'Skid Row on steroids': Food reviewer Keith Lee speaks on controversial trip to Bay Area

(KRON) – Celebrity food reviewer Keith Lee made headlines in January when he cut his trip to the Bay Area short over safety concerns. Last week, Lee went on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast and expanded on his decision to leave early while adding some more of his thoughts about the Bay Area. 

Lee, a former MMA fighter, frequently visits American cities to dine at restaurants and post reviews to his 16.8 million TikTok followers. His Bay Area trip did not go well. 

After spending a few days in the area, Lee announced abruptly that he was leaving due to what he described as unsafe street conditions, disappointing food and an allergic reaction. He described seeing people living in tents and burned cars, saying “the people of the Bay are just focused on surviving.” 

On Sharpe’s podcast, Lee expanded on his experience. He said that while plenty of cities have problems with drug use and crime, it appears to be part of the Bay Area’s culture. 

“In the Bay, there was a sense of almost pride some people were taking in it,” he told Sharpe.

He said that when he announced the trip, he saw Bay Area residents say he might get “bipped,” – local slang for breaking into a car. He added that the primary piece of advice he heard from natives was not to leave items in his car. 

One of the restaurants Lee tried was in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, a restaurant notorious for its public drug use. He described it as “Skid Row on steroids.” 

“It’s burnt cars, burnt trailers, things that almost look inhuman,” Lee, a Detroit native, said. 

Lee said his worry was that someone would come to a restaurant at his recommendation and something bad would happen to him, which prompted him to speak up about the conditions he saw. 

“I was okay with people from the Bay being mad at me for saying it. Somebody had to say it,” he said.