CHARLESTON — A Filipino restaurant with a James Beard Award-nominated chef is ready for its next era.
Kultura, owned by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Nikko Cagalanan and Paula Kramer, will open at 267 Rutledge Ave. on Oct. 24. The restaurant is relocating to the former Chasing Sage space after two years at 73 Spring St.
Opening hours will be 5-10 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Reservations can be made by visiting resy.com.
Since debuting in July 2023, Kultura has racked up the accolades, earning “best new restaurant” honors in Esquire and Eater, as well as features in The New York Times and other national publications. The restaurant’s success helped Cagalanan earn a James Beard Award finalist nod in the Emerging Chef category last year.
Cagalanan’s cooking has been lauded for its creative twists on traditional Filipino preparations. The move will provide the chef, who was born and raised in the Philippines before immigrating to the U.S. in 2011, with a larger kitchen space and dining room to showcase his brand of Southeast Asian cooking.
The new restaurant will feature a full cocktail program and a range of new dishes, such as kare kare with grilled American wagyu ribeye, and arroz Valenciana, a Filipino-style paella scattered with pork, shrimp, seared scallops and grilled sweet peppers.
“With a larger kitchen, I finally have the opportunity to create dishes that showcase more of the flavors and techniques I’ve carried with me from the Philippines,” Cagalanan said in a press release. “These new plates allow us to push boundaries while still honoring the recipes that shaped who I am as a chef.”
Cagalanan and Kramer have worked tirelessly this summer to prepare the new location for opening. It features Spanish tiles, woven rattan walls, live plants and other details that nod to Filipino culture.
What’s next on Spring Street
As one door is opening, another is closing — but not for long.
Kultura will serve its last meal at 73 Spring St. on Oct. 20 to prepare for the opening on Rutledge Avenue. Pop-ups will take over the old location for the duration of the year before Cagalanan and Kramer unveil a fresh new concept.
Asheville, N.C.-based chef Luis Martinez will serve Oaxacan-inspired breakfast burritos, pancakes, chilaquiles and more throughout November. The daytime concept, which will also offer dinner twice a week, is named Xolo after an ancient — and hairless — breed of Mexican dog.
In December, Charleston-born chef, food writer and cultural curator Amethyst Ganaway will highlight Southern food rooted in African American traditions through a concept named Bramble.
After the New Year, Cagalanan and Kramer will transform the space into Bareo, a casual destination dedicated to dumplings and kakigōri, a Japanese-style shaved ice with a creamy consistency. The decor and vibe, described as a “street-stall-meets-retro-bar aesthetic,” aim to honor the cultural vibrancy in the Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood of downtown Charleston.