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Long-Delayed Peruvian Eatery To Open in Kew Gardens, Owner Says

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | March 28, 2017 3:55pm
 Ceviche at Corvina, a new Peruvian restaurant expected to open in Kew Gardens this week.
Ceviche at Corvina, a new Peruvian restaurant expected to open in Kew Gardens this week.
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Corvina/Facebook

QUEENS — A long-awaited Peruvian restaurant will finally open in Kew Gardens this week after a series of delays, including difficulties with installing a gas line inside the storefront, the owner said.

Julio Luna, 45, the owner of Corvina, was planning to open the eatery at 80-60 Lefferts Blvd., across the street from Kew Gardens Cinemas, about three years ago, he said.

But shortly after he signed the lease, he said, it turned out that the gas line inside the storefront was installed illegally, and he had to apply for new permits.

The storefront, where small burger joint Flip Side once was, also required extensive renovations and replacing outdated equipment, Luna said.

Obtaining the necessary permits took about three years, but the restaurant is finally ready to open and will launch sometime this week, he said.

Julio Luna is set to open Peruvian restaurant Corvina this week after several major delays. (DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)

Luna said he named the restaurant Corvina (the Spanish word for sea bass), because when he was growing up in Lima, Peru, sea bass was a staple in his family.

The fish is also “great for ceviche,” he said, which will be one of his signature dishes served at Corvina, in addition to other Peruvian classics, like chaufa, a Peruvian fried rice dish, and lomo, a stir fry.

Luna said he is planning to serve seven or eight platters daily which will feature both seafood and various types of meat, with prices ranging from $11 to $14.

The tiny eatery will focus on orders for take-out as well as catering, said Luna adding that he is considering staying open 24 hours a day.

“We want to make Peruvian cuisine everyday food,” said Luna, who lives in the neighborhood.

Luna, who co-runs Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine, a chain of Cuban restaurants with several locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, says he is also working on opening a restaurant in Lima, which will be called Corvina as well.

A portion of the proceeds from that restaurant will support education of Peruvian children who live in poverty or whose parents are incarcerated, he said.

(DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)

When it opens, Corvina will be the latest addition to a busy Kew Gardens corner where several other storefronts opened recently, including Gotham West Realty and Print House NYC.