A popular Montreal bagel shop has been slapped with more than $3,000 in fines this year after Quebec's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) flagged multiple violations tied to hygiene and cleanliness.
According to MAPAQ records, Bagel St-Henri, located at 4354 Saint-Antoine Ouest, received two fines following inspections carried out in March 2024. The Montreal municipal court handed down judgments on September 5, 2025, totalling $3,500 in penalties.
Inspectors noted issues ranging from the presence of pests or contaminants to premises that failed to meet basic sanitary standards.
What MAPAQ found
- March 27, 2024 inspection: The business was fined $2,000 after inspectors reported that the site must be free of animals, including insects and rodents, and any droppings.
- During the same inspection, a second fine of $1,500 was issued for failing to keep equipment, utensils, and sanitary facilities properly clean.
Despite the fines, Bagel St-Henri, which serves a variety of pastries and meals, remains one of the highest-rated bagel shops in Montreal. On Google, it holds a 4.8-star average with more than 400 reviews. For the record, that's higher than both St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel, which each sit at 4.6 stars but with far more reviews in the thousands.
Most of Bagel St-Henri's ratings are glowing, praising the quality of the bagels and the cozy neighbourhood vibe. But not everyone agrees. A handful of reviewers have left scathing one-star accounts echoing the kinds of problems noted in MAPAQ's reports:
- "The food is improperly stored with no dates marked on anything. There is grease everywhere. His baking trays are 'cleaned' every few months. There's mould in the fridges (...) It is cleaner to eat in the 20-foot deep construction hole in the street in front of the resto than inside."
- "Very dirty place, poorly maintained, crumbs everywhere on the tables and floor. The food, let’s say it's 'okay,' but the muffins are industrial, and the ham is not good. I asked for a hot chocolate, I got brown water with cold foam on top. Undrinkable, I had a stomachache!"
- "We found the place dirty, stinking of grease (...) We sat down, but we left immediately because the smell was so overwhelming. Do people really eat there???"
Is it safe to eat there?
Bagel St-Henri is not the only bagel spot to be penalized by MAPAQ in recent months. Both Brossard Bagel and Cote St-Luc Bagel have had to pay thousands in fines this year.
MAPAQ notes that if a restaurant remains open, it means corrective measures have been taken and follow-up inspections are carried out to ensure standards are respected. Temporary closures are only ordered when there's an immediate risk to public health.
Bagel St-Henri continues to operate, but its recent history of fines shows that even top-rated eateries can find themselves under the microscope.
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