Kultura Charleston
Restaurant · Charleston ·
Upscale Filipino dishes, creative cocktails, karaoke brunch
Upscale Filipino dishes, creative cocktails, karaoke brunch
"I can taste the multicultural offerings at Kultura in Charleston, another example of the city's varied restaurant landscape." - Arati Menon, Megan Spurrell
"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
"Intimate and perfectly executed for an early-date vibe, Chef Nikko Cagalagan cooks with only induction burners and a small oven yet produces tightly edited Filipino dishes that read like love poetry for his homeland. Pancit arrives sauced in citrus and soy with local oyster mushrooms, Pork Asado showcases local pork belly, and snapper in red curry comes with carrot salad—menus are small so many tables simply order everything." - Stephanie Burt
"When the Kultura crew moves to its new, larger space, Asheville-based chef Luis Martinez will bring the flavors of Oaxaca to the Cannonborough/Elliotborough neighborhood. Martinez plans to serve breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, and traditional Mexican fare during the day. On Fridays and Saturdays, he plans to serve a more structured menu of Oaxacan cuisine in the evenings — think fine dining, but not stuffy fine dining." - Erin Perkins
"Moving further up the peninsula, Filipino restaurant Kultura—named an Eater Best New Restaurant 2023—has outgrown its Cannon Street space and will relocate to the former Chasing Sage spot, gaining a bigger kitchen, a spacious dining room, and a full liquor license; the original 73 Spring Street location will remain open until the transition is complete, with the opening date for the new address to be announced later this summer." - Erin Perkins