Keith Lee in Milwaukee; popular social media food critic spotted

Popular TikTok food critic Keith Lee stops in Milwaukee

Food critic and influencer Keith Lee was spotted in Milwaukee over the weekend.

MILWAUKEE - Food critic and influencer Keith Lee has millions of followers and a reputation for making and breaking restaurants with just one TikTok review.

He spent his weekend in Milwaukee. Social media has been buzzing about Lee's visit.

Local perspective:

Jacy Glazier, an up-and-coming content creator, saw Lee while heading to Bastille Days. The next day, she posted online.

"I look out my window and I’m like, that’s Keith Lee, and my boyfriend is like, no it's not, and I’m like, yes it is," Glazier said. "Right now, it’s over 200,000 views on TikTok and I think around 35,000 likes."

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Lee often brings attention to mom-and-pop restaurants with his popular reviews.

Listed as one of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2024, he has over 17 million followers on TikTok.

"I felt like I was meant to see him because I’m trying to do this content creation," Glazier said.

Lee’s manager commented under the video that he was in town for her wedding. But his taste buds couldn’t resist a few surprise stops, including at Carnevor.

What they're saying:

"He just walked in and wanted a table and wanted to enjoy dinner," Carnevor owner Omar Shaikh said. "I will be frank; I didn’t know who he was and my staff started freaking out."

But the excitement built from there.

"I look up and I’m like, ‘oh my God.’ [...] and I said, ‘you’re…’ and he was like, ‘yeah,’" host Olivia Smetana said.

Foodies across Milwaukee are hoping his visit shines a spotlight on the city’s flavor.

"I’ll be honest, at first it’s a little bit nerve-wracking because you want to be on your best [behavior]," general manager Mark Hemminger said. "They were down to Earth, like they weren’t coming in like, ‘hey, I’m Keith Lee."

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It is currently unclear if Lee filmed any content, but he also visited Room Service in Bay View.

"It’s fun to see Milwaukee is kind of being put on the map and people are paying attention because Keith Lee was here," Smetana said.