TikTok Food Critic Keith Lee Complains About D.C. Dining Scene

Foodies in Washington, D.C. are firing back at Keith Lee after his overwhelmingly negative experience in the district that included him trying “about 12” establishments with disappointing results.

Source: Prince Williams / Getty

The famous food TikToker took to the social media platform to talk about his experience while trying restaurants in D.C., admitting he has only “posted about three spots from Washington, but we went to about twelve, and we made a decision as a family and as a team and also a personal decision to not post most of them.”

“Out of those twelve, I probably only have one or two more that I will post,” he continued. “A lot of those videos are not constructive at all.”

Lee also complained about the apparent focus on alcohol at many of the restaurants he tried, saying, “All their restaurants are geared directly towards alcohol,” while parked outside Cane on H Street NE. “If you don’t drink, it seems like it’s slim pickings.”

Regular foodies and industry professionals alike were surprised by Keith’s complaints, wondering where he actually went and where he got these recommendations.

Todd Thrasher, a bartender turned rum distiller, fought back against Lee’s review in a statement to The Washington Post, insisting: “You can’t say a whole city sucks because you have to drink to eat. That’s an idiotic statement.”

After listing several restaurants in D.C. he’s visited lately without having to drink, Thrasher went on to accuse Lee of trying to create controversy for views.

“It’s just people trying to stir things up to get their followers up,” Thrasher said. “God knows we’ve got to get some likes, right?”

At 16.5 million followers, Lee obviously doesn’t need a boost, and a lot of folks in his comments agree that D.C. isn’t exactly a haven for good food.

“The DMV is not known for food,” one fan commented. “We have seafood (crabs), mumbo sauce, and brunch…… that’s it.”

Another added, “He’s not lying about the alcohol thing. DC restaurants spend a lot of time on their bar menu but the food is mediocre.”

Other people like Washington Mystics/ Warriors DJ, DJ Heat, have said that Keith was simply misguided in the places he chose to visit, saying the places he went to were some that locals had never even heard of.

Despite some backlash, Lee has yet to respond to fans upset over his negative review.