DALLAS — Four years ago, Balkan chef Eddie Kola opened Eddie’s EuroMart in northeast Dallas.
Pretty soon, a 7-foot-3 customer started coming in. It was the Mavericks’ big man Boban Marjanović.
“How you not going to recognize the handsome tall guy?” Kola said, smiling. “We speak the same language. When he come, we have a lot of fun together, me and him.”
Kola even got a visit from another Maverick from Eastern Europe: Superstar guard Luka Doncic, who stopped by to eat with his girlfriend.
You may already be familiar with Kola’s Italian chain, Eddie’s Napoli’s. But four years ago, he wanted to do something different.
He decided to open Eddie’s EuroMart: The front half is a Balkan grocery store and the back half is a small restaurant with an open kitchen.
Kola imports spices, drinks, candy, and other goodies from Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia, Greece, and Albania. The treats are familiar to Marjanovic and Doncic, who are from Serbia and Slovenia in Eastern Europe.
“Nobody has this in Dallas, and I said, ‘Man we have to have something from our heart from Europe, have it here!'" Kola said.
He told WFAA that Marjanović has a sweet tooth and often comes in to buy chocolate covered banana treats.
“Boban came two weeks ago, and he just said, 'I want this, I want this, I want this,'” Kola said. “He filled up four bags of chocolates. I was laughing.”
Kola brought in three Bosnian women to help him make traditional dishes from the Balkan region, including cevapi, which is similar to American sausage, and burek, or dough that is stuffed with cheese or meat.
He’s honored that Doncic and Marjanović have made a point to visit his restaurant.
“They feel like they are home," Kola said, "but they’re in Dallas."
Eddie's EuroMart is located at 12243 Northwest Hwy #300, Dallas, TX 75228.