Tela Bar + Kitchen in Wyoming offers elevated pub grub with a comfortable dining experience
Tela Bar + Kitchen owner and operator L.R. Hunley is decidedly not new to the restaurant industry. The Cleveland native and Cincinnati import started out his restaurant career at T.G.I. Fridays in the late ‘80s, working his way up to management and opening four new locations of the chain.
“That’s when I started learning more about how the kitchen operates,” Hunley says.
He became the general manager of Teller’s Hyde Park in 1996, which has since closed, and stayed there until 2002. After Teller’s, Hunley worked in fine wine wholesale, leaving the industry in 2014 to start the process of opening his first restaurant, Tela Restaurant + Bar.
When asked about why he chose to open his restaurant in Wyoming, he says the location was inspired by his time at Piccolo, the Glendale-based wine bar in which he previously worked. “Our regular clientele would come in and [Over-the-Rhine] was just starting to boom. The common complaint I heard from everyone was there wasn’t any parking.”
Hunley wanted to bring an “urban, industrial OTR feel” to Wyoming. Now that Tela is coming on six years of being open, it holds true to its original values: Scratch-made, elevated pub grub prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
Tela comes from the name of a Phish song, and the restaurant has understated musical references in its décor and menu items. Hunley and his business partner are major fans of the band. Because of their mutual love of Phish and music, they make sure to keep Tela’s soundtrack up to snuff.
“I can’t tell you how many times over the past six years people have just stopped us and said the music was spot on,” Hunley says.
The past year disproportionately affected the restaurant industry, but because Tela’s location was a former coffeeshop, it was able to utilize its drive-thru window for food pick up.
“With online ordering, it was really seamless,” Hunley says. “During the dinner rush, cars would just be lined up in our parking lot. There’s a certain comfort level about being able to pull up to the window, take off and not have to exchange money.”
Tela has also adapted with its outdoor dining area, adding a permanent awning, heater and ceiling fans, a perfect environment to try one of Tela’s most popular dishes, the short rib mac and cheese. The mussels are also a safe bet; you can either order a classic, French preparation with white wine, garlic and butter or the El Diablo-style mussels, which are cooked in a spicy tomato sauce.
“We want people to go away feeling like they had great value for the money and that they wouldn’t hesitate to come back,” Hunley says. “We put love and energy into every plate.”
Tela Kitchen + Bar, 1212 Springfield Pike, Wyoming. Tu-Th 11 a.m.-10 p.m., F-Sa 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Closed Su-M. 513-821-8352, telabarandkitchen.com.
