MESA, Ariz. — Keith Lee is officially in Arizona.
The TikTok food critic with millions of followers rates food and customer service from small restaurants around the U.S. and his presence can put an entire region on high alert. After his reviews, the restaurants are usually slammed with business— what's now being called "the Keith Lee effect."
Lee recently asked for restaurants to try in Arizona and was inundated with responses.
His first stop? Republica Empanada in Mesa. The review has been seen more than 1.9 million times in less than 24 hours.
Why did he choose Republica Empanada and what did he order?
Keith Lee said his family was invited to the small restaurant while his wife, Ronni Lee, was shopping at a shoe store. She said they would stop by but did not tell the person when (to keep the mystery of Lee being the one ordering the food).
"My family said the customer service was good," Lee said in his review video on TikTok.
The Lees ordered several empanadas, including:
- Mushroom chicken empanada
- Nutella and banana empanada
- Ruiz's pieces (Nutella and peanut butter)
- Jalapeno popper
- Cubana
The whole order was $25.35.
The reviews
Cubana
Lee started by trying the Cubana.
"It looks like it's fried real well," Keith Lee said before taking a bite. Then... a look of terror.
"What is that... that's not lobster is it?" he asks his wife. (Lee had to cut his food reviews short in the Bay Area after being hospitalized due to a shellfish allergy.)
After confirming it was ham and after a big sigh of relief, he continued to eat the empanada.
"I would've been more mad if it was lobster because it is... damn good," Keith Lee said. "It's fresh, this oil is fresh, you can tell they change that oil every time they make something. This is not like, middle-day oil.
"It's just fresh ingredients they seasoned well— some ham, some pork and I like the sauce. The sauce is not super spicy but it got a lot of flavor on it. It's herbaceous, if you would."
Keith Lee rated the empanada an 8/10, which is pretty high for him.
"Your rating is valid," Ronni Lee said after taking a bite. "With the salsa, I'd give it a 9/10."
Mushroom chicken empanada
The first thing Keith Lee mentions, again, is the freshness of the oil the empanada was cooked in.
"I don't even know if they're going to be able to keep this same amount of freshness if the line out the door, but if they can, this is one of the ones," Keith Lee said. "Because this is delicious."
Keith Lee mentioned that people who do not like mushrooms probably wouldn't like it and gave it a rating of 8.5/10.
Ronni Lee who does not like mushrooms, said it was still a 7/10.
Jalapeno popper empanada
The jalapeno popper is a vegetarian dish with jalapenos and cream cheese.
"As somebody who loves meat, I feel like this needs bacon or some like, sausage or something," Keith Lee said.
As a "texture person," Keith Lee gave this one a 4/10 because there were "too many soft textures going on at once."
The flavor, he said, was still "delicious."
Nutella banana empanada
"It's flaky, it's airy, it's light—this oil is extremely fresh," Keith Lee said.
Lee has said in the past he doesn't normally love sweets, but lately, he has been more into sugary menu items. Keith Lee had Ronni Lee try the empanada before giving his review.
"You want me to say it?" Ronni said. "10."
Keith Lee gave it an 8/10.
"If this place is slow, in my opinion, it shouldn't be," Keith Lee said.
Ruiz's pieces empanada
For his last empanada, Keith Lee went for another sugary option—Ruiz's pieces— which is a combination of Nutella and peanut butter.
"This is my least favorite. It's just chocolate and peanut butter, and it's a lot of chocolate and peanut butter," Keith Lee said. "That's real sweet."
Keith Lee gave it a 1/10.
"These are the kind of sweet I said I'm not a fan of," Keith Lee said.
After the review
"Overall, I'm extremely thankful she met my wife in that shoe store and I'm thankful for the invitation," Keith Lee said.
When he finished his reviews, he went into the restaurant to have a conversation with the woman Ronni Lee met at the shoe store.
"We told her 'no promises, but it might get a little crazy tomorrow,'" Keith Lee said.
The Lees also left a $500 tip for each worker and $600 to pay for customers' food for the rest of the evening.
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