A Colombian Newcomer Plays With Fire in Long Beach

The Long Beach food scene is nothing if not fiercely loyal to its local talent. The Portside city enjoys coastal access, sunshine, and a variety of awesome restaurants from Cambodian staples like Phnom Penh Noodle Shack to decades-old queer bars, coffee shop pop-ups, artisan bakeries, and beyond. And so it’s no surprise that the 460,000-person-strong city would be the perfect landing spot for chef Carlos Jurado’s new Colombian restaurant Selva.

The incoming Selva takes over at the closed former Hideaway at 4137 E. Anaheim, a corner location with ample dining space spread across a dark, wood-lined primary dining room — complete with plenty of houseplants — and an attached bar area. Together, the two rooms feel understated and cool, with pops of color and leafy notes throughout; the kind of place that works for a sunset happy hour or date night, which is exactly what Jurado intends.

Born in Cali, Colombia, Jurado has worked everything from private cheffing gigs to Vespertine, Border Grill, and even the Catbird Seat and Husk, two of Nashville’s most acclaimed restaurants. “I am shocked [Jurado] has never been given his own restaurant,” co-owner Geoff Rau recently told writer Brian Addison of Longbeachize. So when the time came to close the Hideaway after several good years, the pair jumped at the chance to pull Jurado in as chef and partner. With Selva, the plan is to focus Jurado’s flavors inward, turning out personal dishes like arepas, ceviches, and a smoked chicken with ají salsa. There will be lots of smoking, grilling, searing, and general flame-licked goodness across the menu, backed by staple desserts like coconut panna cotta, buñuelos, and obleas. There are cocktails too, of course, like aguardiente sours, as well as local beer and wine.

The new Selva begins service tomorrow, February 4 at 4137 E. Anaheim in Long Beach, keeping hours from Wednesday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., with an extension to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

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