Selva’s new spring menu—through which it formally ditches its previous static menu and will now move forward with four changes a year based on the season—is a reflection of Chef Carlos Jurado’s determined focus on his culinary work.
If 2025 showcased this work at the R&D, let’s-begin-to-recalibrate level—from impressive, sporadic tasting menus to collaborations with spaces like Marlena to hosting a burger competition—2026 is the full-on fruition of that work.
The evolution of Chef Carlos Jurado and Selva
Holding onto some classics while introducing what will unquestionably become new classics, Chef Carlos’s spring menu for 2026 is as colorful and vibrant as the chef himself: Boldly curated with a rainbow palette on each plate—red and yellows bounce against greens and purples—what it showcases is a chef willing to put in the work.
“When we first opened, it simply didn’t make sense to go seasonal,” Chef Carlos said. “But then things got redundant, repetitive—and that can grind on you in all the wrong ways. I knew I had to shift but I had to do so patiently. This process couldn’t be rushed because I know it needed to arrive.”
Working closely with front-of-house maestro Monica Canelos, the menu is delightfully tight, weaving Selva’s history seamlessly while also dauntlessly pushing the entirety of its space—the kitchen, the servers, the managers, Chef Carlos—forward.
The classics remain—particularly Selva’s famed pollo ahumado
Perhaps there is no dish more defining for Selva than the space’s smoked chicken, which debuted when the space opened in 2022. And yes, it is (and likely always will be) on the menu.
The chicken’s aromatics—turmeric meets smoked salt meets burning wood—pair with the festive array of colors: Glowing Marigold flowers are tucked between the chicken and arepas flayed out on the plate. Bright yellow and red pickled biquinho peppers sit atop equally bright green banana leaves.
There’s your array of classic Colombian sauces: green aji, an aji amarillo, and a red, fresno chile-d out take on the green aji.
And, as always, his madre’s rice, dotted with beaming flower petals that contrast with the deep black of the onion ash that was sprinkled on top of a filleted avocado. And his famed frijoles…
But the new dishes are where we see Chef Carlos at his contemporary finest…
At the top of the menu, you’ll find a base plate: ceviche. But it’s the best version Chef Carlos has churned out—and one of the finest in the city: fermented ají amarillo is paired with a blood orange-tinged leche de tigre—worthy on its own with a spoon—and creamy coconut cream. With a bite of fresh pea and ever slightest bit of bitter thanks to tendrils, it’s a textural wonder of a dish.
The chef’s much-loved mushroom croquettes receive an umami upgrade via crab while atop a sweet cream and fish roe sauce that can stand on its own as a condiment…
Or the space’s masterful tomahawk pork chop, quick brined and then grilled before being fully fried for a brief moment. Why the fry? Chef Carlos leaves the hunk of chop’s meaty, fatty bits on the entirety of the bone, creating an end-bone dangling with bits of chicharrón. Dipped into the plate’s heavenly hagao sauce—where heirloom tomatoes and black garlic combine with the slightest bit of cumin and turmeric and tons of scallion and cilantro—and you have yourself a bite of savory perfection.
That same, magical hagao is paired with the space’s whole fried red snapper. Happily and heavily doused in an array of smoked salt and spices, microgreens act as a herbal cut for what is a wonderfully flaky fish. Sitting atop his rightfully-loved rice, it is the space’s proper fish dish that merrily stinks of Selva’s signature style.
A look at Selva’s spring menu for 2026…
Some Selva classics. Some new plates that are sure to become classics. Unapologetically Chef Carlos.
Ceviche Caribe: fermented ají amarillo | coconut leche de tigre | mango | Black Sheep Farm peas
Scallops con Ají Colombiano: scallops on the half shell | sol negro | champagne espuma | chiles Amazónicos fermentados
Arepas con Chicharrón: butter | Colombian queso arepas | smoked Niman Ranch chicharrón oil
Croquetas de Cangrejo y Hongo: Long Beach mushrooms | wild crab croquettes | sweet cream & fish roe sauce | prosciutto
Tomahawk Pork Chop: pork chop on the bone with chicharrón attached | black garlic hogao | roasted Bonita Farm’s beets | pickled green beans
Pargo Frito (Market Snapper): local red snapper fried & spiced | chili infused mama’s rice | tostones | hogao
Smoked Wings: oak & mesquite smoked wings | fried & served dry | panela vinegar -or- fermented chili & cultured butter
Pollo Ahumado: brined & smoked chicken | Bonita Farms cabbage slaw | choice of local bread or 3 arepas (go with the arepas)
Papas Criollas Bravas: confit Colombian potatoes | queso fresco espuma | fermented chiles amazónicos
Peruvian Pesto Chaufa: wok fried forbidden & mama’s rice | Long Beach mushrooms | Black Sheep Farm peas | Peruvian pesto
Bonita & Black Sheep Farms Beets: pickled beets | roasted beets | pureed beets | shaved beets | young beet greens
And don’t skip the desserts on Selva’s spring menu…
Devil’s Food Cake: arequipe | passion fruit curd | Chantilly cream | fresh mango
Natilla: Corn-based custard with Colombian panela | cinnamon | vanilla bean | chancaca syrup | cinnamon whipped cream
