Where TikTok’s Favorite Food Critic Keith Lee Recommends to Eat in the West
Sixteen million followers trust his restaurant recommendations.
LeoPatrizi/Getty Images
The Keith Lee effect is no joke. After this food critic reviews a restaurant, business booms, and customers line up out the door.
Keith Lee was a career MMA fighter, “Killa,” before shifting his focus to social media. He started posting in late 2020 to work on his social anxiety, primarily posting family vlogs and cooking content. By 2021, he started posting the food reviews he’s known for today.
Now, he’s an influencer icon. With more than 16 million followers on TikTok, Lee is the one to look to when you want to explore local restaurants that might not always get the love they deserve. His viral videos bring attention to community spots, especially Black-owned and family businesses.
Lee is based in Las Vegas but travels around the country on food tours, immersing himself in the city to eat like a local would. He’ll have someone else order to avoid special treatment and then eats in his car, tasting and critiquing the food for the camera. His straightforwardness is what makes his reviews so entertaining—he’s honest and blunt in a deadpan tone, cracking jokes all the while.
Lee values constructive criticism: Whether it’s praise or suggestions about what went wrong, he spreads love and support alongside his restaurant recommendations. Down to the decimal, the reviews are detailed and tell you everything you need to know about the dining experience.
A perfect 10 for a dish is rare, but not impossible. Here are some of his favorites in the West:
Aroma Latin American Cocina
2877 N Green Valley Pkwy, Henderson, NV 89014
At this family-owned Latin American restaurant, the comfort food is full of “so many different flavors I’ve never tried before,” Lee says. He gave perfect scores to menu items like beef short ribs with mole sauce and the torta Oaxaca.
Lee says he received an email from the restaurant saying it almost had to close, but the influx of customers after the review was helping keep the doors open. Since Lee’s review, Aroma has earned the number one slot in Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Taco Spots 2023 and was a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Award.
Easy Street Burgers
4143 Lankershim Blvd, Studio City, CA 91602
Lee dubbed the regular double cheeseburger and double bacon cheeseburger as the best, but the jalapeño double cheeseburger was a close call at a 9.2. With super thin lacy patties “seasoned to perfection,” Lee says, “that’s the best burger I’ve ever had.”
Even Cardi B took note, collabing with Lee on TikTok to try the burgers for herself. Spoiler alert: She loved them, too.
Jazzy’s Kitchen
1331 N Cahuenga Blvd Suite LW12, Los Angeles, CA 90028
In search of some of the best soul food in Los Angeles? Look no further than this takeout-only dig in Hollywood.
For Lee, the cornbread took the crown, but the salmon plate (9.6) and lamb chop plate (9.7) hit the spot, too: “It’s one oven, it’s one stove, but the customer service is amazing. It really felt like you’re just going to one of your friend’s house and they’re cooking for you.”
303 In The Cut
4120 W Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
It’s the cheesecake sandwich that earned full marks from Lee, but don’t miss out on the cracklin’ fried chicken loaded fries (9.8) or classic Philly cheesesteak (9.7) from this American food truck right off the Las Vegas strip.
The father-and-son duo behind 303 In The Cut has now opened up a Centennial Las Vegas food truck and boasts more than 360,000 TikTok followers to serve “gourmet on the go.”
Frankensons
8334 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89123
Lee popped into Frankensons after he received an email from an employee at this family-owned restaurant in Las Vegas. Frankensons was struggling to even make rent but was selling out and appearing on the news soon after Lee’s rave review.
Diving into some lemon pepper sauce wings, Lee says, “This is one of the best wings I’ve ever had” while licking his fingers. He also enjoyed the pepperoni pizza (9.8) and classic Italian sub (9.6). The food was so good that Lee ends the video shouting “Yeah, Frank! I’m coming back and shaking your hand.”
