Trendy Restobar Shuttered After $11K in Food Safety Fines
Downtown Montreal's 5 Senses accumulated violations for contamination and operating without valid permit before closing permanently.
5 Senses, a downtown restobar at 292 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest that served everything from smoked meat to cocktails, has permanently closed—but not before racking up $11,000 in fines from MAPAQ (Quebec's agriculture and food safety ministry) in just three months.
The violations tell a troubling story. On November 7, 2024, inspectors found the restaurant operating without a valid permit ($5,000 fine) and discovered the premises weren't free of contaminants, including insects, rodents, or their waste ($3,700). Five weeks later, a follow-up inspection found the same contamination problem again ($2,300).
According to provincial food safety registry records, those three violations represent only the most recent chapter. Going back to August 2023, 5 Senses had accumulated a total of $15,300 in fines—including earlier violations for improper temperature control and contamination. There's a lag between when violations occur and when judgments are published; the most recent fines were issued in May 2026 for infractions dating to late 2024.
Google Maps now lists the restaurant as permanently closed, and MAPAQ records confirm the operator has ceased operations. On Google, the restobar held a 3.8-star rating across 750+ reviews, with early praise for atmosphere giving way in recent reviews to complaints about quality decline following an ownership change, overpricing, and stale food. The pattern suggests the food safety issues weren't sudden—they reflected a business in decline.