Is it safe to say that the District鈥檚 food scene earned a D or C grade level from popular food critic, ?
In a posted to his TikTok on Aug. 26, Lee, known on social media for highlighting small businesses and providing honest food reviews, opened up about his latest experience visiting numerous recommended restaurants in the DMV [District, Maryland, Virginia] area.
Despite recommendations and prior research, the content creator and his family were left unimpressed, particularly in the nation鈥檚 capital.
鈥淚 know we only posted about three spots from Washington, but we went to about 12,鈥 he confessed to his 16.5 million followers. 鈥淲e made a decision as a family and as a team, and also a personal decision, to not post most of them.鈥
The TikTok star explained that a lot of the videos were 鈥渘ot constructive at all鈥 and opted to limit exposure 鈥渙ut of privacy鈥 and protection of the restaurant owners.
He instead offered a montage of photos and clips from some of the unnamed restaurants, including a few he felt he was 鈥渙bviously not the target audience for.鈥 The montage revealed a few of the negatives Lee and his team discussed while dining, including unprofessional customer service and poor food preparation.
Nonetheless, the DMV did not disappoint entirely. Okonomi Asian Grille in Fairfax, Virginia rated a 8.5/10; Hong Kong Carryout in Southeast, D.C. received a 8.6; and Dukem, a classic Ethiopian restaurant on U Street was crowned 鈥渢he best food we鈥檝e had in D.C.鈥 in his Aug. 24
At Hong Kong Carryout on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast, D.C., Lee paid for neighbors to eat free.
He offered Okonomi $2,000 to pay for free food for customers, in addition to $1,000 to help the restaurant recover from recent fake DoorDash scams.
Dukem Ethiopian restaurant on U Street NW, Lee crowned 鈥渢he best food we鈥檝e had in D.C,鈥 noting its 鈥渞obust sauce鈥 and 鈥渆arthy taste鈥 in food. Lee gifted $1000 worth of food for following customers, plus $500 in individual tips to the restaurant owners.
The former MMA fighter remained committed to giving back to the DMV鈥檚 restaurant community. In a culmination of food orders, generous tips and community donations, Lee and his team were able to 鈥渟ow $30,000 to various restaurants around the DMV,鈥 according to the Aug. 26 TikTok post.
In his now viral video, he also criticized media outlets for minimizing the positive impact of his DMV tour.
鈥淎 lot of media outlets picked up on the fact that I said restaurants out here, in my opinion, tend to lean towards promoting alcohol more than promoting food. That鈥檚 the headlines more than us being in the actual city and being blessed enough to touch the people that we鈥檝e touched,鈥 he said.
As social media to Lee鈥檚 transparent take on Washington鈥檚 food scene, some agreed with his thoughts, while others questioned his recommendation sources as a whole.
One user on X (formerly known as Twitter) voiced that Lee鈥檚 experience would be different if he, himself, was not so restricted.
鈥淭wo things can [be] true,鈥 read the . 鈥淵es, the D.C. food scene isn鈥檛 all that it鈥檚 cracked out to be. However, Keith Lee鈥檚 palate is a bit limited and how he chooses to eat the food, takeout in the car, makes it challenging to fully experience some restaurants.鈥
As the Detroit, Michigan native made his way to Baltimore, according to , there鈥檚 speculation of a positive review for the Jamaican food chain Jerk at Nite, which has several locations in the nation鈥檚 capital. Based on an Instagram from the local food chain, Lee visited and offered 鈥渁 kind-hearted donation鈥 earlier last week that prompted the eatery to give out 200 free meals at the Langdon location on Aug. 27.
鈥淸Ten] years ago, we were selling food out of our dorm [at Howard University] and now we鈥檙e here,鈥 read the caption. 鈥淸Lee] heard about us being a Howard University and D.C. community staple so we made sure he tasted our perseverance and passion on every plate. We hope we made D.C. proud!鈥