When you visit Keonté Henson’s TikTok, known as @wannabestayathomedad, you are immediately immersed in a world of food, ranging from the juicy ribs from Larry J’s BBQ Cafe to the sauced-up squid ink pasta from The Daily Catch. You name it, Henson has “graded” it. That’s right, Henson gives food a grade, A through F. Taking into account price, flavor, and overall quality, Henson scores food on a letter-based scale like a teacher. Based in Boston, Henson’s specialty is testing spots that are famous for something — a specific dish, a cuisine, or just a cool vibe — and letting viewers know where the best food spots are in the city and beyond.
“I try a lot of different foods, I give my reaction, and I give it a grade at the end, like a test,” he says.
Most of Henson’s reviews start out with him sitting in his car or at the restaurant himself. Henson begins each review showing off his meal with his signature catchphrase, “Let’s put it to the test.”
In his review of Ma-Magoo’s, a famous Cambridge sandwich shop, he gave his thoughts on the chicken tender sub — “14 inches for, like, $14” — covered in honey mustard with no toppings. His eyes rolled after his first bite as he immediately exclaimed “Oh my God. Incredible.” At the end of every video, he gives his meal a percent and letter grade, as well as his reasoning why. Ma-Maggo’s earned an A- at 91%, but got some extra points for being so large (it could definitely be two meals). What makes Henson’s reviews different is his raw reactions and honesty heard in his voice overs. He lets viewers know exactly what he’s tasting and feeling through his commentary and facial expressions and always includes the price. His reactions aren’t over-the-top or drowning in a surplus of enthusiasm, as some food reviewers can be online.
Boston doesn’t always get the best rep when it comes to food, especially when compared to other cities like New York. But Henson thinks that if you look hard enough, you’ll find that Boston’s food scene can be just as robust. In fact, he describes it as “slept on.”
“Boston has a lot of great spots from so many different cultures so I try to review and grade dishes from as many spots as I can,” Henson says.
Henson’s reviews take him all around Boston, to neighborhoods such as Somerville and Cambridge. But, Dorchester and the South End earn the title of best neighborhoods for food in his eyes. His favorite restaurant in Boston sits in Central Square, Cambridge. It’s called Brookline Lunch, and their speciality is Palestinian dishes. It gets so packed that sometimes you have to wait in a line outside. But Henson says that their pancakes make the wait worth it.
“I would wait in that line a thousand times for those pancakes,” Henson says. “I mean, they’re that good.”
Henson wasn’t always a “Boston Food Grader,” as he describes himself in his bio. It took convincing from a friend for him to post his first food review TikTok, as well as inspiration from other TikTokers. Henson started food grading in the beginning of 2023, when he first moved to Boston and realized how robust the food scene is there. He started off challenging Boston’s top-rated food spots to see if they live up to the hype, like Taqueria Jalisco, which some claim to have the best birria tacos (spoiler, it did). He even challenged famous Barstool pizza expert Dave Portnoy’s top rated Boston slice at Halftime King Pizza, giving it a 9.2/10.
Like most content creators, Henson faced difficulties when he first started his account. With so many food content creators on TikTok, it can be hard to stand out. But he credits staying committed to his work and connecting with his audience as the key to success.
“I think it’s important to be responsive to your viewers and acknowledge their recommendations even if I can’t always get to them,” Henson says.
In fact, a lot of the spots he reviews are recommended to him by viewers. One viewer told him he just had to check out Fiya Chicken, a Korean spot in Brookline, and he did (it earned a B+). On the same video, he replies to a commenter who recommended a “life-changing” ice cream shop, thanking her for the suggestion. Not only are suggestions like this helpful to Henson when trying to find places to try, but it also helps him feel closer to his audience. His comments are full of viewers recommending their must-try spots, as well as giving their own thoughts on Henson’s grades.
“I really try to make my comment section a safe space, where people feel comfortable enough to say their opinions,” Henson says.
Eventually, Henson wants to expand his reviews to a larger audience and have the resources to explore more food hubs outside of Boston.
“I’d love to grow my content to be like Guy Fieri and be able to travel and showcase foods from all around the world, I think that would be really cool,” Henson says.
For now, Henson will continue testing and grading all of Boston’s best spots.