Whether customers choose a classic Italian lasagna or a Balkan staple like ćevapi, Dua Trattoria co-owner Nik Vllasaliu said they can expect high-quality ingredients at a very reasonable price.

Vllasaliu opened the Frisco restaurant in 2023 with his brothers and co-owners, Billy and Louie Vllasaliu.

On the menu

Nik Vllasaliu said their Italian dishes like lasagna and chicken parmesan are popular dishes however some unexpected options have made it into the top seller list.

Ćevapi is the top selling appetizer.


“Everybody says, ‘We've never had a sausage like this before.’ It is unmatched,’” Nik Vllasaliu said. “It's a family recipe of beef, veal and Mediterranean seasoning.”

Short rib ravioli, which is sautéed in Bernese, provincial and Marsala wine sauce, is a popular main dish.

“It's homemade and is not your normal ravioli where it's kind of flat—it's nice and chunky, almost like a 1940s top hat," Nik Vllasaliu said.

Rounding out the top three best selling items is Dua Trattoria’s branzino featuring roasted Mediterranean sea bass, lemon caper sauce, cherry tomatoes and potatoes.


“Branzino ... is very flaky and light—just the right dish that we need in this area where eight months out of the year it's 144 [degrees],” Nik Vllasaliu said.

What else?

Nik Vllasaliu described the ambiance as being “elegant without pretentiousness.”

Live music is offered most Wednesday and Saturday evenings.


Nik Vllasaliu encourages guests to follow Dua Trattoria’s social media pages for the latest updates on upcoming performances.

“I tend to have three to five artists in rotation and they all have their own style,” Nik Vllasaliu said. “The majority of the time it's a guitarist that's also singing multiple genres.”

What’s in a name?

Nik Vllasaliu said prior to opening the restaurant, he and Louie Vllasaliu chose the business name because Dua means ‘to love’ in Albanian and one of the meanings of ‘trattoria’ in Italian is ‘simple food.’


“Dua Trattoria means to love simple food,” Nik Vllasaliu said.