{"id":4826,"date":"2026-07-17T16:43:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:43:22","slug":"rdu-airport-celebrates-a-nearly-full-house-of-restaurants-many-with-local-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826","title":{"rendered":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Near the end of Concourse C in Raleigh-Durham International Airport\u2019s<\/a> Terminal 2, where the big international flights come and go, there are two restaurants named for chefs: Bobby\u2019s Burgers from nationally known celebrity Bobby Flay and Adios! by Oscar Diaz, who has made a name for himself locally.<\/p>\n

Read more NC State football named its new No. 1 this summer. \u2018He\u2019s a special young man\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Diaz, a two-time James Beard semifinalist whose restaurants include Aaktun<\/a>, Tataco<\/a> and Little Bull<\/a> 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\u2019s effort to feature Triangle businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really nice to give the nod to people locally,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cBut also to just kind of put our food forward \u2014 what represents North Carolina, not just another generic airport experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. Like Bobby\u2019s Burgers, some are national brands, including Dunkin\u2019 and Guy Fieri\u2019s Pizza Joint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> to slow-cooked braised short-ribs or crispy trout at Crawford\u2019s Genuine<\/a>. Bond Brothers Kitchen & Bar opened in Terminal 2 in January featuring the Cary brewery\u2019s beers<\/a> served with smoked ribs, sloppy Joes and a dozen other dishes.<\/p>\n

Whit Baker, co-owner and Bond Brothers brewmaster, said it just makes sense to be in RDU.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people go to the airport,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to showcase the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melissa Katrincic, CEO and co-founder of Durham Distillery<\/a>, agrees. Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine in Concourse D features the distillery\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a part of the airport for us is absolutely phenomenal,\u201d Katrincic said. \u201cBecause not only do you get to know us if you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more NC State Auditor says Cary report shows a culture of \u2018extravagant spending\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

There are challenges to opening a restaurant in an airport, especially if you\u2019re a James Beard-nominated chef with ambitions such as Diaz<\/a>. When he learned there would be no wood-fired oven and that they\u2019d be working in something about the size of a home kitchen, he had to scale back his aspirations a bit.<\/p>\n

But Diaz is proud of what they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s avocado mayo and crushed hot Cheetos.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to think with a Southern mentality of how to make Mexican food,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been little by little catching on,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n

RDU celebrated the opening of the new restaurants on Thursday, but there\u2019s one still to come.<\/p>\n

Lonerider, the Raleigh-based brewery and distillery<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Read more An RTP tech giant will pop up on your TV during this week\u2019s World Cup finals<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 5:35 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bond Brothers Kitchen, Adios! by Oscar Diaz and Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine among local eateries to open in Raleigh-Durham International Airport Terminal 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nRDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bond Brothers Kitchen, Adios! by Oscar Diaz and Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine among local eateries to open in Raleigh-Durham International Airport Terminal 2.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826\"},\"wordCount\":736,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826\",\"name\":\"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4826#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"Bond Brothers Kitchen, Adios! by Oscar Diaz and Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine among local eateries to open in Raleigh-Durham International Airport Terminal 2.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties","datePublished":"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826"},"wordCount":736,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826","name":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T16:43:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8ed904149e29044433ec8a921fad3172.jpeg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4826#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"RDU airport celebrates a nearly full house of restaurants, many with local ties"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}