AUSTIN, Texas — The video is already up to nearly 3 million views and counting.
TikTok-famous food critic and mixed martial artist Keith Lee was in Austin over the weekend for South by Southwest for a feature on entrepreneurship and the creator economy. So you knew a food review was coming, too.
Lee stopped at Michelin-starred La Barbecue on Cesar Chavez in East Austin, which is just one of a few barbecue places in Texas to earn the prestigious award.
While the restaurant was already sold out of a majority of food before he arrived, Lee gave everything he tried rave reviews.
“Oh my God,” Lee said as he took a bite of the chopped cheese sausage. “It’s spicy. It’s flavorful. It’s amazing.”
Here’s everything Lee ate at La Barbecue and what it was rated:
- Chopped cheese sausage: 8.5/10
- Mac and cheese: 8.6/10
- Pork ribs: 9.5/10
- Brisket: 7/10 without sauce, 8.2/10 with the sauce
- Spicy garlic pickle: No rating, but he did add it to the pork rib on his second bite while saying, “You already know.”
“I genuinely don’t know if it’s because this is a Michelin-star spot or if it’s because it’s Austin, Texas,” Lee said. “This is some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had in my life and it’s not even close.”
Lee is not a stranger to Texas. He moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2024, posting reviews all across North Texas while highlighting some of the locally-owned businesses. Good reviews from Lee have become game-changers for many small business owners.
While Lee was only in town for a few hours, here’s hoping he hits a few more Austin restaurants in the future.
Meanwhile, if you want to try any of the foods that had Lee holding a pork rib outside like a lollipop, La Barbecue is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.