Social Profile: 
✔️Breakfast ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Delivery
… View more
Address and Contact Information
Address: 327 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Website: https://www.deptofculturebk.com/
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Dept of Culture Brooklyn
Thursday –Saturday: Thursday 7pm. Friday / Saturday 6 PM and 8:30 PM Seatings. [email protected]. 327 Nostrand Ave Brooklyn, NY 11216. FOLLOW US
Dept of Culture Brooklyn (@deptofculturebk) – Instagram
22K followers · 97 posts · Nigerian Fare Formally IYA EBA dinner series WED – SAT 6PM & 8:30PM Reservations through our website.
A Closer Look at Dept of Culture’s Deeply Personal Nigerian Tasting …
Dept of Culture is located at 327 Nostrand Ave in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Balogun preparing a dish.
Reviews
Sophia
Just came back from the restaurant and I feel so content and happy. I am not really into fine dining because a lot of the time it can get too intellectual, but I feel Dept. of Culture really made it experiential. The food is very good, I can feel the culture, the identity and the love in the food. I love Chef Ayo spend time explaining the dish, the culture and sharing his personal stories. He is not only a chef but an artist! This is a very unique, culturally and wholesome experience I had in NYC. We will definitely come back!
… moreBernie Mehl
Incredible vibe. Unique vinyl selection, amazing food, and a host who has mastered the art of the evening. It feels like dining at the house of someone with impeccable taste in both spice and sound. The speakers are the absolute star of the room—crisp, warm, and perfectly tuned to the space. 10/10, would move in if I could.
… moreHelen S
My other half and I visited here on a Saturday evening. There are 2 sitting an evening and the menu is a set 4 course menu (which you don’t see beforehand and is regularly changing). You also have to prepay the $85 per person when you book so just be aware of that. The restaurant is BYOB, something which we knew from reviews but was only shared with us by the restaurant about 60 minutes before our reservation.
We arrived promptly for our 6pm reservation and had our pick of seats on the communal table. The setup is one communal table and a few bar seats so if you are particular on where you want to sit then arrive right at your reservation time. Annoyingly someone was late to our seating so our service was delayed by about 25 minutes (by which point the person still hadn’t arrived) and this did result in the meal being slightly rushed.
We started with the Pepper Soup, which was out highlight of the evening (I would return just for this dish). The fish was perfectly cooked and the pepper soup had a good kick to it, a really well balanced dish. The next dish was a Nigerian cheese dish, I am not a cheese fan so can’t fairly judge this but the tomato sauce it came in was lovely (I just hated the cheese). Next we had Herring and Yams, I found this dish a little stodgy and the picketed herring flavour was slightly overwhelming. I enjoyed a small amount of it but found the dish difficult to finish. The meal ended with caramelised plantain, which was very sweet but a nice way to end the meal.
I really enjoyed the experience and the chef coming out and explaining each dish was a nice touch. Overall we had a nice evening but not sure we would rush back. The portion sizes were pretty small (although the yams were filling) and for the price point I think I would rather visit somewhere else. However I do encourage people to try Dept of Culture at least once.
… moreWe arrived promptly for our 6pm reservation and had our pick of seats on the communal table. The setup is one communal table and a few bar seats so if you are particular on where you want to sit then arrive right at your reservation time. Annoyingly someone was late to our seating so our service was delayed by about 25 minutes (by which point the person still hadn’t arrived) and this did result in the meal being slightly rushed.
We started with the Pepper Soup, which was out highlight of the evening (I would return just for this dish). The fish was perfectly cooked and the pepper soup had a good kick to it, a really well balanced dish. The next dish was a Nigerian cheese dish, I am not a cheese fan so can’t fairly judge this but the tomato sauce it came in was lovely (I just hated the cheese). Next we had Herring and Yams, I found this dish a little stodgy and the picketed herring flavour was slightly overwhelming. I enjoyed a small amount of it but found the dish difficult to finish. The meal ended with caramelised plantain, which was very sweet but a nice way to end the meal.
I really enjoyed the experience and the chef coming out and explaining each dish was a nice touch. Overall we had a nice evening but not sure we would rush back. The portion sizes were pretty small (although the yams were filling) and for the price point I think I would rather visit somewhere else. However I do encourage people to try Dept of Culture at least once.
Betty Martinez
can’t wait to go back. you can tell the cooking, restaurant, staff, decor all comes from the heart. easily a top new york restaurant for me.
thank you
… morethank you
ReedH
This was a fun evening and I absolutely applaud what the chef aims to do here to in a communal setting, shine a spotlight on
Nigerian cuisine in an elevated manner while sharing insights into the culture there in a fun way. We had a fun evening chatting with the neighbors at our table while enjoying our wine (it’s BYOB) and sampling some very unique dishes. There were four courses in all – the highlights for me being a homemade Nigerian cheese dish and a goat pepper pot. The only issue I had, which others have also raised, was the price. For four small dishes, the price felt very much on the high side. Nonetheless, it has encouraged me to seek out more restaurants featuring food from this part of the world which feels underrepresented.
… moreNigerian cuisine in an elevated manner while sharing insights into the culture there in a fun way. We had a fun evening chatting with the neighbors at our table while enjoying our wine (it’s BYOB) and sampling some very unique dishes. There were four courses in all – the highlights for me being a homemade Nigerian cheese dish and a goat pepper pot. The only issue I had, which others have also raised, was the price. For four small dishes, the price felt very much on the high side. Nonetheless, it has encouraged me to seek out more restaurants featuring food from this part of the world which feels underrepresented.
Ali Bakhsh
I had high hopes for Department of Culture, but overall it didn’t quite live up to the hype. While the food was good and had a comforting, home-cooked feel, it didn’t justify the steep price tag. It reminded me of the quality you’d get at a spot like Accra in Harlem — solid and flavorful — but dressed up with fancy French plates in an attempt to appear upscale, which felt a bit forced.
The communal table setup wasn’t really for me, and the pacing of the meal was painfully slow — four dishes stretched out over two hours. When each dish was finally presented, the chef spoke so softly that it was nearly impossible to catch the explanations, which took away from the experience.
In the end, it felt more like a casual dinner with a drawn-out timeline than the refined, contemporary dining experience it’s trying to achieve. Not a bad meal by any means, just not worth the premium or the hype.
… moreThe communal table setup wasn’t really for me, and the pacing of the meal was painfully slow — four dishes stretched out over two hours. When each dish was finally presented, the chef spoke so softly that it was nearly impossible to catch the explanations, which took away from the experience.
In the end, it felt more like a casual dinner with a drawn-out timeline than the refined, contemporary dining experience it’s trying to achieve. Not a bad meal by any means, just not worth the premium or the hype.
AD W
So glad I got to finally experience this place!
-Reservations mandatory
-BYOB
-Communal seating
-4 courses presented with an introduction by chef Ayo
-Substitutes provided for food allergies and other dietary restrictions without sacrificing quality
Contemporary Nigerian cuisine in a warm, communal environment. I believe the meal offerings rotate, but on the evening I dined, we were served: spicy red snapper and cilantro soup, black eyed peas with pepper, smoked herring and tilapia atop pounded corn, and fried sugar-coated plantain with vanilla ice cream. Each dish has a Nigerian name; I’m only describing the components of each dish for clarity. Each dish was amazing, featuring balanced flavors and just the right amount of spice (y’all know I don’t want ethnic restaurants to sacrifice spice just to appeal to a broader audience).
A person next to me had a fish allergy. Substitutions we’re provided, and they said that each alternative they received was delicious.
My only change recommendation is for the fried sugar-coated plantain to be plated directly atop the ice cream scoop. That way, the sugar won’t fuse to the plate as it cools and the ice cream can meld into the plantain a bit prior to eating.
Will definitely book again!
… more-Reservations mandatory
-BYOB
-Communal seating
-4 courses presented with an introduction by chef Ayo
-Substitutes provided for food allergies and other dietary restrictions without sacrificing quality
Contemporary Nigerian cuisine in a warm, communal environment. I believe the meal offerings rotate, but on the evening I dined, we were served: spicy red snapper and cilantro soup, black eyed peas with pepper, smoked herring and tilapia atop pounded corn, and fried sugar-coated plantain with vanilla ice cream. Each dish has a Nigerian name; I’m only describing the components of each dish for clarity. Each dish was amazing, featuring balanced flavors and just the right amount of spice (y’all know I don’t want ethnic restaurants to sacrifice spice just to appeal to a broader audience).
A person next to me had a fish allergy. Substitutions we’re provided, and they said that each alternative they received was delicious.
My only change recommendation is for the fried sugar-coated plantain to be plated directly atop the ice cream scoop. That way, the sugar won’t fuse to the plate as it cools and the ice cream can meld into the plantain a bit prior to eating.
Will definitely book again!
Erin Hwang
Honestly, I love the story behind the food, and considering it is part of the show, I will give it 3 stars for a review. However, considering it is a restaurant, I don’t think they are fully ready.
First of all, there are only 3 courses with one dessert, which takes around 3 hours. That’s cause the hot dishes turn to cold when they land on my table.
Second, terrible service. We booked this place for a group of 4, arrived on time, still waiting over 15 minutes to get in (that day was a cold day outside). The servicer assigned us a bar table, barely able to hear each other, and no place to hang our jackets, we had to hold our bags and jackets to eat.
Again, for a dining experience around this price, there are so many good options such as sixty – three Clinton, Secchu Yokota, Jua, Atoboy…etc
Even though I appreciate the story and the culture (used to travel to West Africa a couple of years ago, I was very excited and happy to share the experience with frds) it is not the only thing that the restaurant sells to the customer.
Hope this place can be improved in the future, and make the restaurant industry more diverse.
… moreFirst of all, there are only 3 courses with one dessert, which takes around 3 hours. That’s cause the hot dishes turn to cold when they land on my table.
Second, terrible service. We booked this place for a group of 4, arrived on time, still waiting over 15 minutes to get in (that day was a cold day outside). The servicer assigned us a bar table, barely able to hear each other, and no place to hang our jackets, we had to hold our bags and jackets to eat.
Again, for a dining experience around this price, there are so many good options such as sixty – three Clinton, Secchu Yokota, Jua, Atoboy…etc
Even though I appreciate the story and the culture (used to travel to West Africa a couple of years ago, I was very excited and happy to share the experience with frds) it is not the only thing that the restaurant sells to the customer.
Hope this place can be improved in the future, and make the restaurant industry more diverse.
Abhirup Mukherjee
Absolutely stunning, intimate and unique experience. Chef Ayo guides you on a journey through North and Central Nigeria, with ingredients specially brought in to give diners the most authentic experience possible. The four course meal is delicious from start to finish and eating at the communal table only adds to the experience. Cannot recommend it enough. BYOB, so pick up some beer next door or some wine. The goat pepper soup is an incredible highlight.
… moreCinthya Holder
Just came back from Dept of culture, what a great experience. This was my first time ever having Nigerian food and I loved it. The Chef’s amazing and the staff super friendly.
You sit down in a comunal table and meet these strangers who now embrace a new experience together.
It’s BYO booze so make sure you remember. And you MUST have a reservation. (Ours took 2 months).
Highlight from food: the cheese, the dessert. But everything was just amazing!
… moreYou sit down in a comunal table and meet these strangers who now embrace a new experience together.
It’s BYO booze so make sure you remember. And you MUST have a reservation. (Ours took 2 months).
Highlight from food: the cheese, the dessert. But everything was just amazing!