Let's say your favorite neighborhood spot has great table bread, or plays the best music, or has a nice bartender who laughs at your terrible jokes. Whatever it is, you love that place and feel instantly at home whenever you're there. That's the sort of energy that Selva exudes. Not only is the food at this Colombian restaurant in Long Beach outstanding, it's a dinner spot that instantly puts you at ease with warm service, great drinks, and a sense that everyone in the room is as enchanted as you are. The space where Selva is now used to be a fairly basic steakhouse with carpeting straight out of a hotel conference room. Not much has physically changed about the room since, but chef-owner Carlos Jurado added enough unique touches to give it personality. There's a long bar serving fruity cocktails backed by swirly black and white mural and TVs broadcasting 90s MTV skater videos. Stuffy booths in the main dining are livened up by dangling plants, Colombian knick-knacks, and psychedelic jungle paintings you'd see at an Ojai art fair. It's all a bit ad hoc, but like many great neighborhood spots, design probably isn't the priority. You're coming to Selva to eat smart and exciting takes on South American cooking, starting with a parade of small plates that should dot every corner of your table. The menu at Selva is built for family-style dining. Small plates and shareable sides make up 80 percent of the menu, including pillowy, cheese-flavored buñuelos, juicy beef skewers with chewy arepas, and white rice and beans stewed with salty pork bits. It's nearly impossible to put together a bad meal here, so our only advice is to save room for Selva's piece de resistance: the smoked chicken. The skin is charred, glossy, and ultra-crispy, and the meat practically bursts with jus. Selva isn't necessarily rewriting the rules of a great restaurant ––it's just a place that consistently hits on all cylinders. If you're lucky enough to call Selva your neighborhood spot, we envy you—and, most likely, will see you there soon.