Set to open on east London’s Columbia Road in early 2026, Tiella Trattoria & Bar will be a collaboration between Klein and Ry Jessup - childhood family friends who have reunited through London’s hospitality scene. Jessup co-founder of pizza brand Homeslice and gastropub The Plimsoll, will join the restaurant as co-owner and general manager.
Housed in a Victorian corner site, the new restaurant will be a homage to Maria Pia’s, the family trattoria in Wellington, New Zealand, where Klein was raised and where she learnt from her parents’ dedication to ‘real, slow, trattoria cooking’.
Born to a Pugliese mother and a Jewish-American father, Klein spent her early years between Emilia-Romagna and Salento, before her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was six. Her menu will reflect this identity with rustic, regional, cooking rooted in Italian tradition yet shaped by her London years.
Tiella will champion Italian and British produce, changing with the seasons. The dining room will feature a large central bar that nods to the building’s pub roots and help create a trattoria vibe, with guests encouraged to visit for a drink as well as a meal.
The restaurant marks a new chapter for Klein, who previously operated kitchen residency Tiella at The Compton Arms in Islington. Prior to this, she trained in London kitchens including Rubedo, Brawn, Trullo, and Sager & Wilde.
“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.
“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.”