The TikTok-famous food critic Keith Lee wrapped up his North Texas food tour and posted reviews to nine restaurants. His method is to order takeout anonymously, eat it in his car, and then rate each dish on a scale of 1 to 10.
The restaurants he picked were recommended by locals + split into three categories:
- Places with good food and customer service, but need more marketing
- Popular local spots voted on by DFW locals
- Restaurants with diverse backgrounds
@keith_lee125 Taste Project taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Taste Community Restaurant, Fort Worth
Lee didn’t review the food at the restaurant because the place was packed and he “didn’t want to take away the shine off of the food or the mission.” However, he said the Taste Project was “one of the dopest restaurants he had ever seen” and donated $4,000. The Taste Project — known for its pay-what-you-can business model — is getting ready to open a second location in Arlington.
@keith_lee125 Halal Fusionz taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Halal Fusionz, Farmers Branch
Lee said he stopped by this Pakistani and Tex-Mex ghost kitchen concept after receiving an email from owner Ahmed Siyaji, which said Siyaji started the restaurants in his mother’s legacy after she passed away last January.
He was blown away by the food and ranked the Chipotle Cheema a 9.3. He also tipped $1,000 and tripled the sweepstakes the restaurant is running online for people who leave reviews.
- Items reviewed: Birria taco, mango mojito mocktail, paneer tika taco, and chipotle Cheema
@keith_lee125 Hutchins Bbq taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Hutchins BBQ, Frisco
Lee picked the barbecue joint — which has locations in Dallas and Frisco — after 17,000 social media followers told him to visit.
Lee said the pork ribs were some of the best he’s had and gave them a 9.5 rating. The peach cobbler was so good it had him swearing — “This is f---ing phenomenal,” he said of the dessert, which he gave a 9.
- Items reviewed: Texas twinkle, brisket, regular sausage, pork ribs, potato salad, peach cobbler
@keith_lee125 Terry Blacks Bbq taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Terry Black’s Barbecue, Dallas
Lee said he picked Terry Black’s as one of his Dallas stops after it was recommended by more than 10,000 people in an Instagram poll. He stopped by the Deep Ellum location and his highest rating was for the brisket, which scored an 8.5.
- Items reviewed: Mac and cheese, ribs, original sausage, jalapeno sausage, turkey, brisket, and cornbread
@keith_lee125 Thunderbird Pizza taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Thunderbird Pies, Dallas
At the Detroit-style pizza spot — owned by the group behind Cane Rosso and Zoli’s — Lee tried three of the restaurant’s pizzas and a few sides, with his favorite being the buffalo wings and banana pepper ranch which he rated a 7.
- Items reviewed: Fried Brussels sprouts, Buffalo Wings with Banana Pepper Ranch, goat pizza, Budd pizza, small Connie pizza
@keith_lee125 #doordashpartner CeeZoos Bar & Lounge taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
CeeZoos, Dallas
Lee said he picked the family-owned South Dallas restaurant because it wasn’t well-known to locals, noting that the customer service was good, but the restaurant was empty for brunch. He said he spent $75 on several dishes, but his favorite was the chicken and waffles, which was rated an 8.
- Items reviewed: Breakfast patties (salmon) with grits and toast, lamb chops with eggs, cheesy rice, and toast + chicken and waffles
@keith_lee125 #stitch with @brunchaholics_ Brunchaholics taste test 💕 would you try it ? #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Brunchaholics, Desoto
The brunch spot sells “over the top soul food” and got rave reviews from Lee who tried both versions of the Soul Food Burrito — one with fried chicken and one with fried catfish — and rated them 8.8 and 9, respectively.
- Items reviewed: Cat Fish and Fries Platter, chicken soul food burrito, and catfish soul food burrito
@keith_lee125 Absolutely Edible Cakes taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Absolutely Edible Cakes & Catering, Rowlett
The bakery and catering company owner Nikita Collins Jackson enlisted the support of others to encourage Lee to come to her business, where she’d be in a custom t-shirt for his arrival.
The shop is known for crazy custom cakes and the “Sweet Potato Thang.” Lee, who says he doesn’t typically like sweets, gave the Sweet Potato Pie with a graham cracker crust one of his highest ratings of all time for a dessert, a 9.1.
- Items reviewed: Sweet potato thang and red velvet cake
@keith_lee125 #stitch with @Ignoranttrey Sweetly Seasoned taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Sweetly Seasoned Food Trailer and Catering, Garland
Lee visited the food truck Sweetly Seasoned after he received requests from the owner’s son. In addition to sharing feedback about the food, Lee shared constructive advice on how to enhance business, including how to up their marketing game to drive sales, and advised them to get more workers in the kitchen.
- Items reviewed: Pulled pork sandwich, ribs, jerk tacos, banana pudding
