Montreal’s only women’s sports bar Le Nadia shuts down over noise complaints, looks for new space
Posted May 11, 2026 12:36 pm.
Last Updated May 11, 2026 4:24 pm.
Montreal’s popular and only sports hub dedicated to women and families is looking for a new home after noise complaints forced it to shut down abruptly earlier this month.
After opening last December to much fanfare, Le Nadia Guinguette Sportif announced the closure of their location on Ontario Street East in Hochelaga on May 1.
“It happened super quick,” said Catherine D. Lapointe, co-founder of Le Nadia. “It’s because of administration things that we didn’t have any control over it.”
“We just (had) a few days to ask for advice of what’s that situation and we took the decision that was the best for the project, the mission and the community.”
The closure came even as the excitement around the Montreal Victoire’s chances at the Walter Cup and Habs fever have gripped the city.
Monday night the Victoire face Minnesota in a winner-take-all Game 5 with a spot in the Walter Cup Final on the line, exactly the kind of high-energy playoff moment that would likely have made Le Nadia one of the city’s busiest spots.
“People reach out for us like, ‘oh, do you know if there’s somewhere else, we can go?’” said Lapointe, adding they were trying to open a temporary space for the games, even as the search for a permanent location continues.
“For now, there’s kind of a grief around the fact that there’s no way where we can be together for a gather for a female sport.
“We could have pursued being there if we wanted to. But at the end, it’s just you choose where you put your energy. And for us, it’s just like, OK, we need to find a solution to be able to gather the community again.”
Lapointe pointed out that Le Nadia was always more than a bar.
“Le Nadia was operating under a restaurant licence, it was super family-oriented,” she explained. “There was a table for changing diapers, a children menu, we put so much energy in having non-alcoholic drinks… Because we didn’t want to reproduce what was under a sports bar.”
Lapointe said that despite their efforts to create an inclusive space and in getting the alcohol permits from the City, the noise complaints came anyway.
“We really worked in collaboration with the landlord to try to find a solution for the noise,” Lapointe explained. “It didn’t get through a solution in the end.”
In a statement to CityNews, Chantal Ganon, mayor of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, said, “Following compliance issues related to noise, the co-founders have decided to relocate their activities to another site. We will support them in their efforts to find a more suitable location.”
Lapointe says complying with the current noise bylaws would be near impossible, unless the borough made changes like the recent reforms announced by the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal.
“The only way to be sure that noise it’s not heard outside of walls would be to build a box in a box,” she said. “(The borough) understands that there’s something there, but when someone complains… they have to go because there’s a rule,” she said.
In the wake of the closure, the borough said it will revisit its bylaws.
“We are reviewing the noise bylaw to make it more flexible and better reflect the cultural vibrancy of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.”
Lapointe says she is encouraged by some of the new nightlife policies announced by the City last month.
“I think the city has a great vision of what will be next,” she said. “I think Article 9 doesn’t really work considering that there’s so many old buildings too.”
Neighbouring businesses say the loss of Le Nadia is already being felt.
“It’s really unfortunate,” said Fanny Lejeune, the manager of 3 Patapoufs. “We were surprised it had already closed because it had only been open a short time.”
“We had already built a really beautiful synergy between our businesses. Customers moved naturally between the two spaces. For me, it’s a huge loss,” added Marie-Christine Dubé, the owner of Boutique Raymond IV.
Dubé says not enough is being done to prevent such closures.
“You just have to walk down the avenue and look at all the vacant storefronts and struggling businesses,” she said.
“It was also a café-resto before this. So I really don’t see why this business was considered more disruptive than the one before.”
CityNews spoke to Montrealers who were also very disappointed to see Le Nadia shuttered.
“We’re sort of silencing the voices in Montreal that deserve it the most,” said Carlos Montenegro. “And I think it’s ultimately a shame. For the community, it’s really a loss, I would say.
“Places are being shut down. A lot of young people or even adults in general are finding difficult places to hang out or just to watch sports. And I guess this is a loss.”
“Things are disappearing more and more from neighbourhoods. I’m against that… noise is part of city life,” added Camille Beauséjour.
