A stake in Italian tearoom (4)
I believe the answer is:
ante
'a stake' is the definition.
(ante is a kind of stake)
'in italian tearoom' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'ANTE' is hidden within 'italian tearoom'.
(Other definitions for ante that I've seen before include "Each player's initial contribution to the pot" , "Pay" , "Hoofed mammal" , "Money for poker" , "Preposition meaning before" .)