A section of a major Toronto street has been officially named Bangla Town to honour the vibrant Bangladeshi population that has long called it home. 

Bangla Town can be found on Danforth East between Main St. and Pharmacy Ave., where dozens of Bangladeshi-owned small businesses have staked their claim. 

While the south side of Danforth occupied by huge Metro and LA Fitness locations, the north is teeming with establishments offering a slice of home to the city's Bangladeshi population through imported products, traditional cuisine, and clothing. 

Community staples Ghoroaa and Makkah have long anchored the culinary scene in Bangla Town.

As the community grows, so too has the amount of restaurants in the neighbourhood. 

Woondall Restaurant only took up residence in Bangla Town this June, but it's already become a fan favourite. 

"Once lunch time starts, people keep coming until midnight, or even after," says Kawser Hamid, a community leader and local law clerk who is helping to translate for the restaurant's co-owners Tanvir Farazi and Kanan Ahmed. 

"When all the parties are done, [Woondall] is the place to be."

Farazi managed a restaurant for several years in Bangladesh before making the move to Toronto, and Ahmed has experience working at Elm St. staple Barberian's Steakhouse. 

Woondall Restaurant owners Kanan Ahmed (left) and Tanvir Farazi (right).

The pair credit part of their early success to their shorshe ilish.

Known for being one of the best Bengali dishes, the meal is made from fried hilsa (ilish) — the national fish of Bangladesh —  accented by mustard paste and green chilis.

Due to the expense of importing the ilish to Toronto, most other Bengali restaurants don't make it, but Farazi and Ahmed were determined to have it on the menu when they opened Woondall. 

"It's for our community. It's for whoever came from back home," said Farazi. "[Shorshe ilish] is our national food. We are adding value to another thing, even though we are making less profit."

Woondall is also known for their chicken chaap, beef tehari, and rui (fish) curry. 

If you're in the mood for dessert after your meal, Adi Bikrampur has you covered. 

The one-stop shop owned and operated by husband-wife duo Shadhan Ghosh and Ruma Paul sells anything from tea — Paul is dedicated to ensuring the malai chai is completely authentic — to snacks like samosas and sweets like gulab jamun and chom chom. 

Their expansive menu makes it tough to walk out of the store with just one item, as proven by the customer who went in "only for a tea" and left juggling brown paper bags filled with sweets. 

If there's a main attraction, though, it's the chicken rolls, which Hamid says he couldn't find for nearly an entire decade living in Toronto before Paul and Ghosh started making them.

Paul says that she prioritizes taking care of her customers over profiting financially. She's even elected to put a hand-written sign in the window informing passers-by that if they don't have any money, they can eat for free at Adi Bikrampur.

Nishita Farm Fresh and Sarker Foods are two of the Bangla Town grocers that provide the ingredients needed to make Bengali delicacies at home. 

Nishita owner Pathik Paul estimates that around 95 per cent of his products are imported from Bangladesh, with the rest coming mostly from India and Vietnam.

Nishita Farm Fresh owner, Pathik Paul.

He initially started his business in 2012 as a food importation service before opening the grocery store in 2015 to meet a growing demand for Bangladeshi products. 

His most popular items, he says, are masala, turmeric, and other spices from Radhuni, a popular Bangladeshi company that he says was scarce in Toronto before he started selling it. 

He also prides himself on carrying a wide selection of fish that locals use to make traditional Bengali dishes at home. 

On the retail side, Bridal Hub is one of the handful of Bangla Town businesses selling traditional Bangladeshi saree to locals. 

Red Hot Tandoori is another favourite in Bangla Town's quickly growing roster of restaurants. 

One of the neighbourhood's newer food spots, Dhaka Kebab, serves customers until 2 a.m.

Dozens of other Bangladeshi-owned companies are packed into office spaces in Bangla Town, with accountants, lawyers, tech shops, furniture stores, and money exchange services all operating in the same buildings. 

Hamid says that the city's decision to officially designate their neighbourhood as Bangla Town is significant because it draws awareness to the area for new Bangladeshi-Canadians.

"If you live right in Bangla Town, you can just walk to the store, buy some [Bengali groceries] and make dinner," he explains, adding that Bangla Town's centralization also helps people eat out, buy clothes, and send currency home to their families, among other things. 

"There are thousands of Bangladeshi people who are new immigrants. Bangla Town attracts those people," he explains.