A viral debate broke out online after Keith Lee didn’t include one key city in his top five favorite travel spots for food.
Keith Lee joined Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast for a two-part interview, released on Wednesday, December 4.
During this, Lee revealed the top five cities where he’s found the best food. “My order, personally, New Orleans is number one, Houston is number two… Chicago is number three, Toronto would be four. Right now, I would go with Miami, if I had to think of where I would go back,” the food critic said.
After a clip of Lee and Sharpe went viral, viewers were shocked to hear that he didn’t think New York City was good enough to rank in his top five list.
“Obviously loses any credibility by not saying NYC,” commented one on Instagram.
“Yeah it’s his opinion, but anyone who actually has valid tastebuds knows that New York City [is] top-tier for food,” agreed another.
“NYC has all types of food for all cultures, he’s bugging,” quipped a third.
Keith Lee says NYC restaurants lack “accessibility”
Sharpe was also surprised that NYC wasn’t among his favorite cities for food, prompting Lee to defend his choice. “I feel like New York isn’t in the top five for me because the accessibility to know the spots is really hard unless you’re from there,” said Lee.
Many other netizens also debated Lee’s overall decision and defended why they thought he was wrong.
“You got Chicago f*cked up, we don’t come third to nothing, but ok,” one commented.
“He needs to get out more. Here in South Carolina, we have plenty of hidden treasure food spots,” said another.
“Atlanta is the best, he’s wilding,” added a third.
Though Lee’s opinions have been known to spark viral debates, his recent visit to the FOB Sushi Bar had just about everyone on the same page.
After he ate a piece of sushi with a worm in it, the critic took to social media to ask that the restaurant take responsibility. Though they initially said they were “committed” to the health and safety of customers, the restaurant ended up closing two locations due to “food safety concerns.”