Kultura Charleston — Restaurant in Charleston

I don't really even know where to begin with this one. I will say that the food could have been outstanding. However, the service experience was so poor that there was no way we could have enjoyed any of it; and for that, it's 1 star.

We made the patio reservation a month ago when the weather was supposed to be warmer. There was a note that said they'd cancel for inclement weather or try to accommodate indoors. No problem there. Turns out that it was 34 degrees though, so they called a couple hours before and asked if we were still ok coming. He said they had patio heaters and blankets, but to dress warm since it would be colder than normal. We'd seen photos of multiple larger style heaters online and he didn't make it seem like a big deal, so we went.

He greeted us with a snide joke about showing up in the cold...and then we saw why. The promised "heaters" was one small indoor space heater. Like the kind you put under your desk at work. It did zilch in 34 degrees open air for 6 people. His response was that he tried to tell us (except he really didn't with any reasonable accuracy). There were two more inadequate heaters being commandeered by a table of two and that was it for the whole patio. In response to our comment that we wouldn't have come if we'd known the true situation, he made a scene of going over and asking the other table for one of their heaters - it was embarrassing and they declined, so it didn't help anything. In hindsight, we should have just left, but we were there and decided to stick it out.

Our server also seemed annoyed to be outside with no heat, but more problematic was that he did not seem at all knowledgeable. We had a one person with dietary restrictions and though the Kultura website showed several options for her, he was unaware of any of them. He said "he wasn't in charge of the Resy" (?) and that he'd go ask, but he never did. So she ordered sort of randomly and hoped for the best. He spilled wine on the table when pouring, which I later discovered dripped through and stained my shoe. He simply said "oops" and then didn't wipe it up. He seemed not to notice that without the light from actual functional heaters, it was so dark we couldn't read the menus or appreciate the presentation of the dishes. I honestly could go on and on, but suffice it to say that service continued to be awkward throughout, with several more "I feel like he should know that" moments. No one ever apologized for anything or tried to improve the situation - instead, they just continued to act like we were idiots for showing up.

Onto the food, it is meant for a more family style dinner, but since our share plates were ice cold and we didn't want to draw out the dinner, we chose to order individually. The food comes out as it's ready though, which meant that half of us were done eating before the other half got their food. Everything was cold after the first bite, though I did like the flavor of the dishes.

At the end, we got our check, which included a 20% gratuity (website says that for parties of 7 or more, but we had 6). He did not disclose this and I'm sure was hoping we didn't see it. There was also a 9% sales tax (expected), a 4% service fee, and a 2% hospitality fee. The latter of the two were also not disclosed on their website that we could find. After paying with a card, there was a section for more tip -18% and up and calculated on the total plus the already included 20% tip. So they wanted us to tip on the tip after they already added a tip and two random service and hospitality fees. The inflated check just capped off a poor experience that could have been totally avoided if they'd have just been honest about the heater situation when...

“A dish well-prepared is a source of joy”

Filipinos take great pride in their cooking and this popular saying expresses the care and attention Filipinos give to food. Every meal is treated as an art form, prepared with love and precision.

This rings true at Kultura Charleston on Spring St (soon moving to a bigger space on Rutledge)

We were blown away by the flavors and the colors of the dishes we had last night. Chef Nikko Cagalanan really has it dialed in!

We had 3 of the 4 Small Plate offerings and 3 of the 5 Large plate offerings:

Kinilaw- Yellowfin Tuna with Coconut Leche, Mint, and a touch of lime Zest. The fish was reminiscent of a light ceviche.

Rellenong Sili- Cubanelle Pepper stuffed with Pork and Crab Sweet Garlic Longganisa with a Roasted Pepper Soubise

Enasaladang Talong- Roasted Eggplant salad topped with Piquante Peppers, Lychee, Pickled Raisins, Grapes, and Smoked (Salmon??) Roe dressed with Miso Vinaigrette. A refreshing and vibrant work of art on a plate.

Adobong Dilaw- Braised Duck Leg with Turmeric-Coconut Milk sauce, Kale Laing, Roasted Broccoli and Sticky Rice

Curry- Roasted Filet of Red Snapper, Rich Red Curry sauce,Shaved Carrot Salad, Fresh Herbs and Rice

Pork Asado- Peculiar Pig Farm Roasted pork Chop served with rich Assado sauce, Pineapple Mostarda, and Blistered Kale from Dog Patch Farms. Spectacular dish! We hade leftovers of this one but unfortunately we forgot to take them with us when we left🤦‍♂️ We were amazed when we received a phone call from the restaurant asking if we wanted them to hold it for us, but we had already travel to our next destination and couldn’t turn back.

This meal is in our top tier of favorite meals in Charleston we will be going to dine with them again and take folks who come visit us to show them how spectacular the food in Charleston is.

(keep your eyes open for when they move to Rutledge Ave but for now they are at:

Kultura Charleston 73 Spring St Unit...

I came in for my 5:00 reservation for 1 at 4:58 and was told at the door they were not yet open before I could even fully step inside. Naturally, I turned around to wait outside and gave them a few minutes. This made me feel very uncomfortable and I contemplated not coming back inside at all. At 5:03 I was sat in the back right next to the restroom where the server then assumed I’d be eating before she asked what I was interested in for the evening. And then continued to push food as I was waiting for my drink. Again this made me uncomfortable as I was only intending on having a few cocktails. I only had one drink because of the server’s insistence for me to get food. I ordered the mushroom toast, which was OK, nothing special. I had only budgeted to spend about $30 for the evening and I wanted to try a different cocktaill on the menu but decided against it because it was past my budget and I honestly just wanted to leave at this point, bummer.

I was very excited to treat myself to this but it felt like I had no control over my own experience from the moment I walked in…out… and back inside again.

All in all, the flavors and concept are there but the establishment seems wildly unprepared for service as they already had single counts of menu items before 5:30. And we’re missing things like herbs and lemon juice in their Garde Mange/ ready to eat(salad) station. I overheard all of this sitting at the bar. Where they discussed it in front of me.

Being a proud Charleston native, I initially wanted to tell my coworker and his girlfriend, who are from The Philippines, about Kultura. After my experience tonight, I now I fear they may also not have the most welcoming experience. Which I have been told is far more uncomfortable for someone traveling from outside the country.

Hope they can...