Header: Ivan Avdeenko / Retouch Andrew Shurpenkov
Gongu Izakaya is a Japanese-inspired restaurant in Old Riga, Latvia, designed by Tdot.Design with Liubov Tuzovska as lead designer. The restaurant, which covers an entire three-storey historic building, recently received the “Interior Design of the Year – Eating Space” award at the LIV Hospitality Design Awards.
Bringing Japan to Old Riga
The clients were looking to bring a “modern interpretation of Japanese dining culture” into an 18th-century building in central Riga, but never intended to replace everything that made the space unique. Its brick walls, vaults and arches were, therefore, protected, with no structural changes having been allowed and only very limited work permitted to the walls.
In this building, masonry is what defines each room. Brick vaults and arches lead guests from one space to the next, and they also break the restaurant into smaller areas without the need for heavy new partitions. Japanese references appear through form, proportion and detail: timber grids dress the rooms while shoji-inspired screens filter the light, and portals loosely based on torii gates welcome guests to each space.
The main elements of Gongu Izakaya
A large communal table was placed atop tiled flooring, introducing the “shared dining” format seen in Japanese social eating that isn’t at all common in this Baltic region. Around it, the heavy brick of the building is balanced by dark walnut, terracotta tones, sand-coloured surfaces, soft pink copper, deep green accents, marble and natural fabrics.
The open kitchen supports the izakaya idea of visible, informal dining, where food preparation is part of the experience. Bringing this idea further are the two open-space bars, a banquet area, a DJ booth on the second level and a terrace with views towards Riga’s Old Town and the Daugava River.
Near the entrance, a 1.5-metre copper gong, sourced in Bali and transported to Riga, welcomes guests. It quickly became the symbolic centre of the restaurant and later influenced the name, Gongu Izakaya.
Custom materials and lighting
The first level combines historic brick with Japanese painting, with the wall murals having been hand-painted in monochrome watercolour using an etching-like technique loosely connected to traditional Oriental painting. Feminine silhouettes appear in the artwork, acting as a soft contrast to the brick, metal and dark timber.
Decorative lighting above the large round tables was custom-made, while some wall luminaires include dragon-plate details produced through traditional casting techniques. In the banquet area, ceiling fixtures bring guests back into traditional Japanese homes, while the restrooms use fabric-covered lamps that produce comfortable diffused light.
Furthermore, the restaurant’s interior design includes aged glass panels sourced from Italy (with visible scratches and rust-like patina), a rusty-chic spiral staircase, custom furniture and decorative lighting produced in Ukraine, and artisanal tableware.
Project Information
Prize: “Interior Design of the Year – Eating Space” at the LIV Hospitality Design Awards
Company/Firm: Tdot.Design
Lead Designer: Liubov Tuzovska
Location: Riga, Latvia
Project Date: 04.09.2025
