After shutting down in fall 2025, three restaurants by the Metro-North Railroad Station and Peekskill Riverfront are making a comeback under new ownership.
Beginning Taco Tuesday, April 14, the former Taco Dive Bar at 55 Hudson Avenue is becoming “Taco Station,” a prime spot for disembarking commuter train passengers seeking food choices on their way home, as well as providing a triple-threat, food court-style dining destination for non-commuters.
Two more restaurants in the same building will follow in the coming weeks in separate phases, including Colombian cuisine at “Savia,” formerly El Sueño, and an ice cream burger place at the former Froze/Better Burger location.
The three concepts come from Hudson Fusion Hospitality Group partners Robin Urbina and Jose Bustamante, Chef Ronald Lopez, Katherine Norena, who will provide bartending, and Carolina Urbina who will do administrative work.
“This is a very iconic area, iconic location here in Peekskill,” Bustamante told the Peekskill Herald. “A lot of people come here in the summertime for all the different events. I think it was great before. I think they were doing a great job before. I just think now it’s a fresh start. The idea is to deliver the best kind of quality service that we can to the local community.”
Taco Station: Authentic Mexican Tacos
The first of the three restaurants to open, Taco Station, promises authentic Mexican tacos.
Robin told the Herald that 70 percent of the restaurant was remodeled/refurbished, including changes to the walls, tables, chairs, and paintings. A mural of a skeleton from the previous restaurant was untouched.
The opening of Taco Station is considered a soft opening with a formal grand opening expected to follow sometime in May. The hours of operation are from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Sunday.
Savia: Columbian Cuisine
The second restaurant, Savia, looks to open a few weeks before Cinco de Mayo (May 5). The owners said patrons can expect “high-end food,” including Colombian empanadas, ceviche, tostones, and tapas, as well as “high quality” cocktails.
The restaurant will have a lounge, aiming for what he called a “masonic ambience,” and an outdoor patio space with TVs in an effort to be the local watch party establishment for sports and the summer World Cup.
Robin estimated the restaurant was 70 percent refurbished, not including an outdoor wall mural and indoor mural that were already in place. The walls were painted with new colors and the space will be decorated with jungle animals, including monkeys hanging from the ceiling, lions, and gorillas, as well as plants.
Bustamante also said the owners plan on bringing to both the interior and outside space live performers, DJs, reggae artists, and local salsa groups.
The anticipated hours of operation are from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays, and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ice Cream, Burgers, Possibly Coffee
The third restaurant that will open, not yet named, will not stray far from the former Froze/Better Burger’s concept. One name that has been floated is “Ice Cream, Burgers & Coffee.”
Owners plan on bringing new ice cream ideas and new burgers. They also are considering implementing a coffee component to give another option for a cafe experience in Peekskill.
“This ice cream place has been a staple in this area for many years,” Bustamante said. “I’ve been coming here and having ice cream with my niece and nephew since they were like babies. So just being part of this, it’s amazing. It’s really cool. I think the idea is to keep it original to what it is.”
Who They Are and How it All Got Started
The principals of Hudson Fusion Hospitality Group bring diverse experience to the hospitality business.
Robin, a Putnam Valley resident, has owned of Robin-Aire in Peekskill since 2010, and is former owner of tapas restaurant Iron Vine in Peekskill, which he operated for five years.
Bustamante, a Lake Peekskill resident who moved to the United States from Colombia when he was five, started in the hospitality business after opening up a small bar restaurant, and creating a cocktail program. He moved into the distributor and supplier side of the liquor industry, working with Southern Glaciers Wine and Spirits, and later liqueur brand Campari.
“I started off in this business bartending and also opening up a restaurant, and then I got out of the business,” Bustamante said. “But little by little, it always just kind of pulls you back. I think a big part of it is just being part of a culture where hospitality is very big.”
Lopez, a chef with 25 years of experience, has worked in Italian cuisine in Mahopac. After the pandemic he created his own catering company that specializes in Mexican tacos, barbecue, and grilled food.
It was last fall when both customers and employees abruptly found out that the former 55 Hudson Avenue businesses were shutting down for the season, with signs on the glass windows reading, “HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE SPRING.” While under new hands, the words on those signs seem to be coming true.
Louie Lanza, the building’s owner who is renting the building to Hudson Fusion Hospitality Group, told the Herald over the phone that he was partially taking a step back because his number two person, Chang Ling, was retiring.
“My managing partner here in New York of 30 years retired,” Lanza said. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to be in a business, if he’s not in a business.’ He’s the man [who] did the heavy lifting. He was great. He is a great guy. But he turned 65. He gave me a good, good, good, couple decades.”
Robin told the Herald the building grabbed his attention when he was providing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning work at the building for Lanza who in turn asked him if he was interested in the property.
Instead of hiring a manager, Robin said he decided to partner with someone who had the ability to stay 24/7, recruiting Bustamante, who he met through Robin hosting family parties and group parties at his house. He also decided to partner with Lopez to have control of everything, including the quality of food, drinks, and management.
One of the former employees at the prior 55 Hudson Avenue businesses is being brought back to work in the kitchen, tapping into his knowledge of which days are most busy and how to utilize equipment already in the restaurant. Otherwise, the restaurant is starting with new faces.
(The general manager of the former 55 Hudson Avenue restaurants previously told the Herald owners made efforts to ensure all former employees of the previous establishments that closed found work at other restaurants or businesses.)
The new restaurants are anticipated to remain open for the winter. Owners say they are taking the first opening of Taco Station as a way to learn from mistakes and what works best when opening the subsequent restaurants.
“I think it’s a great combination of experiences from different areas and the idea is to build a strong team,” Bustamante said. “That’s the fundamental key in terms of bringing great service and just being able to provide a great food, great experience, cocktail programs, [and] great hospitality.”
