Braised oxtails, in both sambusa and soupy rice bowl form, are the star of this San Pablo Avenue gem.
The Midnight Diners is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist Thien Pham. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.
A late-night hankering for soul food brings us to an unobtrusive building on a relatively quiet block on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, just down the street from the Fox Theater.
“Y’s Choice” reads the neon sign outside — after chef-owner “Y” Ahmed, we later learn. The restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. on weekends, and at a little past 9 on a Friday night, the bustling dining room smells of garlic, butter and spice. A steady stream of old Martin episodes plays on the flatscreen TV in the corner…