Tucked inside the Grade II-listed Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, London, Da Terra is chef-patron Rafael Cagali’s intimate, two-Michelin-star home for modern tasting menus that combines Brazilian roots with European technique. He runs the restaurant with general manager Charlie Lee, his partner in life and work — a pairing that gives the whole space its easy warmth.
Since opening in 2019, Da Terra has become one of East London’s essential fine-dining addresses. It had also gone through a refresh in 2024, adding a pre-dining bar lounge area where guests begin their experience here.
And this is where I first set foot into, being ushered into a comfortable and relaxing lounge. A space that is classy, yet unpretentious. This is where I was started with the first wave of snacks and a drink. Lee brings over an impressive Champagne trolley and a couple of snacks to whet the appetite.
Da Terra's pre-dinner lounge (top) and main dining hall & open kitchen (bottom)
Just after a gentle teaser of what is to come next, I was ushered into the main dining hall, where I was immediately greeted with a large open kitchen where the chefs perform their craft and those who are lucky enough to book a table close to the kitchen will be able to watch the chef up close and let the team tell their story through their cooking.
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I knew Da Terra would be serious about flavour, but I did not expect the cheeky Ninja Turtle figurines around the main dining hall. In certain corners in the room and at the front of the kitchen, you’ll spot small Raphael (the Ninja Turtle character) figurines around – an affectionate wink from Cagali, who shares both the name and a certain fearless streak with the red-masked turtle.
I was seated somewhat close to the open kitchen, enough to peep at the culinary show that was happening. From that vantage point, the restaurant’s personality clicked. Yes, it’s a two-Michelin-star destination, but it’s also playful and personal — serious technique framed by a sense of fun. This is not an uptight fine dining space, this is where guests come to truly enjoy great service and food.
The menu’s heart is Cagali’s way of making the familiar feel new. His moqueca, a Brazillian fish stew, arrives reimagined with aged turbot and a whisper-light, aromatic sauce that channels tomato, coconut and dendê without the heft of a traditional pot. This was my favourite dish in the menu, the creamy and hearty stew is the kind of signature dish that I feel guests would talk about with the devotion usually reserved for memory.
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Cagali’s Italian heritage surfaces in a quail course that reads like a miniature tasting within the tasting. Here, the quail is presented in a couple of ways – a skewer of perfectly cooked breast; a silken liver parfait on brioche shaved with winter truffle; and a trio of tortellini hiding confit leg in a consommé made from the bird’s carcass. The sequence is smart and satisfying — technique on show, yes, but always in service of flavour.
Moqueca (top); Hamachi (bottom left); Fig (bottom right)
To finish, Cagali keeps dessert as seasonal and grounded as the rest of the menu. A fig course showcases fruit at peak ripeness, set against yoghurt, Brazilian sagu (tiny tapioca pearls) for a soft chew, and balsamic to sharpen the sweetness. It’s a clever mix of temperatures and textures. The result is exactly what Cagali aims for with his sweets: a clear, elegant expression of the fruit of the season without being complicated.
Service completes the picture. Lee’s front-of-house team runs the room with an unfussy polish that makes fine dining feel friendly rather than formal. Chefs often present a course; sommeliers glide in with pairings that range from classic regions to less-travelled bottles, with non-alcoholic options available on request. Even the coffee and tea tell a story, with rare, small-batch beans and single-origin leaves.
Just like most Michelin-starred restaurants, there’s no à la carte here; you’re in the restaurant’s hands. Trust me when I say, trust them. Still, keep an eye out for the cured-scallop tart and cassava-carabinero; the turbot moqueca; and desserts that features some of the seasonal bests with flavours and textures that come together nicely without being too complicated.
Da Terra
8 Patriot Square,
London E2 9NF
Opening hours: Lunch Fri–Sat; dinner Wed–Sat
