The Hoxton Hotel in Dublin city has said it does not want to see Yamamori Izakaya, a restaurant and bar next door, to shut down.
The hotel on Exchequer Street made headlines last week after its leaseholder, Trinity Hospitality, sought an injunction against Yamamori Izakaya over alleged late-night noise.
The Hoxton Hotel, formerly the Central Hotel, shares walls with Yamamori Izakaya on South Great George’s Street. It sought the injunction after noise allegedly resulted in complaints from guests and the closure of 31 of its 129 bedrooms.
There was much criticism of the legal action, with many people concerned it could result in the closure of Yamamori Izakaya, a long-time staple in Dublin’s nightlife.
READ MORE
A large protest was held outside the hotel on Tuesday evening.
The legal case was adjourned in the High Court on Thursday with the consent of both parties to allow time for mediation.
Yamamori Izakaya operated largely without issue while the Central Hotel was open.
The Hoxton, part of a global chain, reopened on November 20th last following extensive refurbishment. It plans to open its own nightclub, Groundwork, in the basement of the Globe bar which is located on the other side of Yamamori Izakaya.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Hoxton said it “does not want to see Yamamori Izakaya close, nor do we want to see nightlife venues curtailed”.
“Yamamori Izakaya has been an important part of Dublin’s nightlife and cultural fabric for years, one of the many independent businesses that give this part of town its buzz.”
The Hoxton’s management said it had not commented publicly until now “out of respect” for the court proceedings. The statement said management hopes “constructive solutions” can be found in the coming weeks.
“It is our understanding that Trinity Hospitality has offered mediation as a route forward and is open to contributing financially towards the works required. The Hoxton welcomes any steps that support a positive outcome for both parties.”
In an earlier statement, Trinity Hospitality said it installed “extensive sound-mitigation measures” during the refurbishment, but wanted “further acoustic works on the Yamamori side”.
When initially contacted by Trinity Hospitality about the noise issues late last year, Yamamori Izakaya offered to put in a tamper-proof sound-limiting device.
In a statement on Tuesday, Yamamori Izakaya’s management was critical of Trinity Hospitality’s approach.
“It is also hard to accept the company’s claim that it had no choice but to seek the injunction. It chose not to provide the requested information which would have facilitated a meeting between the respective experts immediately,” the statement said.
“When the company raised the matter in late November 2025, we immediately agreed to meet to discuss the issue and requested information about the sound attenuation measures that were installed.”
At the protest on Tuesday, several people said they feared the legal action could result in the closure of Yamamori Izakaya.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett told protesters they were “standing up for the heartbeat of what this city is really about”.
“If our reputation in this city and internationally is anything, it’s about music, it’s about culture, it’s about the arts. And we say no to the corporate squeeze-out of grassroots culture and music.”
Claire Long (29) said she attended the protest because she was “really angry” about the number of cultural spaces in Dublin which have closed in recent years.
“It’s happened time and time again,” she said.
Amy Caulfield (27), another protester, said: “Dublin has become very corporate and lots of smaller venues, we have a lot less than other cities. Less and less smaller venues are opening.”
