Drive Highway 71 between Austin and Houston often enough and you’ll start to recognize the landmarks: the river crossings, the pastures, the courthouse dome in La Grange. In the tiny Fayette County community of Ellinger, one of those landmarks is a family-run store with gas pumps out front and trays of kolaches inside. Hruška’s has been feeding travelers on this road for generations, and for many families it’s simply where the trip pauses.
Ellinger sits right on Highway 71, roughly halfway between Austin and Houston, about an hour and 15 minutes from each. Columbus is about 15 minutes east and La Grange about 15 minutes west.
A family business with deep roots
Hruška’s Store & Bakery says it has been family owned and operated since 1912. The Czech name fits the area: Ellinger and the surrounding towns were settled largely by Czech and German families, and the kolache, a soft yeast pastry with a fruit or cheese filling, came along with them. Today the place is part bakery, part grill, part country store and part fuel stop, all under one roof.
What to order from the bakery case
Kolaches are the headliner. Hruška’s advertises 16 varieties, so expect a range of fruit and cream cheese fillings alongside traditional options like poppy seed. The bakery also makes the savory sausage rolls Texans tend to call kolaches too (pigs in a blanket, or klobasniky if you want to be precise), plus cinnamon rolls, sweet rolls, bread and cookies.
A few tips for the bakery side:
- Go early for the best selection. Popular flavors can run low later in the day, especially on holiday weekends.
- Buy a dozen for the road, or for the office. Kolaches travel well in the box.
- If you need a big order, call ahead at (979) 378-2333. The bakery invites customers to order in advance.
Don’t skip the grill
Hruška’s isn’t just a pastry stop. The grill turns out burgers, and the store’s website notes that its cheeseburger has been recognized by Texas Monthly among the best in the state. That makes it a handy choice when you want a real lunch instead of a sugar rush. The grill also handles breakfast, which is a big deal for early-morning drivers heading to the coast or back to the city.
Stock up on country-store goods
Before you head back to the car, browse the shelves. Hruška’s carries jars of fruit preserves and fruit butters, pickles, relishes, salsas and sauces, along with gifts, snacks and drinks. It’s a good place to grab a jar of something homemade-tasting for whoever’s watching the dog back home.
A quick word on kolache etiquette
If you grew up in Houston or Dallas, you may call anything in a bakery case a kolache. Around Fayette County, folks tend to keep the old distinction: a true kolache is the round, sweet pastry with a pocket of fruit, cheese or poppy seed in the middle, while the sausage-stuffed roll is a klobasnek, or simply a pig in a blanket. Nobody at the counter is going to fuss either way, but ordering one of each is the easiest way to see why both have such a following. Fruit flavors pair well with a cup of coffee on a cool morning; the sausage rolls hold up better if you’re eating in the car.
Making it part of a Highway 71 road trip
Because Ellinger is so small, Hruška’s works best as a stop on a bigger drive. Head east and you’ll reach Columbus and its handsome courthouse square in about 15 minutes. Head west and La Grange, with its own kolache bakeries and the bluff-top Monument Hill State Historic Site, is about the same distance. If you’re turning the trip into a kolache crawl across Central Texas, our guide to the Czech Stop in West covers another classic on the I-35 side of the state.
One more practical note: Hruška’s is a working highway stop, so the lot can get busy on Friday afternoons and holiday weekends when Austin and Houston folks head for the coast or the lake. A little patience at the counter goes a long way, y’all.
Good to Know
- Where: 109 W. State Hwy 71, Ellinger, TX 78938
- Phone: (979) 378-2333 (call ahead for large orders)
- Hours: The store’s website doesn’t post hours; call ahead or check its official Facebook page before a special trip.
- What to get: Kolaches (16 varieties), sausage rolls, cinnamon rolls, a grill cheeseburger and jarred preserves
- Drive time: About 1 hour 15 minutes from Austin or Houston; about 15 minutes from La Grange or Columbus
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the Hruška’s website before you head out.
Some road-trip stops are just about gas and a restroom. Hruška’s is the kind you plan around, a family place on Highway 71 where a warm kolache and a good burger make the drive feel a little shorter.
Featured photo: Djmaschek via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
