When trying to pinpoint world centers of Czech culture, one might be forgiven for overlooking the little town of West, Tx (pop. 2807). What one would also be is mistaken, at least if authentic delicious Czech cuisine is any indicator of culture.

Just an exit on the side of Interstate 35 to the unaware, the little town of West did gain some notoriety in 2013 for a fertilizer plant fire that killed twelve and injured 200 or more. This is how I learned about it, and also about the Little Czech Bakery.

The Czech Stop was, as I read, one of the businesses in West that stayed open throughout the disaster to serve up hot food and coffee to local residents who were able to use it as a meeting point to collect information and plan a response to the community’s needs.

Beyond just being delicious, with a wide selection of kolaches (pictured above) and kolbasnek (a sort of pin-in-blanket made with kolache dough), the Czech Stop and little Czech Bakery are clearly a company with a conscience as well. Just off the highway between Waco and Dallas, then, you can fill up with delicious baked goods and a tank full of gas while knowing you’re supporting a business that has the back of its community. Whats not to like?

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The Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery are most well known for their kolaches, but offer a huge range from czech favorite to sandwiches. The spicy sausage and cheese ‘klobasnik’ were particularly delicious. Czech Stop is 20 miles north of Waco and roughly 70 miles south of the Dallas/ Forth Worth area on Interstate 35. The Czech stop also acts a as gas station, so this makes a good break point for a one-stop between Austin and Dallas. 

Want to find other unusual gems in the DFW area? Check out this Offbeat Texas travel guide.