keith lee effect

Where to eat in Dallas, according to viral food critic Keith Lee

Keith Lee hoisting fare from Halal Fusionz.

Halal Fusionz

Did you know viral TikTok food critic Keith Lee was in Dallas? If you're online at all, his visit was impossible to miss. He was in DFW all week, eating at local restaurants and spurring headlines, fanfare, and endless social media posts. He came, he ate, he conquered.

In his wake, he left a wave of attention — mostly good, some not as good — for deserving local restaurants.

For the uninitiated, Keith Lee is a social media sensation who visits various food-scene-driven U.S. cities to try food from small, local restaurants. He orders several items online, then a family member will pick up the food to help Lee avoid being recognized (and to prevent being prioritized over other diners).

Lee eats in his car, and films himself as he reviews each dish for his millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram.

Dallas is not his first city to visit in the Lone Star State. In November 2023, he and his family toured Houston where his reviews resulted in surges of customer traffic, which has been coined the "Keith Lee Effect" by several restaurants.

One such case is a woman-owned banana pudding shop in Pearland. After posting his review of The Puddery on November 28, which garnered over 26.4 million views and 4.7 million likes, the restaurant had to temporarily limit menu flavors, and pause all shipping and catering services "until further notice" in mid-January.

In the aftermath of his Dallas visit, several restaurants he visited also experienced the Keith Lee Effect, having to close early or enjoying wait times exceeding three hours.

He often seeks out Black-owned restaurants and local businesses, but in Dallas, his efforts were not always met with success. Nearly a dozen restaurants he tried to visit were unfortunately not open at the time of his arrival including Jazzy's Tacos, Cactus Mexican Cuisine, Cake Bar, Key's Chicken Wings & Things, Chef Nate's Wangz n Mo, Gorilla Nutz, Mary's Twisted Kitchen, Niecy Takeout, and Aunt Irene's Kitchen.

Lee also visited Taste Project in Fort Worth on February 1 — but instead of reviewing the food, he donated $4,000 to the nonprofit to support their mission to fight food insecurity.

The Keith Lee Effect can also have its downside: At least one of the restaurants he visited — the Sweetly Seasoned food truck in Garland — is getting lots of attention, probably unwanted, over a tip he left to staff, and who deserved to get it. (Predictably, there's an explanation from the owner on TikTok, and Lee has also posted his response to the situation.)

Keith Lee had luck at these six restaurants listed below, with the dishes he recommended:

Brunchaholics
Lee visited this Cajun-Creole brunch spot in Desoto, which is open for pick-up and to-go only.
Recommendations: The catfish and fries platter, and Soul Food Burrito (fried catfish or chicken, mac and cheese, yams, and collard greens wrapped in a jalapeño tortilla).

Thunderbird Pies
Lee visited the East Dallas location of this spinoff pizzeria from the Cane Rosso chain.
Recommendations: The buffalo wings and the Connie Detroit-style pizza (double pepperoni cups, bacon, tomato sauce).

Terry Blacks Barbecue
Lee visited the Deep Ellum location of this BBQ concept, which is actually from Austin.
Recommendations: The original sausage, smoked turkey, brisket, and ribs.

Halal Fuzionz
Pakistani-TexMex ghost kitchen in Farmers Branch is now prominently featuring Lee's recommendations on their website.
Recommendations: Nihari X birria taco with birria dipping sauce, mango mojito mocktail, paneer tikka taco, and the chipotle kheema taco (declared "the best one" by Lee).

Hutchins BBQ
Small family-owned BBQ chain with locations in McKinney and Frisco has earned plenty of press on its own, but Lee seems to favor BBQ.
Recommendations: The Texas Twinkie (a cream cheese-and-brisket-stuffed jalapeño wrapped in bacon), brisket with barbecue sauce, pork ribs, and the peach cobbler.

Absolutely Edible Cakes
Small cake shop in Rowlett was a classic Keith Lee destination.
Recommendations: The Sweet Potato Thang (sweet potato pie with a graham cracker crust) and red velvet cake.

Sweetly Seasoned
Lee visited this family-run food truck owned by a mother-and-son team.
Recommendations: The pulled pork sandwich, jerk tacos, and banana pudding.

dallas restaurants reviews local business

Dumpling News

Momo2Go restaurant from Canada debuts in-demand dumplings in Frisco

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A fast-casual restaurant starring momos has debuted in Frisco: Called Momo2Go, it's part of a well-regarded chain from Canada.

The restaurant recently opened at 5500 Preston Rd. #102, in the Preston Lebanon Crossing shopping center, taking over a space previously occupied by Lalo's Cocina Mexicana, which closed in July.

Momo2Go specializes in momos — the dumpling that's a foundation of Himalayan cuisine — and is a spinoff of a family-owned restaurant called Himalayan Kitchen, which debuted in Toronto in 2012. Their momos were so popular that they launched Momo2Go in 2016. They now have 10 including one in Irving, which franchisees Karma Gurung and Tashi Chetan opened in 2023. Frisco is their second location.

The menu features traditional steamed momos, filled with choice of beef, chicken, or veggie; plus fun fusion momos, inspired by momo stands chef Tenzin Dharpo saw while on trips to India and Nepal.

All of their momos can be served "dry," IE pan-fried, without sauce, although the more popular option is to get them with sauce, for a highly comforting bowl.

Signature dishes include:

Butter Chicken Momo, dumplings that summon the traditional Indian dish, with a creamy butter chicken sauce
Delhi Masala Momo, fried dumplings sauteed in a Himalayan sauce topped with mint chutney
Momo65, deep-fried dumplings with a sweet, spicy, and buttery taste, topped with spicy mayonnaise and curry

They offer many vegetarian and vegan non-momo dishes, such as spicy Schezwan Tofu Gravy, with fried cubes of tofu, crunchy and tender, in a spicy hot sauce and gobi Manchurian, which consists of battered cauliflower florets stir-fried with ginger garlic paste. There's an entire section dedicated to "chaap," a chicken-nugget-like alternative made with soybeans.

The menu also has some intriguing fried rice and noodle dishes such as stir-fried noodles with scrambled eggs, as well as a Himalayan-spiced take on chow mein, the classic Chinese stir-fry dish.

And because no restaurant these days can not-have French fries, Momo2Go has them in three options: plain fries; chili fries featuring spiced French fries sauteed with garlic, onions, and special sauce; and honey chili fries, featuring spiced French fries sauteed with garlic, onions, and honey garlic sauce topped with sesame seeds.

The Frisco location has plenty of seating, although they use disposable containers. (To their credit, much of it is paper-based rather than plastic.) A mural of blue sky and puffy clouds with the slogan "I followed my heart and it led me to momo" takes up an entire wall, adding some energy to the space.

According to a spokesperson, the owners chose Frisco for their second location because of its booming Asian population as well as its increasing demand for halal food preparation, meaning that the animals are raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines — a growing trend in Dallas-Fort Worth.

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