PEORIA – Downtown diners now have another lunch option along the riverfront, with dinner coming soon.
River Station Restaurant welcomed the community on Tuesday, July 7, at 212 SW Water St. in the unit also used by Creve Coeur Club of Peoria.
The name is reminiscent of a nearly two-decade old restaurant that transformed the historic Rock Island Depot & Freight House into a dining destination. River Station opened in early 1981 before ultimately shuttering in late 2000.
Since then, the River Station building has housed several dining and drinking establishments. Today, the historic rail-side space is also home to businesses including Martini’s On Water Street and The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern.
Liduvina Leon, owner of the new River Station Restaurant, said the location “brings back such good memories” for many – with visitors sharing stories of homecoming dinners and outings with family. River Station signage still adorns the building, and Leon said it made sense to lean into a name community members are already familiar with.
“We could have probably chosen another name, but people would be, ‘Oh yeah, down at River Station,’” she said.
The recently opened spot is not Leon’s first foray into the restaurant business. She’s worked at various family ventures, and in July 2020, she and her husband opened Catrina’s Express at 401 SW Water St., Peoria.
While the couple considered expanding for quite some time, Leon said they did not believe the Peoria area needed another Mexican dining option.
They ultimately struck an agreement with the Creve Coeur Club to cater its events and food needs while also opening the space for public dining. Since opening, Leon said guests have begun turning out “slowly but surely.”
“Which I always prefer,” she said. “I think it’s better to have a good, organic growth.”
River Station Restaurant only offered lunch to start, but Leon expects dinner services to start soon.
Lunch hours are from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The menu features a mix of options, from salads and sandwiches to fajitas, Philly cheesesteak and fish tacos.
Creve Coeur Club members have access to a separate, private area for dining, according to Leon.
Dinner, she said, will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with customers able to order steak, seafood and pasta dishes.
Ultimately, Leon hopes to provide “a place that’s just welcoming and warm and you can enjoy some good food that’s made fresh.”
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria riverfront restaurant aims to offer ‘welcoming and warm’ space
Reporting by Cassidy Waigand, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cassidy Waigand, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
