Padma Restaurant is one of the newest Bangladeshi restaurants in Bangla Town near Danforth and Victoria Park, and they're seeking to set themselves apart.

With unique features like robotic servers and a flashy interior, you'll find more to take in than just their food.

This spacious restaurant — the former site of a carpet store — has a muted palette, accented with eye-catching colours.

Bright orange chairs, sky blue ceilings and glittering golden decorations all add personality to the otherwise understated venue.

During their busy periods, Padma employs charming and handy robotic service stations to ensure their heaping plates arrive at your table promptly. 

These pillar-shaped robots — essentially roombas carrying tiered serving trays — glide up and down the aisles, announcing their presence in cheerful synthesized voices.

Co-owner Rafiq Islam emphasizes that these robots are not intended to replace regular employees, but to supplement the workforce and entertain guests.

Rafiq and his partner opened Padma in December of 2023.

Prior to working in the restaurant industry, Rafiq had been the manager of several major grocery stores, including Marhaba Supermarket and Red Rose Halal Meats.

Though many of the skills he learned while overseeing these businesses have helped him at Padma, he tells us that restaurant work is a different beast entirely.

Nevertheless, Rafiq and company have created a pleasant environment to partake in a variety of dishes.

Padma's menu is quite extensive, showcasing flavours from both North and South Bangladesh.

Fuchka ($8.99) is a Bengali appetizer, similar to Indian panipuri. These deep-fried snacks are filled with spiced potatoes and chickpeas and garnished with shredded carrots and cilantro.Biye Bari Chicken Roast ($12.99) is a creamy dish, topped with white onion gravy and garam masala.

This meal pairs perfectly with pilau and naan, which sop up the sweet, tangy sauce. It's for this reason that both dishes are served on the side.

Pilau and naan can also be purchased separately, for $5.99 and $1.99, respectively.Chicken Biryani ($10.99) consists of basmati rice, fried onions, cilantro and, of course, chicken. Beef Kacchi ($17.99) also makes use of basmati rice, but trades the chicken for bone-in beef.

These chunks of meat, which are marinated in yogurt and saffron, are hidden under a layer of rice and potatoes. A single piece of meat rests on top, hinting at the flavours waiting beneath the surface.

Beef Taheri ($12.99) is a colourful, veggie-forward dish served on a plate of equally colourful rice.

Though boneless beef is this dish's main source of protein, it's easy to forget while sifting through mounds of green chillies, red tomatoes, vibrant mint sprigs and grains of yellow pilau rice.

Beef Khichuri ($15.99) is another rice dish, this time made with beef, lentils and turmeric. A hard boiled egg is served alongside the meat and veggies, giving the meal a slightly different texture.

My personal favourite drink was the Lime Sharbat ($3.99), a South Asian variation on lime cordial, made from lime juice, cumin powder and saffron threads.

Borhani ($6.99) is a unique yogurt-based drink, seasoned with a variety of interesting ingredients.

Sweet mint, sugar and ginger are mixed with pepper, mustard, cumin and green chillies, creating a beverage that's equal parts sweet and spicy.

I was worried that I wouldn't like this drink at first, since it was made with items that I normally use as condiments. To my surprise (and relief), the drink went down easily and had a smooth, balanced taste.

It's a great example of how, despite being amidst several Bangladeshi spots, Padma is offering up a new and different experience for everyone.
Padma Restaurant is located at 3020 Danforth Avenue.