Keith Lee Says He Has Nothing "Constructive" to Say About Most of His D.C. Restaurant Stops

Food influencer Keith Lee isn't feeling very patriotic about his time taste-testing the food in Washington, D.C. but refuses to give TikTok the full tea.

Keith doesn't hold back when talking about the restaurants he loves (and hates) while on his food tours . Here's why he's choosing to stay quiet about D.C.

What did Keith Lee say about DC's food?

In August 2024, Keith and his family began their tour of restaurants in the DMV area. Like many of his tour stops, the restaurants were suggested by his millions of social media followers. Unfortunately, Keith admitted he didn't enjoy several of his supporters' suggestions.

On Aug. 26, he shared that while he visited 12 restaurants in DC, he and his "team" decided to post only some of them. Keith said he believed the reviews wouldn't be "constructive" due to his negative experiences.

The influencer then shared some clips of him trying the restaurants "before the narratives start" from social media commenters. He also refused to name the restaurants he gave poor reviews because he didn't think it was constructive. The clips showed him visibly upset with the food as he highlighted how one of his meals had a smell that "perforated the whole car" and recorded himself spitting out several restaurants' food. Keith then showed photos of unsavory food from places his fans recommended.

Keith reiterated he didn't want to call out the restaurants; he didn't want them to get negative attention. He then briefly mentioned how his comments about D.C. restaurants seemingly prioritizing their alcoholic drinks over food were reported by several outlets, including Blavity. D.C.-based rum distiller Todd Thrasher also called out Keith's "idiotic statement" in an interview with the Washington Post .

Despite the backlash, the content creator noted that he was "blessed enough" to give $30,000 of his money to multiple D.C. restaurants. He also said he enjoyed himself and would share the videos from the places he liked.