WITH A SOARING, plant-filled extension to her dining room and a remodel of her open kitchen, Dima Habibeh’s Long Beach restaurant feels all the more like a hub of community. In her food, Habibeh — born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother and raised in Jordan — embodies her origins and beyond. Pleasantries like a Moroccan spiced salmon salad over arugula dot the menu, but the tradition-minded dishes make Ammatolí a destination. Look for rotisserie chicken over faintly smoky freekeh; handsomely speckled mana’eesh, the flatbread pulled straight from the oven; knafeh, its crust of shredded, orange blossom syrup-soaked pastry giving way to the cheese pull of life; and weekend specials like mansef, lamb shank with spiced yogurt sauce over rice and flatbread. This is arguably the most accomplished classical Levantine cooking in a Southern California restaurant.

• 285 E. 3rd St., Long Beach, (562) 435-0808, ammatoli.com