Buffalo Rising Online

Moving to a new city isn’t an easy thing. Opening a new business, particularly a restaurant, isn’t simple either. For Khondoker Karim and wife Selina Afroj, the undertaking of both ventures has proven to be worth the stress and aggravation.

The move to Buffalo from their former home on Long Island has provided them with opportunities they might not have otherwise had. Karim credits Buffalo’s economic climate with his ability to own three rental properties as well as the building within which their new restaurant is housed. “To open this place on Long Island would have cost us millions of dollars,” he told me.

Street Café and Halal Foods offers a unique menu and what Karim believes to be the only halal restaurant in the city. (Halal means “permissible” in Arabic, and pertains to foods that fall within Islamic dietary restrictions). The family’s commitment to their beliefs is evident in the posted prayer schedule, informing customers of the times throughout the d…