Dara Klein reveals what to expect from Tiella Trattoria & Bar on Columbia Road

12/1/26 - updated with the opening date

For a small pub residency, Tiella at The Compton Arms got a lot of column inches. There was something about chef Dara Klein's cooking that reflected the places she'd worked in London (Brawn, Trullo, and Sager & Wilde) and her background that included a childhood spent both in Emilia Romagna and New Zealand. Her cooking was different, exciting, yet deeply hospitable.

Now, like The Compton's Four Legs residency before it, Tiella is moving into permanent digs. We have a strong gut feeling that Tiella Trattoria & Bar is going to be one of those places where securing a seat is going to get you serious bragging rights.

For this new venture, owner chef Dara Klein has teamed up with one of her childhood friends, Ry Jessup, who handily happens to be the co-founder of Homeslice and The Plimsoll, so he's going to take over front of house.

The pair have picked out a former pub site on Columbia Road for the trattoria's new home, and they're letting the building's original features lead the design. The old central pub bar is being retained, so it's going to be a good place to pop in for a drink as well as settling in for a proper meal. The main dining room will have an open kitchen at the back and they'll be opening a pretty big terrace when the weather warms up. 

As Dara says, "Since our residency at the Compton Arms, I saw a link between pubs and trattorie - lots of wood, tiles, mirrors, personal artefacts, bric a brac and family photos."

As for the food, being a modern London trattoria, Tiella is going to champion both Italian and British produce. A taste of the menu includes:

• Ricotta di Romagna, Calabrian chilli and wild Sardinian honey
• Delica pumpkin, radicchio agrodolce and taleggio fonduta
• Orecchiette with cime di rapa and pangrattato
• Chicken Milanese with green apple, celery, fennel, creme fraiche and fresh herbs
• Bay leaf panna cotta with blood oranges

Dara's father happens to run a wine importing company so he's helping on that front, with an obvious focus on Italian wines. And given the building's history as a pub, it's fitting that there are also beers on tap (including Guinness). 

This is all shaping up into being one of the first great new openings of 2026.