Test Driving Tiella Trattoria: Hackney’s Hot Italian Spot Hackney 2026

Key Points

• Tiella Trattoria & Bar is located at 109 Columbia Road, on the corner of Columbia Road and Ropley Street, off Hackney Road in Hackney, London E2 7RL, behind The Marksman pub, with nearest stations Hoxton and Bethnal Green.​
• Chef and co-owner Dara Klein, Italian-born but raised in New Zealand, partners with childhood friend Ry Jessup, co-founder of The Plimsoll and Homeslice, as co-owner and general manager.
• Opened early 2026 in a former Victorian pub (once The Globe and Stringray Cafe), following Klein’s popular Tiella residency at The Compton Arms in Islington from 2023 to end of 2024.
• One of London’s hardest restaurant bookings; reservations open 28 days ahead for lunch and 21 for dinner via OpenTable, with walk-ins at the bar counter; phone for cancellations.
• Menu is traditional Italian trattoria style: antipasti, primi, secondi, dolci; uses British-slanted produce with seasonal Italian regional dishes; generous portions often requiring doggy bags shaped like swans.​
• Highlights include anchovies in saor, delica pumpkin with radicchio and taleggio fonduta, passatelli in brodo (chicken/beef broth), chicken Milanese with apple/fennel/celery, pasta e fagioli, meatballs in tomato sauce, ricotta with honey/chillies, torta caprese, panna cotta with Campari rhubarb.
• Wine list leans Italian, inspired by Klein’s wine-importing father; e.g., house white Veneto from Zanovello family at £27/500ml carafe, Barolo £81; seasonal cocktails like blood orange margarita.
• Atmosphere evokes a welcoming pub-trattoria hybrid with candlelight, laughter, 1930s stained glass, mahogany panelling, giant Cher portrait; staff described as “rays of sunshine”; outdoor tables for summer.
• Klein’s background: trained at Rubedo, Brawn, Trullo, Sager & Wilde; grew up in family trattoria Maria Pia’s in Wellington; “Trattorie are accessible, unpretentious… Tiella is about honest food and honest hospitality”.
• Reviews praise vibe and food but note flaws like over-seasoning/saltiness in some dishes (e.g., passatelli broth, meatballs), high prices (e.g., £19 pasta), noise; overall highly recommended.
• Instagram @tiella_trattoria; book online; dined as guests in some reviews.​

Hackney (East London Times) March 3, 2026 – Tiella Trattoria & Bar, the buzzy new Italian spot in a revamped Victorian pub on Columbia Road, has become one of London’s most sought-after reservations since opening earlier this year, drawing praise for its generous portions, regional Italian dishes and warm hospitality despite minor seasoning hiccups. Chef Dara Klein, co-owner with childhood friend Ry Jessup, channels her Italian roots and New Zealand upbringing into a menu blending British produce with authentic trattoria fare, as highlighted in reviews from Hot Dinners and Time Out. Located behind The Marksman at 109 Columbia Road, the venue’s bar welcomes walk-ins while dining bookings fill up weeks in advance.

What Makes Tiella One of London’s Hottest Reservations?

Tiella’s meteoric rise stems from chef Dara Klein’s intuitive grasp of current dining trends, making it “one of the hardest to secure restaurant bookings in London at the moment,” as noted by the Hot Dinners team after securing a table for an early supper on a rainy Saturday evening. The Infatuation lists it among the city’s toughest tables, advising bookings 28 days ahead for lunch and 21 for dinner via OpenTable, with strategies like clicking calendars, calling charmingly, or trying walk-ins at 6pm or 9:30pm; the bar remains first-come, first-served with full menu snacks. Time Out’s reviewer traces infatuation back to Klein’s 2023 Compton Arms residency, calling the permanent spot a “triumph” with “the warmest of welcomes” and a sense that “nothing much else matters beyond the restaurant’s front door”.

Where Exactly Is Tiella Located in Hackney?

Nestled on the corner of Columbia Road and Ropley Street, off Hackney Road – the block behind The Marksman – Tiella sits at 109 Columbia Road, London E2 7RL, with Hoxton and Bethnal Green stations nearby, as detailed in the Hot Dinners test drive. For pre-dinner drinks, the same review suggests The Marksman, or nearby Blinds and Equal Parts for cocktails. Restaurant Online describes the Victorian corner site as nodding to its pub roots with a large central bar fostering a trattoria vibe where guests are encouraged to drop in for drinks alone.

Who Are the People Behind Tiella Trattoria?

As reported by the Hot Dinners Gastroblog team, Tiella “comes via Italy and New Zealand, which is where Dara grew up,” partnering with “perfect business partner” and childhood friend Ry Jessup, a founder of The Plimsoll who “knows a thing or two about where Londoners like to go”. Restaurant Online elaborates that Jessup, also co-founder of Homeslice, serves as co-owner and general manager in this reunion through London’s hospitality scene. Time Out profiles Klein as Italian-born (Pugliese mother, Jewish-American father), spending early years in Emilia-Romagna and Salento before emigrating to New Zealand at six, learning at parents’ Wellington trattoria Maria Pia’s; she later trained at Rubedo, Brawn, Trullo, and Sager & Wilde after stints in acting and office work.

What Does Dara Klein Say About Her Vision for Tiella?

“Trattorie are accessible, unpretentious and no frills, originating in Italy when families opened up their homes – transforming front rooms into dining rooms. Tiella is about honest food and honest hospitality,”

says Klein, as quoted by Restaurant Online ahead of the early 2026 opening. She adds,

“We hope for it to become a trattoria for everyone – a place that feels like home, but with the generosity and rhythm of a restaurant. It’s about the merging of home and work, family and service. It’s messy, loving, and full of life – that’s the beauty of it”.

Time Out echoes this, noting a true trattoria as the

“Italian equivalent of a British pub; a welcoming hub where the community comes together over food and booze,”

which Tiella achieves “to the highest degree”.

What Is on Tiella’s Menu and How Is the Food Received?

The menu follows a “traditional affair” of antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci, brief and seasonal with British-slanted produce, as per Hot Dinners, which sampled various dishes added that day. Standouts include mortadella slices “the size of tricycle wheels,” fierce anchovies in saor (Venetian marinade of wine, vinegar, pine nuts, parsley, red onion, sultanas – “a fishy fruit salad”), delica pumpkin with radicchio curls, taleggio fonduta and sultanas (“a glutton’s fantasy”), ricotta with honey and chillies (“simple, delicious”), pasta e fagioli, turnip tops pasta with pangrattato, and giant meatballs in tomato sauce. Primi shine with passatelli in brodo – “chunky, dumpling-like pasta of eggs and cheese” in dark chicken wing/beef bone broth (“tastes like a turbo mixed grill,” tended “as if it were an elderly and much-loved family pet”) – and Klein’s renowned chicken Milanese topped with green apple, fennel, celery, dill, tarragon (“sweet, fresh, slightly tart,” shared by four). Desserts feature fluffy torta caprese (balanced chocolatey-savory) and panna cotta with Campari-infused rhubarb and bay leaf (“butch and mysterious”). Evening Standard’s David Ellis notes portions compel sharing and facilitate lively talk, though critiques over-salting in passatelli and meatballs (“clumsily over-seasoned,” “exhausting” solo), £19 pasta price as “abusive,” but praises the food’s feel-good facilitation. Hot Dinners flags “very generous” portions unlike many London spots, with swan-shaped doggy bags.

What Drinks Are Available at Tiella?

Hot Dinners highlights the wine list starting with Dara’s “wine-importing dad,” leaning Italian: house white (natural Veneto from Zanovello family, £27/500ml carafe, “extremely drinkable”), Barolo at £81; cocktails are “tight” but seasonal. Time Out recommends the “fabulous blood orange margarita,” spritzes, pints, softies, plus great Italian, French, and Austrian wines.

How Is the Atmosphere and Service at Tiella?

Evening Standard’s David Ellis describes an air “moves with laughter, chatter, romance,” with candlelight, waiters singing happy birthday, guests having “a ball” – the “intangible it” despite flaws like noise (“metal gigs quieter”). Hot Dinners calls staff “little rays of sunshine, which is much needed when Londoners have barely seen the sun in 2026”. Time Out notes a

“homely pub tarted up with 1960s vintage decor and cosy candles,”

mahogany panelling, 1930s stained glass, giant Cher portrait over the bar; split into walk-in bar counter (people-watching spots) and group-friendly main room tables, plus outdoor for summer. The Up Coming ties the name to a southern Italian dish and earthenware pot, focusing on regional specialties.

What Is Tiella’s Booking and Practical Info?

Book online via OpenTable or follow @tiella_trattoria on Instagram, as per Hot Dinners; prices correct at publication, dined as guests. Time Out tips bar for drop-ins with full menu. Overall, reviewers urge going hungry with a “greedy friend,” fixing past misses like Compton Arms.