About Our Owners
Original owners, Rudolph and Albina (Dvoracek) Sulak, began with only $18.00 in capital. Hard work, good food, and a pleasant home-style atmosphere proved a successful combination, and it still holds true today.
In August of 2006, the café was purchased by the Jerry Mazanec family with the promise of continuing the same recipes in the same atmosphere. In order to preserve those recipes, Katherine (Shebesta) Vrba, granddaughter and long-time proprietor of Sulak’s, spent time reviewing each menu item and preparing them with Jerry in the Sulak’s kitchen. Jerry is only the fourth person to know the exact secret ingredients and recipes that makes Sulak’s such a time-tested tradition. Today, we thank Katherine - from our family to yours, for your faith in us. We are honored and will carry on the family traditions with the same convictions of 3 generations past.
About Our Restaurant
The cafe has gone through many changes over the past years. It has been in four different locations until 1931 when the firm was moved to its present site.
Still visited by all walks of life from all corners of the world, walk in the footsteps of famous Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer. Retired Capt. Hamer was hired as a Special Investigator for the Texas Prison system to track down gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. To the left is a copy of part of an expense account for the Bonnie and Clyde chase dated Feb 15-28, 1934. Hamer dined at Sulak's Cafe on Feb. 15th later ending the chase after only three short months on May 24, 1934.
In 1970, remodeling began on both the interior and exterior. The front of the building was finished in 1972 and gains much attention. The dark brown Swiss-chateau style front was put on the building to attract visitors.
Another change has been the expansion of the restaurant. In January 1987, a barbershop adjacent to Sulak's was removed and made into an extra eating area for the restaurant. Sam's Styling Shop is now a couple of doors down from the restaurant.
Through all these changes, the quality of the business has remained constant especially friendliness.
Although the restaurant was founded in 1923, it houses a 102-year-old bar, "it oldest bar in West." The bar was built as part of a saloon in the building 1887. During the prohibition, the saloon was turned into Popp's Grocery Store and the bar was pushed to the back, where it still is today.
