Viral food critic Keith Lee complains that New Yorkers bullied him online after he tried to review local food - 'The Keith Lee Effect doesn't work HERE!'

The well-known Keith Lee Effect was not so effective in New York after the popular food critic tried a sandwich at a deli in Queens on December 7.

It all started when a social media user DM'ed Keith Lee and suggested he try a salmon chopped cheese sandwich at TasteBudz NYC.

He tried that and two other items off their menu, and since giving a negative review about a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich that was a 4 out of 10, social media users have been extremely angry with him.

In a recent video he posted on his TikTok yesterday, Lee said that social media users have begun commenting that 'the Keith Lee Effect doesn't work in New York.'

'The more we were there, people were taking pride in the Keith Lee Effect wasn't working, which in reality, the Keith Lee Effect is just blessing people,' said Lee.

TasteBudz NYC is one of the many restaurants Lee went to while on a New York trip with his family.

The Las-Vegas based critic reviewed eight other New York restaurants located in Brooklyn, and The Bronx after receiving more than 1,000 requests from people hoping they would eat at their restaurants.

According to Lee, New York was 'the most interesting spot on the food tour' for reasons unrelated with food. 

'The food wasn't the issue at all. The people who follow me  from New York wasn't the issue at all. It was the unwelcoming feeling we got the whole time we was there,' he stated.

He confirmed that TasteBudz Deli was the first restaurant they went to on their New York tour and that the outrage was primarily because of the salmon chopped cheese sandwich he tried.

Social media users questioned why the food critic even tried the sandwich, and that him doing so was what made the Keith Lee Effect go wrong in New York    

Natives were first joking when saying the Keith Lee Effect wasn't working, but once they were serious, he and his family were no longer welcome at several New York restaurants. 

Lee's fans have stuck by him throughout the bullying, but dedicated customers at Tastebudz Deli have not. 

New Yorker's who've commented on Lee's video that was shared by Tastebuz Deli Instagram have given them their blessings and even said that the critic's opinion 'don't count.'

One person wrote: 'He need to clean his fingernails b4 giving a review. IMO lol.'  

Other social media users have given positive reviews about the sandwich that had received mixed reviews.

'I have to disagree the salmon chop cheese is fire and different I didn't know they went together but maybe the one he got was salty and no one can enjoy salty or unseasoned food,' an Instagram user wrote. 

Lee's trip to New York wasn't completely ruined by the bullying as he was still welcome in various restaurants.

He also received thank you messages from Bruckner Pizza in The Bronx and Tamarind Island Roti Shop in Queens.

A fan also posted on his Instagram Story that there was a line at Taste of Heaven in Brooklyn, but that Lee 'said its a go.'