a Danish pastry made with sweet dough and a fruit or cream cheese filling. The Big Kolache serves the fruity ones, but also offers a repertoire of savories: kolaches filled with spinach and mushrooms, sausage or pepperoni, and a "ranchero" combo of ham and pepperjack cheese.
