Afghan restaurant Ariana closes in Huntington
Nazifa Kakar Rahimi, left, and and her late husband, Ahmadali Rahimi, at their Afghan restaurant, Ariana, in Huntington, on Dec. 27, 2013. Credit: Jeremy Bales
Ariana, one of Long Island’s first Afghan restaurants, has closed. Originally founded in 1990 in Commack’s Peppertree Commons shopping center, it moved to a prime spot on Main Street in Huntington in 1995.
Two years ago, the restaurant suffered a setback when founder Ahmadali Rahimi died of mesothelioma. But his wife and partner, Nazifa Kakar Rahimi, took the reins, pledging, “All the recipes, we made together. We want Ariana to continue the way it is.”
Last year, Rahimi updated the dining room, installed a full-size bar and added a roster of burgers to the menu. But when she received an offer to sell the business earlier this summer, she took it. “It took me a month to decide,” she said. “But the restaurant was six days a week, 11 hours a day. I was tired, and I wanted to pursue other projects.”
Rahimi said that the new tenant plans to open a Thai restaurant.
