Everybody Came to Tana's: An American Dream Come True

The Remarkable True Story of Dan Tana

Serbian immigrant, soccer star, legendary Hollywood restaurateur, Dan Tana called himself the luckiest man alive, and lived as if it were true.

Born in wartime Yugoslavia, Dan survived bombings, displacement, and the long shadows of World War II before fleeing as a teenage soccer prodigy in search of a future. What followed reads like a modern American myth: a refugee who became a European football star, an actor, a film producer, an unlikely companion of Frank Sinatra, James Dean, and other Hollywood immortals, and the founder of one of Hollywood's most beloved institutions.

When Dan Tana's opened in 1964, it became more than a restaurant. It became a second home. Lew Wasserman, Fred Astaire, and John Wayne were regulars. Jack Nicholson, Linda Ronstadt, and Barbra Streisand passed through its red booths. Bobby Fischer was snuck in, Wilt Chamberlain towered over the room, Harry Dean Stanton basically lived at the bar, and generations of artists, athletes, and legends gathered not for spectacle--but for belonging. George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joni Mitchell, Magic Johnson--the names span eras, but the feeling never changed.

Told in Dan's warm, unassuming voice, Everybody Came to Tana's is as much about people as it is about fame. It's a story of friendship, loyalty, resilience, and gratitude. Of a man who crossed continents, survived history, and built a life that welcomed the world.

At once an immigrant's journey, a love letter to Hollywood, a devotion to sport, and a portrait of a singular "lucky" life, Everybody Came to Tana's captures a spirit that cannot be replicated--only remembered and enjoyed.

Author: Dan Tana
Publisher: Radius Book Group
Published: 07/07/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9798895151099

About the Author
Dan Tana was a restaurateur, professional soccer player, international soccer executive, film producer, and one of Hollywood's legendary hosts--a true citizen of the world.

Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, he survived World War II before crossing Europe as a teenage soccer prodigy and finding his way to Hollywood. In the 1950s and '60s, he acted in films alongside Robert Mitchum and Glenn Ford and moved easily among figures such as Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood, and the Kennedys.

In 1964, while helping pioneer professional soccer in the United States, he opened Dan Tana's in Los Angeles, which became an enduring gathering place for artists, athletes, and cultural icons--so woven into the city's fabric that journalists likened it to palm trees and the Hollywood sign. In 1975, he became chairman of Brentford FC in the UK. In 2000, he joined the board of Red Star Belgrade, the club he had played for as a teenager.

Married twice, he was the father of two daughters, film producer Gabrielle Tana and designer Katerina Tana. Dan passed away, at age ninety, three months after completing Everybody Came to Tana's.