TikTok food reviewer Keith Lee has gained millions of followers all over the world, but his London tour hasn’t gone smoothly, as his harsh take has left the internet torn
UK restaurants have been put to the ultimate test and some Brits aren’t happy with the results.
Keith Lee, 28, has become a TikTok sensation, known for his brutally honest food reviews. With over 16 million followers, his opinion is hugely respected across the world after building his reputation for unbiased opinions and refusing special treatment and free meals that could influence his review.
Many Brits were eager for his UK food tour, especially since Americans often judge British cuisine. However his harsh criticism of a full English breakfast did not go down well.
The content creator explained that he was getting the meal for free as part of the package at his hotel. It included scrambled eggs, baked beans, bacon, mushroom, a hash brown, some vine tomatoes, and black pudding, which he had never tried before. The review started off well, as he said the eggs were cooked well.
However he slammed the hashbrown for being ‘greasier’ than McDonald’s’ offering before giving the bacon a solid 7/10. However the review took a turn when he tried baked beans for the first time. “There is no flavour other than sweet ketchup and they’re mushy,” he told his followers.
“There is no seasoning. In my opinion, this is extremely low. 1/10.” The worst part of his taste test came with the black pudding, which he scathingly said “literally tastes like blood”. The clip then showed him running to the bathroom to spit it out before returning to the camera to say the ingredients were “extremely unsettling.”
One TikToker responded: “Unfortunately I now don’t trust your reviews”. Another Brit reasoned: “As a Brit, please put the beans on the plate and have a little bit of everything on a fork! no one eats it one piece of food at a time”. Others criticised his experience of the review, saying: “as a chef from the UK you’ve completely missed the point of a full English, go to a local cafe (greasespoon) on a hangover and you’ll see the beauty :)”.
With that said, TikTokers urged him to try a ‘proper’ English breakfast, which saw Keith then visit Terry’s Cafe, where he gave a much more positive review. He was pleased with the freshness of the food and now understands the difference between catering at a hotel compared to restaurant quality.
It was far from his highest rated dish, but many were glad a full English had been redeemed in his eyes. His review of Spudbro’s went down worse. After trying a tuna, beans and cheese jacket potato, Keith was far from impressed and spat it out on camera. Many fans questioned why he was recommended the combination and felt if he had picked another dish, he may have felt different about a jacket potato.
Since then, he has been expanding his tour and visiting more ethnic restaurants in the UK. The reviews of Caribbean, African and Asian cuisine have been his highest reviews in London, a stand out review is when he visited a Caribbean restaurant. Maureen’s Kitchen where he praised the bold flavours and gave the highest score so far, a 9.2. He saw the company give out food to children after school and to contribute, he paid £2,000, half for children and the other for anyone who would like to eat.
He also gifted The Flygierans, in Peckham after they attempted to give him his food for free but he requested to pay £1,000 instead, reinforcing his reputation as someone who supports businesses and not just critique. The rest of the spots he has visited have continued to receive high reviews.
But he had a very different career before becoming one of the most trusted food critics on TikTok – he was an MMA fighter known as “Killa.” He turned to social media during the pandemic and when he first started his page in 2020, he was posting family content and cooking videos.
In 2021, he changed his content and started reviewing establishments and gained a following for his soft spoken yet unfiltered approach. His review style is very unique in that he usually doesn’t visit the restaurant himself and instead, has his family members place anonymous orders to ensure he can experience the same service and food that any regular customer would get.
Keith has proven his words are impactful and has the ability to turn a business around overnight. One restaurant that proved this is an American dessert shop, the Puddery, which only saw two customers a day before the owner urged Keith to visit her store. After his visit, she received an overwhelming demand and, within weeks, had to relocate to a bigger location.
While his honest opinion is often praised, he also has the power to make or break a company and he proved that when one review accidentally led a Sushi bar to temporarily close down after fans speculated they saw a worm in his food. Although Keith stated he did not see anything moving and had no intention to harm the business. The restaurant has since reopened.