By Jade Mardirosian
Staff Writer
Drop whatever low-carb diet is the latest trend and head to downtown Waco for a doughy, buttery fix with handmade kolaches from Gerik’s Ole Czech Bakery & Deli.
These authentic Czech-style kolaches come in an assortment of flavors, including meat, cheese, and assorted fruits. Two flavors you can’t go wrong with are the link sausage and cheese, which has a nice kick, and the sausage, egg and cheese flavor, all breakfast staple foods wrapped in soft pastry dough.
Breakfast doesn’t stop with kolaches, as Gerik’s offers a variety of other pastries, including huge, soft and perfectly sweet cinnamon rolls. The perfect size to share, try a twist on this classic with flavors like chocolate chip and apple strudel.
Kolaches are priced between $1.60 for fruit to $1.85 for meat and cheese. Cinnamon rolls, depending on the flavor, run about $2.
The only disappointment about Gerik’s, located at 601 Franklin Ave., is that the restaurant does not bear the delicious and irresistible smell of fresh-baked pastries. Pastries aren’t made on location; they’re shipped in the early morning hours from the original Gerik’s in West to locations in downtown Waco and Woodway.
Gerik’s doesn’t close after breakfast. Customers eating in or taking food to go can choose from a wide range of lunch items.
It is hard to go wrong with the cheeseburger, a juicy, well-seasoned classic that is fully decked with lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, sandwiched between two fresh (though unfortunately not homemade) buns. Burgers go from $4.85 without cheese to $6.85 for a double cheeseburger or $5.95 for a bacon cheeseburger.
Crunchy, greasy homemade onion rings, priced at $3.95, complement burgers or sandwiches, including the sausage and kraut, a Czech staple priced at $7.25.
For a lighter option, try the grilled chicken salad for $7.25. It is a mix of fresh, crisp lettuce and vegetables piled up on the plate, topped with crunchy onions and assorted dressings.
Drinks include typical deli staples like fresh coffee, tea and sodas.
The portions at Gerik’s are large, much like the long floor to ceiling windows of the restaurant, which allow customers views of a slow-paced downtown.
It is almost impossible to leave hungry after enjoying breakfast or lunch.
Gerik’s, open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday (and closed on weekends), offers a variety of classic bakery and deli items, done right with fresh ingredients, plenty of mouthwatering butter, including bready ingredients, and is just a hop away from campus.
Reviews in the Lariat represent only the viewpoint of the reviewer and not necessarily those of the rest of the staff. Please send comments to lariat@baylor.edu.
