Easy as Pie in Hico
The Koffee Kup serves up a hearty helping of Southern comfort
WHEN YOU think of famous and established restau-rants, the last thing that comes to mind is a small town’s roadside pit stop. Yet here, in a city with a population fewer than 1,500, is Hico’s very own Koffee Kup.
The family restaurant hides itself well, tucked away from major cities far along on Highway 281. However removed, the restaurant is certainly not short on character. From the moment you step inside the stone-covered build-ing, you’re surrounded by the sizzling sound of their “world famous” onion rings and the sweet smells of their signature burgers. It runs like a Southern diner, complete with a wide selection of menu items for all three meals.
Awards decorate the walls – accolades ranging from Hico Historic Preservation’s Heritage Award to a selection as one of Texas Monthly’s 40 Best Cafés. Dozens of salt shakers make for an entertaining view and fun conversation topic. By the time your food is ready, you’ll find yourself wondering why anyone would need a shaker in the shape of a kangaroo.
From its opening in 1968, Koffee Kup has served its community with a friendliness that can only come from a restaurant rooted in family values. The Koffee Kup was first purchased by Jack Allen in 1970 and then solely owned by his son Lynn, who added longtime employees and friends Irene Leach and Pat Johnson as his partners in 2010.
After Lynn lost his tight with cancer in early 2016, Irene and Pat became co-owners, devoted to preserving Koffee Kup’s rich history. Getting your fill of the Koffee Kup’s lengthy narrative and down-home friendliness is easy. They’re open seven days a week, have three separate dining areas and room for 116 hungry travelers and locals.
Koffee Kup’s menu has options varying from Southern-style comfort food to a fun spin on the classic Tex-Mex. They serve up dishes like chicken fried steak, fried pickles and even fried ham sandwiches.
Left Come for the world famous onion rings and specialty burgers. Right But leave room for dessert.
The most recommended items on the menu are the eight Signature Specialty Burgers, uniquely named after Lynn’s family members. Their most popular burger, the Scottster (named after one of Lynn’s sons, Scott), consists of a hearty burger topped with jalapeños and bacon. And while the Koffee Kup offers all kinds of hearty meals, they’re most famous for their desserts: their pies.
It’s hard to miss Koffee Kup’s motto, “Pie Fixes Everything,” nailed above the dessert case. Their pies are made fresh daily, mixing classic and unique flavors for fun combinations. One of the most pop-ular, the Doctor’s Office, consists of vanilla custard with coconut and a pecan topping.
The restaurants true specialty isn’t simply the icebox pies but the meringue topping that sits impressively upon them. The meringue, a delicate balance of light and sturdy, reaches almost four inches high. According to Leach, it took three years of researching and testing to achieve the level of perfection that graces these unique desserts. Koffee Kup meringue is an old secret family recipe, and their most popular to-go item is the stabilizer they sell in packets to try at home. The recipe includes a delicate mix of sugar, cream and (get this a form of seaweed from the banks of Australia.
Being on the crossroads of Highways 281 and 6 has made this small-town favorite the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal. Combine this with the quaint town of Hico, and you’ll be thankful you left the hustle and bustle of city life behind.
Hico is famous for many things, including their friendliness and lively downtown, but the star of Hico has always been the Koffee Kup. Serving their community for almost 50 years, Koffee Kup Family Restaurant proves that some things only get better with time.
