Sophie’s Diner

An influx of Peruvian immigrants into the Harrison/​Kearny area in the past few decades has brought with it some fantastic Peruvian cuisine. It’s a mouth-​watering mixture of Asian and South American flavors, and this little, almost-​hidden gem on Harrison Ave does it all right.
The spare décor and the graciousness of the owners makes this little spot feel more like mom’s kitchen than a restaurant. A meal is served with a small bowl of roasted corn — a scrumptious Peruvian amuse-​bouche — a sort of unpopped popped corn with a softer, more delicate crunch.
The prices are decent and the portions are far beyond decent — in fact, the portions are so decent, that I’m writing this review over leftovers! Get the Lomo Saltado Carne — a must-​try, classic Peruvian dish. If you go for the hot sauce, be warned: it is FLAMING!
Muy deliciosa!

Had their breakfast platter and tamales, everything was delicious. Very cozy little place with great service.

I was here a few days ago for take out. The counter lady was rally sweet, but spoken no English. Luckily I do know some Spanish. So I asked for chicken combo, Which was on the menu. She said no chicken. Ok. So I ask for hotdog and fries and an extra order of fries. I asked for ketchup on the extra order of fries. I got home and was giving my son the hotdog and it had ketchup on it. Which I told her not to put it on his food, cause he doesn’t like it. There was no ketchup on mine. I guess she got confused? :/​Whatever, it happens. I started to eat my fries when I realized that half were raw! Some were cooked ok, some were not cooked well at all. So I threw it out. My son liked the hotdog, but his fries were raw too. Maybe I’ll go again to see if it was just a fluke, but I doubt it.

We stumbled across this place, purely because the diner looked so cool. Excellent service and great authentic food. The owner was very friendly and the cook even gave me her recipe for the fantastic red onion relish. Great Peruvian breakfast!

The food is good, the service is good, authentic Latin breakfast really just hit the spot. Overall a great experience and we will come back!

One of my go-​to places. Everything I’ve had here is top-​shelf, the owners/​operators are friendly, and if you aren’t familiar with the cuisine, they’ll help you. Tamales are just wonderful.