Beckim Demnika, 41, and Edona Banulla, 25, are opening Illyriano’s Middletown, an Italian restaurant, in the former Primo space at 6 S. Broad St.
Nick Graham – Photographer / Videographer
A local family is preparing to open an Italian restaurant in the former Primo space at 6 S. Broad St. in downtown Middletown.
Co-owners Edona Banulla, 25, and Beckim Demnika, 41, plan to open Illyriano’s Middletown within the next few months. The pair is awaiting approval of the restaurant’s liquor license before announcing an opening date.
“We’re just waiting for them,” Banulla said of the licensing process, adding that much of the preparation has focused on cleaning the space and getting the kitchen ready.
“The next week after they approve, we’ll have our soft opening,” she said.
Banulla has worked in the restaurant industry since she was 13, serving as a hostess, waitress and cook. In 2020, six months after graduating from high school, she and Demnika opened Verona’s Pizza in Bellbrook. They later sold that location, while Demnika continues to operate a second Verona’s location in Fairborn.
Though not blood-related, Banulla and Demnika are close family friends who refer to each other as cousins.
Demnika has worked in the restaurant industry for two decades. A native of Albania, he moved to the United States about 15 years ago and also helps operate Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen in Kettering and Jimmy’s Italian Cuisine & Bar in Dayton.
Banulla said she and Demnika had been searching for the right location for a new restaurant concept and saw an opportunity in downtown Middletown. Illyriano’s will be Banulla’s first sit-down, full-service restaurant.
The menu will include salads, appetizers, baked and sauteed pasta dishes, seafood entrees and desserts.
Appetizers priced from $8 to $15 will include garlic rolls, calamari and arancini, or fried Italian rice balls. Pasta offerings include baked ziti, manicotti and stuffed shells. Sauces like marsala and salerno will be served over linguine with a choice of chicken for $23 or veal for $26.
80 Acres Farms shutdown triggers wave of lawsuits
Though Banulla, Demnika and Banulla’s brother, Valdet, are Albanian, Banulla said many Italian restaurants throughout southwest Ohio are owned and operated by Albanian families.
“Our traditional food is very good, but it’s not a popular thing in Ohio,” Banulla said. “Everyone in Ohio loves Italian food.”
Seafood entrees will include a seafood trio featuring shrimp, clams and mussels, as well as shrimp scampi and lobster ravioli. Entrees will range from $15 to $28.
Dessert options will include tiramisu, cannoli, New York cheesecake, limoncello cake and chocolate cake.
The restaurant also will offer a children’s menu featuring ziti Alfredo, spaghetti marinara and chicken tenders, along with Coca-Cola products and, eventually, wine and cocktails.
A kids menu with ziti alfredo, spaghetti marinara and chicken tenders is available, along with Coke products and, eventually, wine and cocktails.
Banulla and Demnika developed the menu and will serve as chefs. Valdet Banulla also will work at the restaurant.
Banulla said she is most looking forward to meeting customers when the restaurant opens.
Trenton voters will decide on a data center ban: Election 2026Primo Middletown
The restaurant will occupy the space formerly home to Primo Middletown, which closed in 2025 amid allegations of financial mismanagement, including unpaid loans, bad checks and misuse of funds by the owner.
Primo received a more than $200,000 forgivable loan from the city in 2022 that helped pay for kitchen equipment and other improvements.
Following the restaurant’s closure, city officials said they remained committed to supporting an upscale dining destination downtown and would seek a new tenant for the space.
The city later approved a resolution in August 2025 accepting certain collateral from Primo Middletown LLC as full satisfaction of the debt.
According to a city spokesperson, Illyriano’s will lease the kitchen equipment from the city but is not receiving any city loan or other financial assistance.
The building is owned by Jay and Linda Moorman, owners of BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studio on Central Avenue. Banulla and Demnika signed a lease for the space in August.
