Is it safe to say that the District’s food scene earned a D or C grade level from popular food critic, Keith Lee?
In a video 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’s capital.
“I know we only posted about three spots from Washington, but we went to about 12,” he confessed to his 16.5 million followers. “We made a decision as a family and as a team, and also a personal decision, to not post most of them.”
The TikTok star explained that a lot of the videos were “not constructive at all” and opted to limit exposure “out of privacy” 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 “obviously not the target audience for.” 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 “the best food we’ve had in D.C.” in his Aug. 24 review.
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 “the best food we’ve had in D.C,” noting its “robust sauce” and “earthy taste” 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’s restaurant community. In a culmination of food orders, generous tips and community donations, Lee and his team were able to “sow $30,000 to various restaurants around the DMV,” 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.
“A 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’s the headlines more than us being in the actual city and being blessed enough to touch the people that we’ve touched,” he said.
As social media reacted to Lee’s transparent take on Washington’s 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’s experience would be different if he, himself, was not so restricted.
“Two things can [be] true,” read the tweet. “Yes, the D.C. food scene isn’t all that it’s cracked out to be. However, Keith Lee’s 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.”
As the Detroit, Michigan native made his way to Baltimore, according to Axios, there’s speculation of a positive review for the Jamaican food chain Jerk at Nite, which has several locations in the nation’s capital. Based on an Instagram post from the local food chain, Lee visited and offered “a kind-hearted donation” earlier last week that prompted the eatery to give out 200 free meals at the Langdon location on Aug. 27.
“[Ten] years ago, we were selling food out of our dorm [at Howard University] and now we’re here,” read the caption. “[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!”