Mrakovic brings the finest Balkan food to Oakville

Meho Mrakovic and his family fled from the conflict in Sarajevo in 1994, finding refuge in Etobicoke. Meho began smoking meats from their little apartment, using recipes passed down by generations. Smoking is popular for preparing meats in the Balkans, a process that Meho introduced to Ontario.

A butcher by trade, his smoked meats sales became so strong that in 2003, he was able to open a shop, aptly naming it Mrakovic Fine Foods. Family-owned and operated, Meho then used the building's 3,000-square-foot basement to prepare the meats.

Growth in the business necessitated the need for expansion, and in 2019 the family opened a state-of-the-art facility for their meat production, now servicing two locations. 

Under the tutelage and time spent helping their parents, Adis and Amir Mrakovic stepped out, opening a the family's second location in Oakville on Sept. 11. 

The huge space includes a butcher counter, a wall of freshly baked bread, a hot food section displaying foods like homemade soups, cabbage rolls, roasted potatoes and lamb, and a grill where they can cook up some ever-popular cevapi or a Big Balkan Burger.

Also, there is a dedicated section for burek, which I liken to spanakopita, made of cheese, apple, spinach, potato, or meat. 

As you enter, there’s a station of JOY gelato. Ontario-sourced meat from the butcher counter can be grilled upon request. Of course, there is a dedicated counter of smoked meats, which includes, among other items, their signature sudzuk. Or you can select a traditional Balkan pizza topped with cevapi or sudzuk. 

Unfamiliar with some of these tasty items, no problem; they offer samples.

The shop stocks rows of European food items. Mrakovic packages their own products like Ajvar, bread, beef salami, and an extensive line of frozen foods, complete with their popular cevapi and more!

"Cevapi is the most common food back home," Adis explains. "The streets are lined with cevapi shops, side by side. The shop owners choose to only sell this one food, no other accompaniments or other meats. It is such a coveted food to prepare that families have competitions to be judged as having the best. 

This is so well known amongst the Balkan community that Bosnian Director/Producer Danis Tanovic wrote and directed a 2021 comedy about just that, called a Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair." English subtitles, sadly not included.

Adis and Amir accelerated the business when they stepped into their legacy by marketing Mrakovic as a brand and distributing frozen meats, as well as packaged loaves of bread, sliced meats and prepared foods now found in No Frills, Loblaws and more than 200 independent grocers.

Supermarkets in most of Southern Ontario, from Ottawa west to London, carry Mrakovic Balkan foods.

The brothers also recently secured a three-year contract with Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton for the opportunity to showcase their product before and after football games, as well in the beer garden and private boxes.

Adis shares, "We chose Oakville as our new location not only because the town is central to Halton and Hamilton, but also because Oakville is a growing community. We wanted to be part of that growth." The Mrakovic brothers have quickly integrated themselves into the neighbourhood by sponsoring the Oakville Soccer Club. 

The space at Dorval Crossing Mall includes both indoor and outdoor seating. Why not drop in for lunch?