A chef who invested everything into establishing her inaugural permanent eatery in east London has watched it secure a spot among the UK’s premier neighbourhood dining establishments.
Dara Klein launched Tiella Trattoria and Bar inside a converted public house on Columbia Road in January, sharing on Instagram that she was constructing her dream venue alongside a friend from her youth.
She stated that every ounce of dedication was being channelled into this trattoria, pouring her most treasured childhood recollections into the space.
Dara Klein established the contemporary Italian restaurant alongside her longtime family companion Ry Jessup
This followed a successful stint running a kitchen at The Compton Arms in Islington where she presented her own interpretations of regional Italian cuisine.
The Good Food Guide’s 2026 ranking of the 100 finest local restaurants, produced in collaboration with Square, has placed Tiella at sixth position across England, Scotland and Wales.
Tiella offers modern Italian rustic fare in a transformed East End tavern.
Chloë Hamilton, head of reviews and listings at the Good Food Guide, commented that amid challenges, inventiveness has thrived in unexpected locations.
She noted it had been tremendously satisfying to witness these compact establishments delivering exceptional standards in a manner that clearly resonates with local patrons.
She suggested visitors should come prepared with an open perspective and hearty appetite for a rewarding experience.
Four of the six highest-ranked venues on the list specialise in Italian cuisine while ten percent accommodate twenty or fewer diners, and over a quarter also function as delis, wine merchants, or coffee shops.
The guide observed a shift away from upscale dining towards more informal and budget-friendly culinary experiences.
Dara, who previously honed her craft at Brawn, Trullo and Sager & Wilde, describes her rustic creations as shaped by her formative years spent in Emilia Romagna and New Zealand.
For her contemporary London trattoria, Dara stripped away successive layers of decoration from what was formerly The Globe pub to reveal original bricks, tiles and wooden elements, complementing them with vintage accessories and keepsakes from her family’s Italian establishment.
The British-Italian offerings from the open kitchen feature delica pumpkin, radicchio agrodolce and taleggio fonduta, orecchiette with cime di rapa and pangrattato, chicken Milanese accompanied by green apple, celery, fennel, crème fraîche and fresh herbs, and bay leaf panna cotta with blood orange.
The Good Food Guide’s ranking, now in its sixteenth year, continues to champion venues that provide value, excellence and community spirit.
Additional east London establishments featured in the top 100 included Mambow in Clapton at position 26, Sally Abe’s newest venture Teal at 52, and the Iranian-Iraqi café and bistro Logma at 51.