Houston breakfast, kolaches and bakeries

Breakfast in Houston means two traditions that sit side by side: the Czech kolache, a soft pastry filled with sausage, cheese or fruit, and the Tex-Mex breakfast taco. Both came north with immigrants, and both have been adopted by a city that likes to start the day early, before the humidity builds. We have eaten both in dozens of shops, bakeries and gas stations, and here is how to do it well.

What a kolache is

Czech settlers arrived in Texas in the nineteenth century and brought a sweet yeast dough pastry. In Texas the filled version, with sausage and jalapeno or cheese, became a savoury breakfast, while fruit and cream cheese versions stayed sweet. Houstonians distinguish a kolache, with fruit, from a klobasnek, which holds sausage, though most shops sell both under one name.

The dough should be pillowy and slightly sweet, and the best fillings are made on site rather than sealed in plastic. Try one of each style if you are curious, and eat them warm.

Where to find them

The Kolache Factory, a Houston chain that began here in the early 1980s, is the easy option, with branches across the suburbs and plenty of choice. For something more authentic, drive out to the Czech towns of Ellinger and West, where roadside bakeries have been making them for generations. Closer to the centre, bakeries in Houston Heights and Montrose often run out by midmorning.

Gas stations along the highways are an unlikely source of excellent kolaches, so do not dismiss them when driving to Galveston or Austin. The roadside Hruska's in Ellinger is famous among Texans for its rolls and its sausage kolaches.

Shipley Do-Nuts and the doughnut habit

Shipley Do-Nuts started in Houston in 1936 and its light, glazed rings are a local institution, sold in pink boxes at hundreds of shops across Texas. The small kolaches at Shipley are a Houston breakfast on the go, and we like to buy a dozen when travelling to an early start at Space Center Houston.

The glazed original is the classic order, but the jalapeno sausage kolache and the apple fritter are also popular with regulars. Buy extra, because the boxes empty quickly on a family outing.

Breakfast tacos and the Tex-Mex morning

A breakfast taco is a flour tortilla filled with egg, potato, bacon, chorizo, beans or cheese, wrapped in foil and handed over a counter. Taquerias east of downtown and in EaDo and the East End serve them with salsa that wakes you up faster than coffee. Order two or three, because they are small, and try a different filling each time.

Migas, scrambled eggs cooked with crisp tortilla strips, tomato and chilli, are a Texas favourite that suit a hungry traveller. Our Tex-Mex and Mexican guide explains more of the cooking behind them.

Bakeries and brunch

Common Bond Bakery and Cafe in Montrose offers excellent croissants, loaves and pastries, and its rustic space draws queues at weekends. For a more formal brunch, Brennan's of Houston in Midtown serves Creole classics such as turtle soup and eggs Sardou. Hugo's in Montrose runs a famous Sunday brunch buffet with Mexican dishes that fills a table within minutes.

Reservations are sensible for weekend brunch, and arriving before the rush of families and church crowds saves a long wait.

Planning your morning

Get out early, since mornings are the only comfortable time for outdoor plans in a Houston summer. Airport arrivals can fuel up on a kolache before taking a rideshare, as our airport guide explains. Pair breakfast with a coffee, and read our coffee and evenings guide to find the roasters that suit you.

Texans also love a long weekend breakfast, so allow time for a plate of eggs, grits and biscuits when you are not in a hurry.