Dept. of Culture

Every Night Is a Party at Dept of Culture Brooklyn | The New Yorker

"The most conspicuous piece of furniture at Dept of Culture Brooklyn, a new Nigerian restaurant in Bed-Stuy, is the communal table. It’s built of solid oak and monopolizes the floor space. The small room is the site of a former barbershop; you can tell by the many outlets that still line its walls, which are now ornamented with photographs of the owner-chef Ayo Balogun’s relatives in Nigeria. The lighting is warm and dim. An antique record player spins Fela Kuti and other eminences of nineteen-seventies Afrobeat. And there, in an open kitchen, is Balogun himself, bopping to protest songs as he cooks, for a dozen patrons per seating, four courses, all inspired by the cuisine of his native Kwara State." - David Kortava