Kolache Republic brings Czech-inspired sweets to Columbus

• As the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in the kolache: "A Czech pastry made of slightly sweet dough baked with a variety of fruit, nut, sweet cheese and meat fillings."
• Kolache Republic operates out of the Daily Growler space, and is open for the breakfast crowd far earlier than beer starts pouring.

The big picture: Owners were shocked at Columbus' lack of kolache when they moved from Texas, and were inspired by a family member's kolache shop in Caldwell, Texas — "The Kolache Capital of Texas."

• Texas has the largest Czech American population in the country.

The menu: It starts with the kolache, which is always offered in signature sweet cheese and blueberry sweet cheese flavors, along with a few seasonal options.

• You can also order a variety of breakfast sandwiches, ranging from sausage, egg and cheese to kielbasa, cheese and jalapeño.
• They also offer breakfast tacos on Fridays and cinnamon rolls on Saturdays.

What I ate: All of the kolaches!

• I tried the two standard options, along with winter seasonal raspberry vanilla bean, almond butter puppy chow and chocolate candied pistachio (all $2 apiece).
• I also snagged a chimichurri cheesesteak taco ($4).

Best bites: I enjoyed each kolache flavor, but was partial to the seasonal options. The almond butter puppy chow and raspberry vanilla were incredible.

• I've got to go back for the savory breakfast sandwiches.

💭 Final thoughts: In a one-off taste test, the wilder flavors shined.

• But if you're regularly stopping in to snag a cheap breakfast with coffee, I could understand defaulting to the simpler sweet cheese.

📍 Stop by: 7am-1pm Wednesday-Friday, 8am-1pm Saturday, 9am-1pm Sunday, 702 S. High St. Menu.

🌎 Worthy of your time: This trip was part of our Eating Around the World series. Check out the other international foods we've mapped so far.