Dept. of Culture Brooklyn Yelp Reviews - Dept. of Culture Brooklyn - Buy Reservations
Getting a Reservation at Dept. of Culture Brooklyn for Today or Tomorrow is Easy!
Buy a verified reservation at Dept. of Culture Brooklyn from someone who doesn't need theirs anymore.
If there is nothing that fits your schedule, you can bid on your preferred time.
We only list verified Reservations!
All listed Reservations are reviewed by our team before appearing in the calendar or being allowed to answer a bid you place. That's why AppointmentTrader comes with a included Money Back Guarantee for each transaction.
Brooklyn's Best Restaurants that are most frequently booked by customers of Dept. of Culture Brooklyn
Booked 4 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #1 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 3 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #5 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #18 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #8 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #26 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #2 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #21 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 2 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #7 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #79 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #47 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #6 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #201 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #44 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #25 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #35 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Booked 1 times by Dept. of Culture Brooklyn customers.
Ranked #20 in Brooklyn's Best Restaurants.
Dept. of Culture Brooklyn Yelp Reviews
Latest Reviews On Yelp
15 Reviews
0 Replys |
I just got bamboozled! For all the accolades this chef has
I just got bamboozled! For all the accolades this chef has gotten, what a disappointment. Let me start with the positives. Cute space, introduced to a beautiful culture, and new flavors to my palate that I much enjoyed. BYOB, don't expect a wine glass. You'll be drinking out of a cupboard water glass. Portion sizes are minuscule. A tablespoon of tasting for each course, We were starving after. Portion sizes were irrelevant had the courses wowed us. First course was a pepper soup topped with tilapia. The tablespoon of broth was extremely flavorful, as the tilapia had no substance or additive to its dish. The second course of beans happened to be the most flavorful out of the four. Again, a large tablespoon at most. The third course again, tilapia, was immersed in wonderful Nigerian flavors and sauce. Must've been a sale on tilapia. This experience was underwhelming, and disappointing, be prepared and make a dinner reservation to follow. The dessert was a very unripe plantain with vanilla ice cream. As you may know an unripe plantain taste quite like a potato. A potato with vanilla ice cream. At that point, I knew I got bamboozled.. how the media had influenced me.
Be the first to ReplyIntimate, informative and so special! This was one of the
Intimate, informative and so special! This was one of the best meals I've had because the chef took the time to expertly curate and explain each dish. It's like walking into someone's home and being welcomed with authentic Nigerian food!
Be the first to ReplyAfter eating here, I am floored by anyone who has rated
After eating here, I am floored by anyone who has rated this restaurant less than 4-5 stars. This was one of the best tasting menus I've ever experienced and it is no surprise to me that it is of James Beard level. To start, the food was simply amazing. I hear the critiques that the portions may be a bit small. But, the craftsmanship is immaculate, with attention to every detail and not a drop of leftover sauce anywhere to be found in the plating. The goat pepper soup was shockingly flavorful and spicy, an excellent start to the night. What followed was also on a similar par, with wara and abula (which I'd never had before) served deliciously. The reviews about needing an additional dish are fair, as are those that did not like the dessert as I found the caramelized dessert with ice cream a bit difficult to eat/cut. Regardless, the rest of the meal compensates. And to hear the stories that the chef has with each dish truly shows how thoughtful everything is. Second, the environment. We sat at the counter which I actually think I prefer to the communal table since we could see the dishes being prepared and the tenderness that goes into each preparation. Would recommend. The soft music and the pictures on the wall really create an environment of being in someone's home. The price point is a bit high, but not outlandish for the area. If I were to make any suggestion, it would be that the beautiful stories told by the chef be made while the food is being prepared, as some of the food had cooled down by the time the stories finished and we were to eat. The restaurant is BYOB, so it would be interesting if, since the reservations are so hard to get, the restaurant could suggest some pairings for the dishes as you truly do not know what you're in for.
Be the first to ReplyIt was a nice experience.
I couldn't hear the chef explain the food - only heard some words here and there.y favorite dishes were the goat spicy soup and the cheese with tomato sauce. I'm not a fan of beans and the tilapia dish was just ok. The dessert course was not bad.
Be the first to ReplyI tried to score a reservation to this restaurant for quite
I tried to score a reservation to this restaurant for quite some time and was giddy and excited to finally go. Once I did, I was left extremely disappointed. Let me explain. After being seated around a long communal table, we did not get served any food until 40 minutes into the 2-hour dining experience! Nobody walked around chatting with us or even encouraging conversation amongst the guests, which set in a strange vibe. When the food was finally served, the chef introduced each course by telling a brief story about eating these dishes growing up in Nigeria, but seemed rushed and did not deliver the heartfelt stories this restaurant boasts about. I also found it difficult to hear. The first course was a goat pepper soup, which was spicy and flavorful with ample amounts of goat meat, but unfortunately was served at below room temperature rather than hot. The second course was a dish made up of two types of sweet potato, which turned out to be lumpy in texture, with a smoky crayfish to add to the flavor. Also spicy, but milder than the first course. Nothing special. The third course consisted of sautéed spinach and smoked fish with yams. At this point, I was feeling disappointed to be served another potato dish for the last savory course and was really craving some variety. Quite spicy again - several people around our table were not able to make it far into this course before giving up. The desert was basically a plantain that was burnt into a rock, bitter and hard, served with a scoop of plain vanilla ice cream. For the price ($120/person without drinks) and the hype, I felt robbed, as did my husband. Perhaps this was an off night and not a true representation of what this restaurant has to offer, but that is not something the customers paying the same price should be experiencing without even an explanation for the shortcomings and inconsistency.
Be the first to ReplyNigerian dinner party hosted by chef Ayo.
It's a communal table with goal of introducing you to around a dozen people and four Nigerian dishes. Ayo recounts stories and inspirations with each dish. Frankly, you're coming here for Ayo. If you're not interested in his stories and meeting new people, then I'd recommend elsewhere. He tries to make you forget that you're in a make shift dinning room on Nostrand Avenue, and attempts to teleport you to his grandparent's home in Nigeria. He's entertaining and the room starts to open up once he begins to speak. Food wise, it was a four course meal. First course, was a goat pepper soup. Broth had a pleasant and mild spiciness. Spice level is somewhere between a jalapeño and a Serrano. Little bit of goat meat plus a little chunk of tripe. If you swapped the goat for beef, then I would have guessed I was at a Chinese restaurant. Second course was a sweet potato purée soup with a shrimp sauce. It was creamy and the shrimp sauce was bold. Aroma reminded me of dried shrimp flakes used in Japanese cuisine. It helped set up the next dish well. The third dish was smoked haddock topped with spinach served over a bed of gelatin-ish mashed potatoes. One of my co-diners compared the texture to gnocchi. The haddock flavor was bold too. Quite smokey. Reminded me of dried smoked fish. I think having the shrimp sauce in the previous course helped build up to this very flavorful one. Final course was caramelized plantains served with ice cream. Plantain was savory and nutty. It came together nicely once adding in the sweetness from the ice cream. There's one gender neutral restroom. It's also BYOB. Pricing was just short of $120 per person once factoring in tip. All in all, I liked the dinner party atmosphere. It's inspired me to reach out to friends and family to arrange more home cooked dinner parties.
Be the first to ReplyI really wanted to like this more.
Food was good enough, but not especially creative or memorable. The only thing special about this meal was the gimmick of a small group of people sitting around a circle together. Granted it did feel nice and homey, and it was really interesting hearing Chef Balogun talk about his culture and childhood. The music was also nice. But all in all, I wouldn't recommend this to my friends.
Be the first to Reply3.5 stars but rounding up for DOC's potential. Let me
3.5 stars but rounding up for DOC's potential. Let me explain. On food alone, Dept of Culture is a solid 3 stars. The quality is there, but there's a lack of diversity in the offerings and far too few dishes for the price: $111 (including tax and tip) netted us a tiny bowl of Goat Meat Pepper Soup (4 sips max), a slighter larger bowl of Asaro with Smoked Crayfish Sauce, a main dish of Abula (large appetizer-sized), and a small dessert of Dodo. There should've been at least one more entree (or large app), and either an amuse bouche or a palate cleanser for the price. In fact, when they brought out dessert, our dining companion actually blurted out, "That's it? I could've done with at least one more dish of food." So those are my critiques with Dept of Culture. Now here are my praises. Chef Ayo Balogun is a clear culinary talent with a natural flair for storytelling. His explanations for each course were a delight and transported us to his childhood in Nigeria. The communal dining table is all about good vibes, and we had a blast getting to know our seat mates. Great concept that should be adopted more often in other restaurants. We even had another Nigerian person in our group (from a different part of the country than Chef Ayo), so it was great to get his perspective on the dishes. But mostly, Dept of Culture is--I truly, truly hope--a harbinger of better times for African food in upscale dining. I want it to be the Chez Panisse of Nigerian food (or even West African food if we're not ready to get so specific)--the trailblazer that introduces a specific cuisine to the American populace. For too long, boring, bland, Euro-centric cuisines have dominated fine dining. East Asia entered the chat a while ago, South America came next, and even South Asian flavors are on the rise, but this snooty world has repeatedly ignored Africa despite us owing pretty much all of what we have in food to this motherland continent. I had my 23rd birthday lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Nigerian restaurant in Chicago and have introduced (sometimes dragged) countless friends to different African restaurants throughout the years. I don't pretend to be an expert--I just love shining a light on great, overlooked food. If Dept of Culture--for its somewhat flawed but mostly steller model--can put Nigerian food on the map of Western fine dining, perhaps we can finally get more African restaurants that aren't bare bones hole-in-the-walls or fusion-with-European (a la Marcus Samuelsson) spots. Perhaps African food can finally get the top accolades it so richly deserves.
Be the first to ReplyOne of the best dinners I've had.
The dinner is excellent and the vibes are immaculate. Its a really intimate and somewhat informal dinner. They only seat about 12 and most are seated at a large communal table. Its made for conversation. Its BYOB and they only have water so best to grab a bottle of wine or whatever your drink of choice is. They'll refrigerate it for you. The menu changes every month so I wont go through every dish but the goat pepper pot and cassava dishes were my favorite. Lots of flavor a little bit of heat and lots of depth. Each of the four courses is accompanied by a story about its history and connection to the chef. He tells beautiful stories and it really creates a one of kind dining experience. If you can nab a seat, run dont walk, the awards are going to continue to rack up and it'll be all but impossible soon to get a reservation.
Be the first to ReplyFood is amazing!!Go here if you want to experience Nigerian
Food is amazing!!Go here if you want to experience Nigerian cuisine as fine dining, yet still authentic and inspired by the traditional.
Be the first to ReplyI'm not sure even the hype does Dept of Culture justice.
It's a magical experience, one that is so much more than just a meal. There is absolutely no pretense here: it's as genuine as it gets. Before dining here, I wondered what it was exactly that had me quaking in my boots with such excitement. Finally, I've put my finger on it. A night at Dept of Culture is as close as it gets to my NYC dining fantasy. There are thousands and thousands of businesses in this city. Many of us live here because we love how readily available just about anything can be if you put your mind to it. But with this kind of economy, we run the risk of treating just about everything as transactional. I started writing on Yelp 6+ years ago because it gave me a platform to document my exploration of the city I call home -- including all of the interactions with the tireless humans who make this city as incredible as it is. Despite being in the densest city in the world, we can be so isolated from one another. At Dept of Culture, connection is central. Narrative, culture, memory, history -- it's all on display in a beautifully authentic way, thanks to owner/Chef Ayo Balogun and his vision. At Dept of Culture, every meal is one shared among friends and every dish has a story that you'll remember just as well as the food itself. I promise I'll get to the food. Just need to do a bit of scene-setting first.We came for the 8:30 seating and were lucky enough to sit at the large communal table (the only table in the space -- there are four chef's counter seats as well). It's BYO (we brought a few bottles of wine to share with others -- only a few took us up on it as most other parties did the same), though they do offer complimentary Chenin Blanc (which is very very good, by the way) if you opt not to bring anything. If you do bring extra bottles of white or rosé they'll be happy to chill it for you in the fridge. As others have mentioned, the space is pretty minimalist. Ayo has some personal artwork/photos on the walls and there's a record player playing some fun beats (except when Ayo is presenting each dish). At the end of the meal, Ayo emphasized how important sustainability and lack of waste are to him, so he wanted to mindful of -- when it is time for him to move on from that physical location -- the process of breaking down the space and transitioning it to something new. Okay, now onto the food. I had read plenty about the restaurant prior to dining here, so I knew we were in for some legitimate spice. My fiancé is spice averse, but luckily we had about a month in between booking our reservation and the night of our meal, so we had ample time for preparation (more mental than anything else, but emergency Tums were also on hand). The first test was the now famous fish pepper soup (served with red snapper), which is made with one of the world's hottest peppers. Curiously, the punch of the spice fades rapidly, so it hurts for a moment and then suddenly not at all (we've watched a lot of Hot Ones so we know that folks are often not this lucky). And beyond conquering the pepper, the soup itself was delightful. The next dish was perhaps the star of the night for many, wara (a very specific type of cheese that is only well-known in Kwara). Ayo gets the milk for this cheese from Connecticut and makes it himself, serving it in some really delicious and warming tomato sauce. The texture is unlike anything you've had (paneer is the closest comparison I can think of) in the best possible way.Moving on, we had a pounded yam fish stew, which Ayo described as his version of mac and cheese. Total comfort food. Honestly, the texture was off-putting for me, but the flavors were great. And overall it was just fun to experience a dish I had never tried before, something so personal and meaningful for our chef. Finally, the heavenly maple syrup-roasted plantain with ice cream. Can't get better than that. Ayo recommends to eat it quickly, as it will "quickly turn into a milkshake". As I had hoped for, we had some great conversation with our table companions -- people we never would have met if we hadn't both coincidentally booked this particular night at Dept of Culture. I'm so happy that this place exists, and I hope it paves the way for more like to come onto the scene.
Be the first to ReplyA tasting menu from North-Central Nigeria.
Dept. of Culture may be quite unassuming on the outside as the minimal signage and dark blinds leave an air of mystery on Bed-Stuy's bustling Nostrand Ave. But once seated, you are guided through a culinary journey based on some of the the owner/Chef Ayo Balogun's foundest memories at home with his family. On top of that the menu changes every two weeks and is curated seasonly. Before each course you get a breakdown on the components of the plate & why each ingredient was paired together. This creates playful chatter across parties and really drives home the communal eating experience of the evening.We started with a pepper soup with red snapper filet. The soup was warming and had kick to it. And although the broth itself was served with only the fish and cilantro, it was very flavorful. Completely contrasting it's simple look. The fish was tender and meaty. Next we moved on to a Nigerian Cheese that is made with unpasteurized milk. It was served with a tomato puree. The dish was a nod to New York Cheese pizza. The cheese had a fresh taste to it, it was light and airy, familiar yet new.The final savory course of the night featured a very important ingredient -okra. It was the base in stew form, for pounded yam, smoked trout and another flakey white fish on top. The okra had a slick, almost slimy texture that was tamed by the thick pounded yam. This allowed for the flavor of the smoked trout to really stand out.Lastly we had a perfectly caramelized plantain, served warm with a scoop of vanilla cream. This was the perfect sweet treat to an even sweeter night. Great culinary experience for friends or perfect for date night for two. The restaurant is BYOB and reservation only so do prepare in advance. There are some whispers of Dept. of Culture opening on Tuesdays for a walk-in only, a la carte menu, be on the look out for that soon.
Be the first to ReplyAlthough people talk about this as though you are in
Although people talk about this as though you are in somebody's living room, it's really a store front. It's set up with a communal dining table at the front and the kitchen at the back which you can see while you're eating. There are also four seats at the bar. I would've been disappointed if we'd been seated at the bar, I think, since the whole point is the communal dining experience. Dept of culture is getting tons of press, and deservedly. It's wildly tasty food that you're unlikely to get anywhere else unless you're from North Central Nigeria. The restauranteur is a charming, loquacious host who talks you through your courses of which there are four - soup, starter, main, and dessert. Getting to know your fellow table mates depends on whom you're sitting next to that night but generally speaking I think people make the effort to connect. Only two critiques: it's BYOB but they don't tell you that in advance so everybody turned away at the door to go down the street to buy a bottle of wine or beer from the bodega. Also when I was dining we waited for a no-show which delayed everything by half an hour and then at the very end that meant they had to give us the bums rush out to set up for the second seating of the night. Other than that, a really special experience for a reasonable price $75 for the meal.
Be the first to ReplyThe New York restaurant scene scene is an amalgamation of
The New York restaurant scene scene is an amalgamation of cultures. Rarely does a concept come around that marries authenticity to elegance, approachability to sustainability- with a dose of good old 'diner with friends'. Ayo Balogun's tasting menu spot is what happens when we embrace our culinary specificity in all it's glory and share it through a subjective lens.Specializing in fare native to North Central Nigeria's Kwara State, Ayo takes diners through a narrated journey of how he crafted the menu and pivotal influences that shaped his worldview. For a window into his world look no further than the walls decorated with pictures of his grandparents who've made their own posthumous contributions to the menu you'll enjoy. On the Saturday night we visited the menu consisted of:Red Snapper Pepper Soup- A soul warming fish broth balanced with watercress Olu (Mushroom) Suya- Full disclosure I have a peanut allergy (which Ayo and his staff graciously asked about) so me and suya don't get along. However, my lady, who doesn't usually fancy mushrooms, raved about the crisp savory textureDodo- So dodo, or plantains as you might call them, were my replacement for the olu suya. These were prepared savory, seasoned and fried with a splash of hearty red (obe) sauce ( a gentle reminder of cross continental culinary ubiquity).Tuwo ati Gbegiri ati eja Alaran- This stew like dish consist of fermented fish over a dollop of north Nigerian fufu (imagine a starchy marriage of pudding and mash potatoes) resting in smooth gbegiri (bean) soup. It's a bold then mild dance of seafood, earthen flavors, spice and starch.Dodo ati Ice Cream- Dodo makes a sweet caramelized reappearance á la mode for dessert.It's BYOB but they won't let your cup run dry. Make a reservation and pull up. You will not regret this unique experience.
Be the first to ReplyHad a wonderful time at Dept of Culture last night! Unique
Had a wonderful time at Dept of Culture last night! Unique dining experiences like this are reminders of how lucky we are to live in this city.Coming from Houston which has one of the largest Nigerian populations in the US, I have quite fond memories of hanging out in Nigerian restaurants in Southwest Houston watching soccer, draped in the mugginess of a Texas summer, sweating profusely trying to balance out the spiciness of the food by drinking ice cold Vita Malts. So when I read about Dept of Culture after it was placed on The Infatuation's Hit List, I was intrigued. Reservations are all done online and pre-paid (where you can tip as well), so the actual night of dining is a payment-free encounter. There are two seatings, one at 6pm and another at 8:30pm. It is a set menu of four courses.The majority of diners sit at one big communal table at the front, which seats 12 people (looks like there are a few seats at the counter facing the kitchen). It honestly feels like you're at a cozy dinner party in someone's apartment. It's a beautiful space, decorated with artwork and family portraits personal to the owner-chef Ayo Balogun. There's a vinyl player piping in Afrobeats and his personal music collection that sets the mood.The meal started with a glass of complimentary wine which was nice. For now, it's BYOB, so can bring whatever you would like to drink - they even remind you of the BYOB status when you walk in!We had the following dishes on our night:Fish pepper soup: The spice is no joke, heavy on the cilantro (which I loved), a very clean broth, with a delightful piece of tender red snapper; a perfect salve from the frigid temperatures outside, and comforts the soulWara: Fried cheese curd with a spicy sauce; probably the best curd I've had! I kind of wish I could use his curds at home for my own recipes.Gbegiri: A yellow bean stew topped with some spicy fish; this one was rich and filling, very much comfort food at its finestPlantains and ice cream: a caramelized plantain topped with vanilla ice cream. Perfect way to close out the meal.Before each dish, Ayo describes why the dish is personal to him, interwoven with stories from his childhood and family, its origins in the Kwara state and what inspired it, and the unique way he sources his ingredients stateside. He has such a big and warm personality, and his passion comes through in the way he speaks about the restaurant. To be honest, the evening felt more like a way for Ayo Balogun to tell his story and to honor his background, with food just as a means to help illustrate - for that, the overall experience is 5 stars for me, and I'm excited at what he has in store for the restaurant going forward.
Be the first to Reply