Adi Bikrampur is a tiny restaurant in Bangla Town that specializes in South Asian snacks and desserts.

The place is small, even by the standards of the neighbourhood. A compact kitchen and a glass display case take up much of the space, leaving little room for visitors to stand.
Lines often extend onto the sidewalk, as the building is only big enough to accommodate two people at a time.

The rich blue sign above the door, which features the shop's stylized cow logo, seems to proclaim that the store has been operating since 1985. In truth, the Danforth storefront has only been around since 2019.

Shadhan Ghosh and Ruma Paul are the husband and wife team behind this venture.

The couple had previously operated out of a commissary in Scarborough, but moved their business to Bangla Town once the space became available.

Ruma acts as the chef, while Shadhan handles the managerial side of the business.

One thing that sets Adi Bikrampur apart from other sweet shops is its payment policy. A sun-bleached sign in the store's window announces that customers without any money are entitled to a free meal: all they have to do is ask.

Considering the wide variety of snacks up for grabs, visitors have a lot of freedom.

Ruma tells us that most customers begin with a cup of Malai Cha ($1). This traditional tea is simple yet comforting, with notes of cardamom and ginger, and pairs well with both sweet and savoury dishes.

Chicken Rolls ($2.50) are by far the most popular food item and it's not hard to see why. Of all the dishes I tried, this one was my favourite.

This long thin snack is ideal for eating on the go. If you can imagine a mozzarella stick filled with stewed chicken instead of cheese, you'll have a pretty good idea of what this dish tastes like.

Egg Chops ($2) are hard boiled eggs coated in crispy breadcrumbs and fried to golden perfection. The crunchy exterior and the soft, chewy interior make for an interesting texture contrast.Chicken Liver Singara ($2.50) are pyramid shaped pastries stuffed with vegetables and offal. Though the flaky crust is a crowd pleaser, the filling's strong flavour makes them a bit of an acquired taste.Other savoury pastries are fairly standard, though some, such as the Chicken Samosas ($2.50), are much larger than their pre-packaged counterparts.As for sweets, Golap Jamun ($3) are among the most sought after. These dark, oblong pastries have a mild, floral flavour, similar to rose petal jam.Cham Chams ($2.50) resemble lighter coloured versions of Golap Jamun, but their unique flavour — which contains hints of coconut and mawa — makes it difficult to confuse the two dishes.

Adi Bikrampur offers two types of roshogolla: small Adi Roshogolla ($1.50) and large Khir Roshogolla ($2.50), both made from chenna dough.Regardless of which one you choose, be sure to eat it with a spoon. Though these round dumplings are quite soft, they're also incredibly sticky, thanks to the sugary syrup that coats their surface.

Though their storefront is small, Adi Bikrampur's contribution to their neighbourhood community and culture is vast. 

Adi Bikrampur is located at 3000 Danforth Avenue.