The 6 Best Soul Food Restaurants In Oakland - San Francisco - The Infatuation

"Smelly’s Creole Catering—also known as Chef Smelly’s—serves the best garlic noodles in Oakland. They lean sweet, with thick noodles that are extra chewy and drenched in what we can only assume is an entire stick of butter. The Creole soul food spot excels at other staples, too, like the Dungeness crab submerged in minced garlic, golden-brown fried catfish, and plump blackened shrimp. Also make room for the hot honey chili chicken tenders, which are fried until deliciously craggy on the edges and juicier than most overripe fruits." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, lani conway