Last Updated on February 23, 2026
A contemporary take on the trattoria
4.5 out of 5.0 starsMining Italy’s rich regional food culture and her own family history in the trattoria trade, Dara Klein has recently opened her own restaurant on Bethnal Green’s Columbia Road. Klein’s CV contains stints at restaurants across London, including Brawn, Trullo and Sager & Wilde. More recently, her two-year residency at Islington’s Compton Arms saw her build up a strong following, and they have obviously followed her to Tiella. It’s not easy getting booked in, but persistence paid off, and we managed to grab a table and check out this new hot spot.
Tiella has found a home in an old Victorian pub on Columbia Road. It’s perfectly placed for a long Sunday lunch after a mooch round the famous flower market and the area’s independent shops and coffee bars.
We were immediately struck by a feeling of jollity that awaited us inside, with twinkling candles creating a warm, romantic atmosphere and tables packed with happy-looking diners.
Included among regular stars of a typical Italian aperitivo list were a couple of rogues: a Campari Rhubarb Bellini and a Blood Orange Margarita. My companion is partial to a Margarita and was very taken with this Italian interpretation, which successfully avoided that boiled-sweet taste that can plague blood orange drinks.
I stayed in the classics lane and opted for Tiella’s Negroni, a powerful shot of bittersweet flavours and alcohol. Both of our drinks came with a nice fat slice of blood orange.
Later on, I thought I’d try Tiella’s house white, a Trebbiano that can be ordered by the glass, 500ml carafe or bottle (£48). The Ca’ Lustra Zanovello – Garganega, Trebbiano, Bianco Nuova 23 from Veneto proved a little too sharp-edged for my delicate tastes. I think I’ll explore further down the wine menu on my next visit to Tiella or keep making my way through the cocktails menu.
The menu is short, but there are still difficult choices to be made as everything is tempting.
My choice from the Antipasti menu was the Anchovies in Saor, Tiella’s reimagining of the Venetian dish Sarde in Saor (traditionally made with sardines). I’m always happy to discover something new from Italy’s extraordinary local food heritage. This dish combines the saltiness of the fish with pickled sultanas, pine nuts, red onions and herbs into a sweet and savoury, sharp and sour heaven.
Luckily, we’d ordered the Forno bread and Sicilian olive oil, both good on their own but all the better for mopping up the juices from the Anchovies in Saor.
My friend ordered the Mortadella Opera DOP and Coppa Piacentina DOP. Tiella sources its mortadella from the only producer to rear its own pigs. According to our waitress, the resulting mortadellas stand almost as tall as the farmer. Confession time, I am not a big fan of mortadella (my friend loved it), so I satisfied myself with the Coppa side of the plate.
The moment my friend walked into Tiella and spotted all the diners tucking into huge plates of Chicken Milanese (£27), we both knew what she was going to be ordering. It’s one of her favourite plates anyway, and this version got top marks. It’s lifted here by a refreshing “slaw” of Braeburn apple, fennel and celery. I couldn’t resist eating quite a lot of this delicious dish, too.
Dara Klein describes the Passatelli in Brodo on her Primi menu as “My favourite food in the world”. I had to try it. Great gales of steam rose from the plate as it was placed in front of me, so I almost wished I’d been suffering from a cold just to see if it instantly cured me. The passatelli come in the form of thick bitey worms, almost meaty in texture, in a broth made from chicken leg and thigh. The pasta contains breadcrumbs, egg and grated Parmesan with hints of lemon and nutmeg. A sizeable pot of freshly grated Parmesan was left on the table for frequent cheese top-ups. A proper comfort dish.
There were just two desserts on the menu. Irritatingly, my companion claimed to be full, so that meant I never got to try the intriguing Bay Leaf Panna Cotta with Campari Rhubarb. The supposedly full friend then proceeded to eat a lot of the Torta Caprese with Amarena Cherries and Crème fraîche, a rich, sweet, flourless cake packed with chopped nuts.
Tiella’s short menu will regularly change to keep things fresh for both chefs and diners. My companion was alarmed to hear that the Chicken Milanese might soon vanish, as she had been plotting a repeat visit just to have it again. It’ll be interesting to see what replaces it.
You can sense the passion and care that have gone into creating Tiella, both from the open kitchen and the front-of-house team. Our waiter and waitress were both eager to share their extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for all the dishes on the menu. This is a new restaurant worth travelling to. If it’s your new neighbourhood restaurant, lucky you.
Getting booked into Tiella may be a challenge as it’s already thronging, but seats at the bar are kept free for walk-ins.
109 Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 7RL
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