How TikTok star Keith Lee rated Phoenix fry bread and tacos: Never tried anything like this
Keith Lee, a former MMA fighter and current social media food critic with 17 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, has been in Arizona for about a week after teasing his arrival in late February.
Last week, he posted videos spotlighting two Mesa restaurants — Republica Empanada and Myungrang Hotdogs — and Ace of Wingz in Phoenix. All three restaurants experienced a boom in business after Lee's reviews were posted online.
Over the weekend, Lee posted two more videos from his dining adventures in metro Phoenix, in which he finally tried Arizona staples — Mexican food and Navajo frybread.
Here's what Keith Lee thought of Juanderful Tacos and Hope's Frybread.
Juanderful Tacos
The first Mexican restaurant Lee visited in Phoenix was a recommendation he got via a TikTok by PantherEats, which touted the restaurant as a "hidden gem."
Lee visited Juanderful Tacos and ordered four tacos: pollo, asada, queso pollo and cabeza.
"This is exactly what I was expecting when I said I was coming to Arizona. Tacos, tacos, tacos," Lee said.
After biting into the first queso pollo taco, Lee immediately made a satisfied face and rated the taco 8.7 out of 10. He rated the regular pollo taco the same. He gave the asada taco an 8.3 out of 10 and the cabeza a 7 out of 10.
Commenters on his Instagram post expressed delighted shock at the sheer amount of salsa Lee added to his tacos, many with laughing emojis.
The red salsa was too spicy for him, but Lee said the tacos were still "absolutely delicious."
"Overall, I don't know how this is a hidden gem," Lee said.
On Monday morning, Juanderful Tacos posted an Instagram story preparing for what the small business anticipated to be "the busiest Monday in the history of Mondays."
Details: 3650 W. Camelback Road, Suite 1, Phoenix. juanderfultacos.com.
Hope's Frybread
Lee also stopped by Hope's Frybread, which he said was "one of the number one recommended things to try" in Arizona.
He ordered original frybread, a Navajo burger and a Navajo taco.
After trying the plain frybread, he said, "it's bread. It's good bread, but it's bread," and rated it 7 out of 10. Some commenters on TikTok said he should have tried it with powdered sugar and honey.
He loved the Navajo taco, which he said was "delicious" and rated 8.2 out of 10. His wife argued it could have been 8.6 out of 10.
"I haven't ever had anything that tastes like this," he said.
The last thing he tried was the Navajo taco. He gave it a 6.5 out of 10 because he said it was soggy, even though the flavor was good. Once again, his wife rated it slightly higher, at 7 out of 10.
On Monday morning, Hope's Frybread posted an Instagram story thanking Lee for trying the restaurant.
"We cannot even begin to imagine how this is going to bless us. Thank you so much @keith_lee25 and family! You're doing such awesome work with your platform," the post said.
Details: 144 S. Mesa Dr., Suite E, Mesa. 480-465-2666, hopesfrybread.com.
Read the other reviews: TikTok critic Keith Lee reviewed 2 metro Phoenix restaurants. What he ate, how they ranked
Who is Keith Lee?
Keith Lee started posting food reviews on TikTok in 2021. His videos are unique in that they all take place in his car. He's explained in the past that he sends in a member of his family to pick up takeout and eats it in his car so as to maintain anonymity for an experience closer to that of an average customer.
His TikTok videos have garnered over 700 million likes and he's gotten so popular, the uptick in business at a restaurant he reviews has been dubbed "The Keith Lee" effect by Bon Appetit.
The 'Keith Lee' effect: Keith Lee review of Ace of Wingz in Phoenix has fans heated. But owner still feels 'blessed'
Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Keith Lee visits Juanderful Tacos and Hope's Frybread in metro Phoenix
