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When Mohamed Siraj Salahudeen started Salah’s Halal Food he knew he wanted to honor his father, Salah, who passed away last October.
He succeeded in paying tribute with the opening of his first location at 103 West Main Street in East Islip.
Fast-forward almost a year later, he is about to debut his second spot at 95 Commack Road in Commack this weekend, where he has already been met with community support.
“This is my neighborhood, this is where I live, so I am a local guy,” he said.
The halal joint is taking over the space that was occupied by Commack Breakfast for over 60 years (a place locals fondly remember as the spot for $1.25 egg sandwiches and a juice).
Salah’s Halal Commack is almost identical to the East Islip location with its vibrant, motorcycle-themed décor and menu which includes a variety of sandwiches and other traditional, halal dishes.
For those not familiar with halal, it means the food as prepared must follow the guidelines of Islamic law.
Salahudeen is an avid motorcyclist, so each sandwich will be named after a motorcycle as a nod to his hobby, as well as the motorcycle groups he is a part of.
Like Super Glide from Harley-Davidson, which would include halal bacon, grilled chicken, and other fixings.
Although similar to the original location, Salahudeen says there are a couple of unique additions to this new store.
As a nod to the previous, longtime business, Salahudeen is offering breakfast at the Commack location.
There is also an open-kitchen concept so people can see their food being prepared, as well as shawarma, a process where fresh meat is stacked and sliced on a slow-turning vertical rotisserie.
“My customers want to see what we are doing here and for them, as soon as they order something they can see they are getting everything fresh,” the owner said.
Salahudeen says so far during their soft opening period, customers have been stopping by frequently and many are drawn in by the eye-catching sign.
“My daughter goes to school in the area, and the bus drives by and she goes ‘dad, your sign is popping,'” he laughed.
The grand opening is this Sunday at 12 p.m. at the Commack location, where there will be a motorcycle parade of led by Salahudeen’s fellow motorcyclists.
Scroll down for photos of Salah’s Halal Commack and check out our previous greaterbayshore.com coverage below for more about Salah’s Halal Food.
Previous coverage:
Top: Owner Mohamed Siraj Salahudeenwith one of his motorcycles inside his Commack store.
