If you’re chronically online like we are, chances are you’ve heard of the famous TikTok food critic, Keith Lee, coming to Seattle to sample our finest fares. He’s one of the most popular food influencers on TikTok with over 16.7 million followers. The “Keith Lee Effect” is in full force once again after he posted his honest reviews for many local Seattle spots on TikTok. Often restaurants report a large uptick in sales after a positive review following one of his famous taste tests.
But as usual, many of his followers had strong opinions on his restaurant choices and subsequent reviews. Here are all of the Seattle spots he hit up for taste tests while visiting the PNW.
1. FOB Sushi Bar
Keith Lee’s first stop in Seattle was FOB Sushi Bar which serves sushi by the pound. While Lee’s initial review was quite good, the online comments prompted the restaurant to briefly close. But they reopened just this past week on Dec. 3. You can read more about their big re-opening here.
📍Where: 2101 4th Ave, Seattle, WA
2. King’s BBQ House
Keith Lee headed to Chinatown to grab a whole duck from the window at King’s BBQ House. He even got the duck head for free! 🦆He said it was “seasoned to perfection…juicy and tender.”
📍Where: 303 12th Ave S, Seattle, WA
3. Tiny’s Organic at Pike Place Market
Lee then sampled Tiny’s Organic at Pike Place Market. Their tasty, world-famous organic hot apple cider and cold-pressed apple cider is a Seattle favorite, and Lee agreed! He commented that it tasted like “liquid applesauce.”
📍Where: 85 Pike Street Seattle, WA
4. Senait Ethiopian Restaurant
Lee received an email recommending this local Ethiopian spot, and Senait Ethiopian Restaurant did not disappoint. While eating Ethiopian food with your hands in a car is not exactly an easy endeavor, Lee managed to do it with grace and elegance as usual. And he stated that the flavor was “super deep…super spicy”
📍Where: 3114 NE 125th St, Seattle, WA
5. Top 5 Seattle Teriyaki Chicken Spots
Lee actually tried 5 different teriyaki chicken restaurants around Seattle. He only tried the teriyaki chicken plates at each place in order to have a more balanced taste test.
Lee commented that it was “very tangy and a little sour.”
📍Where: 1706 Rainier Ave S. Seattle, WA
Ranier Teriyaki claims to be “the best teriyaki in town.” After his first bite, Lee said that this place focuses on “the char on the chicken… and it’s more sweet than it is sour.”
📍Where: 3330 Rainier Ave S Seattle, WA
Lee commented that he definitely tasted “the char… the crispiness. The rice is cooked well.”
📍Where:4710 42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA
Toshi’s Teriyaki has been serving up teriyaki chicken since 1985. Lee said it had a “more smoky, more like woodsy flavored.”
📍Where: 10618 Main Street Bellevue, WA
Lee stated that in his opinion “it is the best chicken…the chicken is seasoned to perfection.”
📍Where: 17203 15th Ave NE Shoreline, WA
6. Hood Famous Bakeshop
Lee tried a little bit of everything from the famous Filipino spot, Hood Famous Bakeshop, but it was the ube cheesecake that stole the show. Lee said it was “the butter-iest cheesecake I’ve ever had in my life. They don’t skimp on the ube at all.”
📍Where: 504 5th Ave S, Suite 107A, Seattle, WA