Superstar TikTok Food Critic Keith Lee Is Now a Texas Resident

Keith Lee, the famous TikTok food critic who travels around the country reviewing restaurants, has officially become a Texas resident.

In a video he posted to TikTok on Saturday, November 2, Lee said that he tried to keep the move a secret, but “the cat’s out the bag.” After living in Las Vegas for a decade, Lee has relocated to Texas with his wife and kids.

“I moved to Vegas when I was 18. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” says the former martial arts fighter. But soon, he found his way, he says. He met his wife, started a family, and began doing food reviews in his kid’s Paw Patrol chair before graduating to his car. Now, he has more than 16 million followers and counting. “And not only have those food reviews played a pivotal role in changing me and my family’s lives, but over 150 family’s lives across the nation in less than a year,” he says.

In the video, which has amassed over 3 million views, the Detroit native says his career has enabled him to become the first generation in his family to purchase a home. He added that he took a break for family time and moving, but also because he was frustrated by the “unjust criticism” he and his family had received from commenters online. “The Internet can quickly shift from something that’s fun and beyond enjoyable to quickly reaching an audience that would never see your point of view or understand where you’re coming from, and that’s what I feel like we reached,” he said. “It was to a point where it was really affecting me.”

But now Lee is ready to get back to work: He says the next month will be extremely busy. “My main mission for this next month is having fun,” he says.

So, where exactly has he moved to? Lee has been coy about his residency so far. Without revealing the city, he says, “If you see me and you want to speak, be my guest.” The comment section is overwhelmingly filled with messages reading “Welcome to Texas,” with some users beginning to speculate on his city of choice. “Where in Texas?? We gotta know if you chose Dallas or Houston!” one user wrote.

The food influencer has spent a significant amount of time in Texas, but it’s fair to say Houston could be a likely contender for his new home if it were based on his food reviews alone. Lee ranked Houston the second-best food city in the country (behind New Orleans) following his visits last year. “I can’t think of one spot in Houston that we didn’t love,” Lee said in a video. Locals excitedly anticipated Lee’s moves as he made his rounds in the city in November, visiting places like Stick Talk Cajun-Hibachi, a favorite of Olympian Simone Biles; Butter Funk Kitchen in Sunnyside, The Breakfast Klub in Midtown; Pearland dessert shop the Puddery, and Mezza Grille. He even fit in time for a local cook, Ishmael Wilson, @htxfoodplug on Instagram, who whipped up some Hot Cheetos Boudin Balls for Lee to try.

Lee also made an appearance in Dallas in early October, visiting the State Fair, where he tried out the annual festival’s fair food, including steak kabobs, cotton candy bacon, turkey leg tacos, and a brisket sandwich (most foods received around a 5 rating, though the brisket sandwich got an 8). In February, he did a more thorough tour of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, hitting up restaurants like CeeZoos, Brunchaholics, Roots Southern Table, and Terry Black’s Barbecue, where he left critical reviews.

Possibly more fascinating than his reviews, though, are his methods and influence, which people have referred to as the “Keith Lee Effect.” Lee is particular about the restaurants he chooses and often platforms for Black-owned businesses. He strives to remain anonymous while visiting the restaurants, either ordering his food through delivery under another name or sending family members in to retrieve his takeout dishes. More than that, though, his online presence has had an undeniable impact. Each of his videos garner hundreds of thousands of views, bringing more attention — what he calls “blessings” — to small businesses and restaurants with smaller followings, many of which have gone viral following his review. Lee also proves to be a big tipper, frequently leaving upward of $500 for good service or for restaurant owners who have noted struggling in the current economic climate.

On the brink of her restaurant closing, Lee left Janel Prator, the owner of the Puddery, a $2,000 tip and rave reviews about her Oreo “Craffle” (croissant waffle). The videos garnered over 20 million views on TikTok, and lines were out the door of the Puddery following Lee’s visit. (Prator had to close her shop to regroup and hire more employees before finally reopening.) “This man literally changed my life and [he] didn’t want anything in return. It’s very rare that someone is willing to come and help you and not want anything in return. I think people can pick up on that. They trust that he’s not going to lie,” Prator told Eater.com following Lee’s visit.

There’s the flip side, of course — negative reviews can have repercussions, too. Lee’s less-than-stellar views of Atlanta’s dining scene (he rated it last out of all the cities he visited last year) left some diners feeling scorched, according to an Eater Atlanta report.

And while some criticize Lee for posting somewhat basic reviews, in which he frequently describes food as “delicious” and “not so delicious,” it’ll be interesting to see how his presence in Texas could affect the local dining scene here, especially as Michelin makes its way into town this month.