First Look at Filipino Restaurant Kultura’s New Space in Charleston | Eater Carolinas

"Born as a Filipino pop-up around the Lowcountry, this restaurant found a home at 73 Spring Street in 2023, where chef Nikko Cagalanan and his team drew attention from Charleston diners, food writers, and the James Beard Foundation with bright bowls of pancit topped with Lowcountry crab meat, tender pork ribs in banana ketchup barbecue, and yellow adobo salmon over crispy rice with a delicate salad of local vegetables. After outgrowing the small Spring Street space, it moved to 267 Rutledge Avenue, opening with an expanded menu that promises lumpia, lechon, kare kare, paella Valenciana, and a full bar. Designed with Agatha Strompolos of Denver-based Agatha Jane Interior Design, the new coastal, jungle-like space is full of antique touches and channels Cagalanan’s upbringing in the Philippines with intricate rattan walls, colorful tiles, Filipino art, and ceiling fixtures that mimic thatched roofs; booths are built durable for eating with hands, there’s a peek into the kitchen, and more room to display art. As the designer puts it, “We wanted it to be comfortable and accessible, but a step up from the old Kultura, a little more polished.” The restaurant opens Thursdays through Mondays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m." - Erin Perkins