Toronto public health officers have ordered the closure of a Chinatown restaurant after rats were seen scampering in the window on Spadina Avenue.

A passerby tries to get a better look inside the restaurant where the rats were seen. (Lisa Bruni/CBC)The images were captured by a passerby and quickly made their way onto the internet.

The Happy Seven Restaurant was not open at the time and attempts by CBC News to reach the owner have not been successful.

Shockingly, one of the images posted on the internet captures the image of rat alongside one of the city's public health signs showing the restaurant had passed an inspection on Oct. 2.

In July, members of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area (CBIA) took steps to try and eliminate the infestation problem in the neighbourhood.

Business owners were worried that their area, hugely popular with tourists, was suffering from an image problem — including rats.

The restaurant passed an inspection by city health inspectors earlier in October. (Lisa Bruni/CBC)For years, people at the fruit stands, grocery stores and restaurants that give the shops on and around Spadina Avenue such character have heard complaints about dirty streets, rotting garbage and bad smells.

Owners have taken steps to clean up the image: every night garbage is put into bins and bags with the cardboard boxes neatly folded and left out for pickup. Every night, many of the merchants hose down the sidewalks.

But Stephen Chan, chair of the CBIA, has said in the past that there's no getting around it — where there's food, there are rats.

"Chinatown is actually not that dirty. It's a high-traffic area. I feel we're being identified as not clean in this area," said Chan.

Another complaint voiced by many restaurant owners is the lack of garbage collection by the city.

They say having garbage picked up only twice a week isn't enough.

In July, a pest control company was hired to install rat traps in Chinatown's back alleys.