Dinner ends with dodo — thick slices of plantain fried until dark and crispy on the outside, soft within. A generous dollop of vanilla ice cream melts into the warm plantain, creating a dessert that's both simple and satisfying. It's a dish Ayo ate throughout his childhood, and it's become the signature finish to the evening.
Every meal starts with this light but assertive soup — the kind locals eat when they come home from work before they cook dinner. Made with goat meat, onions, ginger, and Saint John's wort, it has enough chili peppers to make your throat boogie. Some versions feature flaky tilapia or hake with cilantro. It's both welcoming and challenging.
Tips from diners
Start with this and let your palate adjust to the heat. By the fourth course, you'll be ready for anything.
Wara is a traditional Yoruba cheese with a mild taste and squeaky texture. Here it's bathed in a complex sauce built from roasted peppers and tomatoes. The cheese's simplicity is the foil for a sauce that's both aromatic and fiery. A refined, elegant dish that shows what can be done with humble ingredients.
A refined take on a Yoruba staple. The pounded yam is velvety and yielding, paired with okra that's studded with two kinds of smoked fish — tilapia and another variety — creating layers of umami. It's comforting and complex at once, and shows the depth that Nigerian cooking achieves through technique and ingredient selection.
Ayo takes the traditional suya preparation — usually beef rubbed with ground peanuts and yaji spices — and swaps the meat for hearty trumpet mushrooms. The result is nutty, earthy, and still deeply flavorful, served on a bed of fresh cucumber slices. It's a vegetarian riff that doesn't feel like a compromise.
Tips from diners
Let Ayo know you're vegetarian when you book. He has versions of most courses that showcase vegetables with the same care as meat dishes.
Started as a COVID project in January 2021, Dept. of Culture is now a critically acclaimed intimate dining experience run by chef Ayo Balogun. Guests sit around a communal oak table while Ayo introduces each course from his childhood in Kwara, a north-central Nigerian state. The restaurant embraces BYOB and feels like a dinner party where strangers become friends over four courses of authentic Nigerian food.
Book 2 months in advance on Resy. Seats open exactly 8 weeks out and fill quickly for Thursday-Saturday seatings.
Bring wine or beer. BYOB is encouraged and you'll find yourself sharing your bottle with the entire table by the end of the meal.
There are only two seatings (6:00 PM and 8:30 PM) on four nights a week. The communal table seats fewer than 10 people, so the experience is intimate and the conversation inevitable.
The menu rotates weekly, so each visit features different dishes. If a specific course sounds unmissable, confirm it's on the menu before booking.
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