RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- RDU filled many spaces vacated during the COVID-19 pandemic with new restaurants.
- RDU attracted local brands such as Bond Brothers, Durham Distillery and Adios!
- Lonerider closed in 2024 for renovations and plans to reopen next year.
Near the end of Concourse C in Raleigh-Durham International Airport’s Terminal 2, where the big international flights come and go, there are two restaurants named for chefs: Bobby’s Burgers from nationally known celebrity Bobby Flay and Adios! by Oscar Diaz, who has made a name for himself locally.
Diaz, a two-time James Beard semifinalist whose restaurants include Aaktun, Tataco and Little Bull in Durham, says having a restaurant at RDU is a great opportunity to raise his profile and further establish himself in the Triangle. And he appreciates the airport’s effort to feature Triangle businesses.
“It’s really nice to give the nod to people locally,” Diaz said. “But also to just kind of put our food forward — what represents North Carolina, not just another generic airport experience.”
Adios! is one of several restaurants that have opened at RDU in the past year, helping fill spaces that went dark during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Bobby’s Burgers, some are national brands, including Dunkin’ and Guy Fieri’s Pizza Joint.
But RDU has worked to persuade local restaurants and retailers to open at the airport and give travelers a taste of the region, from Char-Grill burgers to slow-cooked braised short-ribs or crispy trout at Crawford’s Genuine. Bond Brothers Kitchen & Bar opened in Terminal 2 in January featuring the Cary brewery’s beers served with smoked ribs, sloppy Joes and a dozen other dishes.
Whit Baker, co-owner and Bond Brothers brewmaster, said it just makes sense to be in RDU.
“A lot of people go to the airport,” Baker said. “It’s a way to showcase the brand.”
Melissa Katrincic, CEO and co-founder of Durham Distillery, agrees. Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine in Concourse D features the distillery’s signature gin and other spirits, along with a menu that reflects the region, including a grilled pimento cheese sandwich, pulled pork sliders and chicken smothered in gravy and served with cheesy grits.
“Being a part of the airport for us is absolutely phenomenal,” Katrincic said. “Because not only do you get to know us if you’re traveling in, but if this is your home, you can go ahead and have a martini and maybe a Cobb salad and talk about Conniption to anyone sitting near you.”
Mexican food with Southern influences
There are challenges to opening a restaurant in an airport, especially if you’re a James Beard-nominated chef with ambitions such as Diaz. When he learned there would be no wood-fired oven and that they’d be working in something about the size of a home kitchen, he had to scale back his aspirations a bit.
But Diaz is proud of what they’ve come up with. The tacos include a barbacoa made with slow-braised beef cheeks that he especially likes, and the beans in the frijol mayocoba arrive dried and soak overnight.
The son of Mexican parents who grew up in Chicago, he has learned to adapt Mexican food to different regional ingredients and tastes. The Adios! menu includes shrimp and blue grits, with braised collards and salsa, and a street corn served with Duke’s avocado mayo and crushed hot Cheetos.
“I try to think with a Southern mentality of how to make Mexican food,” Diaz said.
Adios! opened a few months ago, and business has been building. Because the restaurant is at the far end of the concourse, fewer people wander by on their way to their gate. But there are times, now, when the restaurant is completely full.
“It’s been little by little catching on,” Diaz said.
RDU celebrated the opening of the new restaurants on Thursday, but there’s one still to come.
Lonerider, the Raleigh-based brewery and distillery, opened at RDU in the fall of 2023, offering grab-and-go food, spirits and beer, including a new brew called Boots Up Ale sold only at RDU. Lonerider closed in 2024 for renovations and is expected to reopen as a full-service restaurant in Terminal 2 sometime next year.
