Cora Restaurant Taking Over The Station Space

Person Street gets a new all-day player.

A fresh dose of flavor is coming to DTR’s Person Street District. Taking over Hibernian Hospitality Group’s former The Station—which slung its last burger in March after more than a decade—is new all-day eatery Cora.

With eyes on a late-May opening, Cora (“heart” in Spanish) marks a new chapter for the space—and the district—bringing a fresh wave of energy to a strip largely defined by longtime favorites, especially in the wake of (ish) delicatessen’s recent closure. 

Behind the concept is a familiar face. Sarah Frey—the brains behind local breakfast + coffee truck Mr. Burro—has been feeding Raleighites for the past ~five years. A former bartender, Frey originally wanted to open her own bar, but after getting pregnant, she shifted to the food truck—inspired by a cafe she visited in Miami boasting quick scratchmade breakfast items. 

“It actually wasn’t burrito related,” she recalls. “But it had a cool, chill cafe vibe—everything was made from scratch and really delicious. I said to my partner, I think we should do something like this.”

Fast-forward to now, and after connecting with Hibernian’s Niall Hanley through a mutual friend, she saw both The Station location’s potential—and the breakfast-size hole in the neighborhood—and jumped at the opportunity to breathe new life into the space. 

“We’re delighted to have Sarah opening Cora in The Station space,” says Hanley. “It’ll be a great addition to the neighborhood, bringing in a great new option for what is becoming an amazing foodie district.”

Adds Frey: “The neighborhood needs some kind of Latino cuisine and vibe”—in addition to William & Company’s Latin leanings, she notes. “But other than that, why not?”

At Cora, Frey will pay homage to her Honduran and Thai roots through heavily influenced breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner selects, layered with global influences from her travels—especially Spain. Think chilaquiles, chicken tortilla soup, sandwiches, croquetas, ceviche, mussels, tostadas and other tapas-style small plates. And while Cora isn’t simply Mr. Burro in brick-and-mortar form, those cult-fave breakfast burritos will be on deck daily.

“I love traveling—and I love research and development,” she says. “I’m half-Asian and half-Latina, so a lot of the dishes will incorporate Thai spices and flavors, combining my parents’ background and all the places I’ve been to.”

On the sips side, expect “unique but not crazy” infused cocktails, fun mocktails, a well-curated wine selection and fresh juices—with a potential coffee and espresso program in the works to round out the daytime lineup.

The space itself will also get the Latin treatment, leaning warm and transportive—earthy elements, stone, natural rustic hues reminiscent of where Frey grew up—while the patio will undergo a tropical refresh dotted with plants, dim lighting and salsa music. “Being Latina we do a lot of things outside—we love being outside,” emphasizes Frey. “I thought I could do something nice that gives that Latino vibe.”

As she pictures it: “Just somewhere where you can really chill and maybe have a girls night—and actually talk and hear each other—but also have that really good music and food.”

More than a backfill, Cora isn’t just filling a vacant space, it taps into what the district didn’t have yet—an all-day, globally influenced spot that moves as easily from coffee to cocktails as the neighborhood itself.