Earlier this month, viral restaurant critic Keith Lee announced a trip to the Carolinas, and he just finished up in North Carolina. Here’s where he went when — and wish he could have gone — in Oak City.
- A Place at the Table
- Corner Boys BBQ
- Cook Out
- Madame B’s Bakery
- Hibachi Papi in Clayton
Although Lee was unable to visit Madame B’s on Atlantic Avenue personally, owner Shanae Bryant was so excited about Lee’s Raleigh visit that Lee had to give her a personal shoutout, even without a taste test. According to her TikTok, Bryant has already seen some of the Keith Lee effect over her baked goods.
Although he might be done in Raleigh, keep an eye on the food reviewer’s Carolina travels using our handy Keith Lee tracker, including your top recommendations for the viral foodie.
Lee gave A Place at the Table’s chicken and waffles with a spicy hot honey drizzle an eight out of ten and compared it to a high-end brunch entree. Plus, Lee paid it forward and gave graduating high schooler Zach and his mom a $1,000 scholarship.
“Zach, our beloved 18-year-old, is always on TikTok, and he told us last week. He was like, ‘Oh my God, I saw a video that Keith Lee is coming to North Carolina. We’ve got to get in here,’” Maggie Kane, owner of A Place at the Table, told RALtoday.
Kane said after her team posted about wanting a visit from Lee, the community showed up for APATT, and Lee visited on Tuesday.
“We got a couple calls today of people that said, “Hey, I heard about y’all, how does the pay-what-you-can work? What if I bring my family? I see, you can eat for free once a week.’ I thought that was really cool,” Kane said.
After a positive review from Lee, local restaurants report a “Keith Lee effect,” including wrap-around lines and business doubling. His recent stop at Clayton’s Hibachi Papi earned top marks, and the stop has already reported long lines.
Lee and his family have traveled the country in search of the best food around, especially from Black-owned and family-operated restaurants, and his videos garner millions of views from his 17 million followers.
