PLAINFIELD TWP., Pa. – A prime destination for pizza, pasta and other Italian favorites is almost ready to welcome customers in Northampton County.
Prime Pizzeria & Restaurant, a family-owned and -operated pizzeria and restaurant, is set to open Monday, Oct. 9, at 6221 Sullivan Trail in Plainfield Township.
The building previously housed another restaurant, Three Brothers Pizza.
Husband and wife owners Lavdim and Samantha Krasniqi recently purchased the property and overhauled it with new HVAC equipment, kitchen appliances, landscaping, paved parking lots and more.
Bangor area artist Terri Palmer painted wall murals, including a floor-to-ceiling photo op featuring pizza wings.
“We want this to be a fun, family-oriented restaurant where everyone in the community feels comfortable and enjoys great, homemade food,” Samantha said. “Next year, we’re hoping to install an outdoor dining area and playground.”
The full-service restaurant, with seating for around 120 diners at booths and tables with chairs, will serve appetizers such as bruschetta, chicken wings, fried ravioli and mussels marinara; sandwiches such as beef or chicken cheesesteaks, sausage and peppers, Cali chicken cutlets and burgers; baked dishes such as eggplant rollatini, manicotti, meat lasagna and stuffed shells; and entrees such as chicken parmigiana, veal parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana and chicken viora (chicken parmigiana with eggplant ricotta topped with cheese and tomato).
New York-style pizza, available by the slice or as a 12-, 14- or 16-inch pie, will be available with your choice of more than 15 toppings, including fresh garlic, meatballs, mushrooms, hot peppers, bacon and anchovies.
A small, 12-inch pizza will start at $11.
Nearly two dozen specialty pizzas, available in 14- and 16-inch sizes and starting at $14, will include varieties such as baked ziti, Buffalo or barbecue chicken, penne ala vodka, Philly cheesesteak, garlic knot crust, upside down, grandma, vegan and stuffed (pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms and peppers).
Sicilian pizza will also be available.
Pasta dishes (choice of penne or spaghetti) will include options such as alfredo, Bolognese, carbonara and creamy pesto. Customers will be able to add meatball, sausage, chicken or shrimp to any pasta dish, which will be served with salad and bread.
Other menu highlights will include a variety of soups, salads, wraps, calzones, stromboli and desserts.
“We’re very excited,” Samantha said. “We’re going to have delicious food, made fresh daily with premium ingredients.”
Before deciding to open Prime Pizzeria, Lavdim was partnering with his brother for about five years to run another restaurant, Brothers Pizzeria, which remains open and has a strong following in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County.
Lavdim’s foray into the restaurant business goes back even further, though, as he grew up in his father’s nearly 20-year-old restaurant, Johnnie’s Italian Restaurant & Pizza, just south of Bangor in Washington Township, Northampton County.
Lavidim’s other relatives also operate local Italian eateries, including Benny’s Pizza in Jackson Township, Monroe County; Benny’s II Pizzeria in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County; and Mount Bethel Pizza in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County.
“When a new pizzeria is coming into town, a lot of people think, ‘Oh, just another one that’s going to take a swing at it,'” Samantha said. “But my husband has been doing this since he was 12 years old with his dad at his pizza shop, and then he had Brothers Pizzeria with his brother for five years. So, he knows the restaurant business like the back of his hand, and it’s always been his dream to own and operate his own restaurant.”
Prime Pizzeria, also offering catering and takeout, will operate 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. Free delivery, with orders of $30 or more, will be available within a 10-minute radius of the restaurant.
For the latest Prime Pizzeria happenings, follow the business’ Facebook page or call (610) 881-4112.