There are restaurants you visit once and remember forever, and then there are the ones you find yourself returning to without quite being able to explain why — only that something about them feels like it was made specifically for you. Wilde's, which opened in East LA in October 2025, is that kind of place. Co-owners Natasha Price and Tatiana Ettensberger — executive chef and beverage director, respectively — have built something both warm and refreshing: a menu shaped entirely by the market, a wine list that never takes itself too seriously, and a room that manages to feel both alive and like home. The fact that they've been best friends since before either of them can remember only seems to make it better.

We sat down with Natasha and Tatiana to talk about growing up together, finding their way into the industry, and what it actually takes to open a restaurant with your oldest friend.

Your relationship goes wayyyy back. Can you tell us about how you two met? 

Our sisters became best friends in elementary school, and so I got the invite to Natasha’s 2nd birthday party. I was one at the time, so I don’t remember that at all obviously, but I’ve simply never known a life without her in it. We got really lucky that our sisters loved each other so much, too—it made ours something like a built-in friendship. There was almost not choice in the matter! - Tatiana

Food has been a big part of your friendship from the beginning, but how did you each decide to make it your full-time job?

It was pretty clear from the start that Natasha would go on to cook. She dove in headfirst the second she turned eighteen and hasn’t turned back since. I had a bit of a more unconventional transition into the industry, stemming from a quarter-life crisis. But I remember asking myself what I was passionate about, and it was good food and good wine, and so it felt only natural to dedicate my life to it. And having a best friend as a source of inspiration certainly didn’t hurt. - Tatiana

How do you balance nurturing your friendship with your business relationship? 

On the one hand, it’s the best thing in the world because we get to hang out every day. On the other hand, we’re almost incessantly talking about work. That said, before we opened we made a commitment to put our friendship first, and to always find ways to carve out time for it. Right now, that commitment looks like being the best possible business partners to one another during these first few months of mayhem. Maybe one day it’ll mean taking a vacation together and throwing our phones in the ocean, but for now it means lots of late nights and early mornings together at the shop—and that’s okay too :) - Tatiana

Growing up in Bel Air and Encino, how does East LA compare, specifically when it comes to dining? 

Honestly, the restaurants we went to were always independently owned and owner-operated restaurants—Sor Tino and Toscano in Brentwood, Nanbankan on Sawtelle, and so in that sense, they’re not all that different from the restaurants we’re drawn to on the Eastside. Not to say that there aren’t incredible restaurants that don’t fit that archetype, but I think we’re drawn to the heart (and masochism) of smaller restaurants, where you see the same people working the door and the line every day. - Tatiana

What did the process of conceptualizing Wilde, its menu, and its wine list look like? 

Before Wilde’s really took shape, Tatiana and I spent many hours casually dreaming up our own perfect restaurant and I think something we always came back to was thefeeling we wanted it to have. We wanted a place that was warm and convivial, where you could return to again and again. - Natasha

A place where there’s a constant throughline that allows for this familiarity and comfort, but with a rotating menu that keeps things alive too. Now that we are open, that same feeling we dreamt up really guides everything, especially the food and wine list—we have our staples and our favorites, but we’re always open to playing with food and wine, and aren’t big on being too dogmatic about anything. - Tatiana

Favorite restaurant in NYC, LA, and London. Go:

NYC - My can’t-miss comfort spots are Somtum Der and Cervo’s.  - Natasha

LA - Not to be totally annoying, but Baby Bistro - Tatiana

London - Not to be totally annoying again, but St. John - Natasha

How do you think about seasonality both on Wilde’s menu and at home?

Seasonality is really the backbone to everything we do at Wilde’s. The menu is entirely shaped by the market and what’s available and luckily we have some of the best produce here in California. But even beyond the ingredients, the seasons really affect how I wake up everyday and naturally how I want to eat. This definitely bleeds into how we approach the food and service at the restaurant. 

I am writing this in the middle of a record heatwave - it's 95F and it’s only March. I’m also thinking about how to use early spring produce like it’s a hot summer day… a chilled english pea soup, crab and artichoke salad, meyer lemon granita… these are all running through my head! - Natasha

How do you use avocado oil?

When I have a good ingredient, I always want to showcase it in the natural form. The same goes for avocado oil. To me a simple salad of seasonal fruit and a good cheese drizzled with avocado oil. That’s a perfect dish! - Natasha 

What’s a dish that, when you see it on a menu at a restaurant, you have to order it?

Anything with rice. - Tatiana

Head on shrimps or whole crab. Also chicken wings. - Natasha

Is there a dish you have on repeat when you cook at home? (please share full recipe)

These days I unfortunately  rarely have time to cook at home but breakfast is still quite sacred for me . And while I’m not always successful, I do try my best to make myself something before heading into the restaurant. My quick go-to for years is simply soft boiled eggs on toast. Less of a recipe and more of a set of loose guideline - my go to toast toppings in order of how I layer them are below: 

A slice sourdough, well toasted

Two tablespoons of tahini 

A handful of greens (Sorrel or a wild arugula are my favorites)

2 soft boiled eggs (7 minutes), cut in half 

Chopped dill, enough to sprinkle over 

A pinch of crushed fennel seeds and red pepper flakes 

Olive or avocado oil to drizzle on top

A squeeze of lemon and big pinch salt to season