A popular all-women’s sports bar in Hochelaga that opened this past December, Le Nadia, closed down last week allegedly due to administrative issues outside the owners’ control.
The pub on Ontario St. E. was among the first of its kind, exclusively broadcasting women’s sports. Its owners and founders recognized the growing fan base for professional women’s sports and a lack of public places to watch them in public, namely the Montreal Roses soccer team and Montreal Victoire hockey team.
Le Nadia closed May 1 after a five-month run due to “administrative reasons,” said co-owner and founder Catherine D. Lapointe.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm, and the project is going really well. It’s really due to circumstances beyond our control that we can’t continue our activities at this location,” she said in an interview.
Asked if the closure was related to noise complaints or issues with neighbours or permits, Lapointe said she wouldn’t specify, noting it was a “complex situation that was jeopardizing business operations.”
“I’m not in a position to answer. I can beat around the bush for a long time, but I can’t give a clear answer,” she said, noting the permits were all legal and up to code.
Le Nadia had no shortage of business, and Lapointe said the closure was completely unrelated to financial issues.
During the Winter Olympics and every major Professional Women’s Hockey League and Northern Super League soccer game, Lapointe said the pub overflowed with customers.
“It’s a good problem to have that the venue was at capacity for every event,” she said.
Jessica Reardon, left, and Olivia Handspiker chat while watching Canada women’s Olympic hockey game against the United States at Le Nadia bar on Feb. 10, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
Le Nadia owners are looking at other spaces they could potentially move to, and are hoping to reopen this fall. They’ll be able to move furniture and certain interior fixtures, but Lapointe said the sunk cost of painting, repairing and setting up the original location is in the thousands.
“A repainted wall, a repaired wall, doesn’t move,” she pointed out.
She assured it’s a priority to stay in the neighbourhood of Hochelaga if possible, where Le Nadia has built a local community, noting that available and appropriate commercial spaces are limited.
Borough mayor of Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Chantal Gagnon, promised to support Le Nadia in their efforts to find a more suitable location.
“Le Nadia is an important institution for the promotion of women’s sports. Following compliance issues related to noise, the co-founders have decided to relocate their activities to another site,” representatives for Gagnon wrote in an email statement. “In parallel, we are reviewing the noise bylaw to make it more flexible and better reflect the cultural vibrancy of MHM.”
One silver lining of the move is it will give the pub an opportunity to find a location with a bigger capacity to meet its intense demand. The capacity at the original location was 75, according to Lapointe, but she hopes the new location can accommodate 100 to 150.
“It will allow us to take another look at the parameters, the non-negotiables, and then settle into a space that better meets the community’s needs.”
Leora Schertzer is a reporter at the Montreal Gazette who thrives on the chase. Whether it’s producing a documentary about sewage or investigating a Nazi gold scandal, it’s the novelty and adrenaline that keep her in this challenging industry. Send her tips at lschertzer@postmedia.com.
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