Myrna's Restaurant — Restaurant in Kearny

I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm Peruvian. I grew up eating Peruvian food, and I've probably been to every Peruvian restaurant within a 30 mile radius of me. That being said, with the exception of the tamale, this was the best Peruvuan breakfast I've had. Far too often, I'm given a piece of charcoal masquerading as chicharron, but Myrna's was ridiculously flavorful, a great balance between fattiness and leaner meat, and was perfectly cooked. The sweet potato could have been cooked a bit more, but it was still delicious. The onion slaw was just the right amount of acidic and cut though the fattiness of the chicharron perfectly. My personal favorite part of a Peruvian breakfast, the relleno (blood sausage), was amazing, and just as flavorful and tender as the chicharron. I also got coffee and a fresh strawberry smoothie, which were great (and the smoothie was HUGE, well worth it). Even the aji (hot sauce) had beautiful layers of flavor to it, though I definitely have a higher spice tolerance, so your results may vary. The only aspect that fell flat, was the tamale. That's not to say it was bad, but rather, it lacked a certain warmth and depth that I've come to expect from my family's cooking. But it was definitely not bad. My advice to you: come here if you're looking for a truly authentic Peruvuan breakfast, but if you're looking for tamales specifically, I'd head to Alfredo's (also in Kearny). This is definitely my new go-to, and if you go, it'll...

4 stars for the service and homey interior.

0 stars for the food… I heard so much about Peruvian food I had to try it. So this was my first and last time trying Peruvian cuisine. I ordered the lomo saltado mixto with chicken & beef & potatoes. I thought there would be more pizazz or something unique to the dish since it was 19$. First off, the ‘potatoes’ were french fries (I could’ve gone to McDonald’s if I wanted potatoes but only for 2$ instead of 19$) that was soggy and oily. Second off: the beef/chicken was dry and tough. The flavor was unspectacular & didn’t cover the fact that the protein was tasteless and rough.

And yes, the portions are huge since half the plate...

The food, service and staff is great. I just don't understand why the menu during the week is 12 dollars and the same exact menu, the same services the same food is 15 dollars on the weekend. I could understand if the portions were bigger, but no. The same exat thing, makes no sense. It is just robbing people. Es un robo que hacen al cliente a cobrar 12 dolares del menu durante la semana y lo mismo servicio de menu en los fines de semana cobran 15 dollars. Es un abuso. I am not going back to this place ever again. There's more peruvian restaurant options along kearny avenue that...