Birds of a feather flock to… Village District. Wren Rooftop plans to debut this fall atop the new Oberlin Hotel, promising cocktails, skyline views and a little extra possibility after dark.
Adding to the mix in West Raleigh, permits for a new pizzeria and bar have been filed to take over TheMixx space at Duraleigh Corners, near Glenwood Avenue, joining go-to’s Che Empanadas and Sharky’s.
Botiwalla | Photo by Tim Robinson
Taste—and believe. Botiwallahas officially landed at Raleigh Iron Works. The fast-casual concept from Chai Pani founder Meherwan Irani serves up a fresh take on Indian street food, from chaat and rice bowls to skewers and housemade drinks. Consider it your next Iron Works lunch run.
To market we go! Casa Nama is assuming the former Giorgios Epicurean Market (GEM) space at East End Market, delivering sushi and Asian comfort food and a warm, social aesthetic from the team behind Yatai Market, Chido Taco and La Buena Vida, among others.
Airport cocktails? Cleared for takeoff. RDU has voted to permanently allow post-security to-go drinks, letting travelers sip beer, wine and cocktails all the way to their gate. Just don’t try bringing them onto the plane.
On cloud nine—Clouds Brewing is taking over Tobacco Road’s longtime Glenwood South home, returning the brewery to its original DTR stomping grounds, slated for an early July reopening under the Clouds banner.
The wait is almost over. Dix Park’s refreshed Flowers Cottagedebuts this summer with Cottage Coffee and Park Bar—both operated by the Raleigh hospitality duo behind Person Street Bar and Locals Seafood.
Pour one out for Mordecai Beverage Co. After more than six years, Raleigh’s beloved brewery, taproom and bottle shop announced its closure, marking the end of an era for Oakwood brew lovers.
Sing us a song. Songbird is officially open on Whitaker Mill at East End Market, bringing a daylight-to-dusk concept built around seasonality, locality and rhythm to Raleigh’s dining scene.
The former Mandolin space is getting new life. Also from the Chido team, a second La Victoria is headed to Five Points, dishing tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, margaritas and more to one of Raleigh’s most-watched restaurant addresses.
Bagel lovers, this one’s for you. Jeff’s Bagel Run is officially open at Glenlake, while New York institution H&H Bagels appears to be eyeing Waverly Place for its second NC effort.
Curtain up, cocktails out. Theatre Raleigh’sGreen Room is shaking things up with a refreshed beverage program, giving Northeast Raleigh diners another reason to stop by before—or after—the show.
Drift Coffee + Kitchen
Drift Coffee + Kitchen is, ahem, drifting into Raleigh Iron Works with yet another Triangle location, joining its Ridgewood Shopping Center and RTP locales—plus another upcoming spot at The Weld.
Shift happens. Athletic Brewing has brought back Aftershift. Created in collaboration with culinary stars Chris Cosentino, Chris Shepherd, David Chang, Ashley Christensen and Sarah Grueneberg, the nonalcoholic brew is designed for post-work hangs without tomorrow morning’s regrets.
What a burger, indeed. Cult Texas classic Whataburger is eyeing another Triangle outpost, this time in North Raleigh, as the chain continues its local burger blitz.
Peru, meet Japan. IKÁ Nikkei Kitchen + Bar is now open in Glenwood South in the former Wonderland space, introducing Raleigh to Nikkei cuisine—the wildly delicious marriage of Japanese technique and Peruvian flavor.
Daughter’s Soft Serve
Randy’s is rolling into Cary. According to ELM Partners, the longtime local pizza chain is preparing a new joint at Parkside Town Commons, expanding its footprint in western Wake County.
From butcher to butter pecan. The couple behind Bellow Butcher Co. is getting into the dessert game with new concept Daughter’s Soft Serve, now serving traditional and dairy-free soft serve with creative dips, cores and toppings in downtown Wendell.
JoCo’s chicken wars continue. Slim Chickens has opened a new Clayton locale, adding another chick to one of the Triangle’s fastest-growing fast-casual categories.
The Triangle is dining among the stars. Forbes Travel Guide recently recognized Herons, Fearrington House Restaurant and Fairview Dining Room. Cheers to another round of accolades for three local standouts.
The Buc starts here. Buc-ee’s officially broke ground on its first North Carolina location in June, putting Beaver Nuggets, brisket sandwiches and famously spotless bathrooms one step closer to reality.
Find us pie-eyed. Winston-Salem’s Mission Pizza Napoletana was recently named among the top 20 best pizzerias in the U.S. by Italian Top 50 Pizza, while Durham’s Pizzeria Toro landed on a new national list highlighting excellent pizza destinations across the country.
From navigating RDU and everything it’s got coming down the pipeline to being prepped before taking off, here’s your ultimate travel guide.
RDU is reaching new heights. Giving your future travel days a glow-up, the airport is investing $2.5 billion over the next 10 years to add new nonstop flights, fresh dining ops, smoother roadways and other upgrades—all resulting in a new and improved destination for local and visiting jetsetters.
“With the busy summer season just around the corner, it’s clear that many Triangle-area travelers are ready to embrace their next adventure—especially beyond our borders,” said Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board Chair Tammie Hall-Roberts. “RDU continues to rise to the moment.” Here’s what’s taking off.
Scan. Pay. Go.
No app download, no deck meltdown. RDU has rolled out Parking Mobile Pay for a smoother exit strategy from both lots and garages. Rather than risking a gate malfunction or missing ticket, simply scan the QR code on the ticket and use your credit card or Apple/Google Pay to make a digital getaway. Once paid, travelers have a 30-minute window to exit, with gates automatically recognizing payment. Of course, exit lanes and pay kiosks remain available. Consider your classic RDU parking headache sorted.
Low Spirits
Spirit has split—is Frontier next? Following months of turbulence, Spirit Airlines abruptly ceased operations at RDU in early May, canceling flights and leaving travelers scrambling for alternatives. The system-wide grounding came after seven years of service connecting budget-conscious travelers across the globe.
The shake-up also raises a bigger question: Are budget airlines on the way out? Travelers are keeping their eyes on Frontier—many noting a scaling back in local routes and paused bookings earlier this spring. That said, Frontier was quick to shut down the rumors, with CEO James Dempsey going so far as to say the airline can “fill the massive gap left behind by Spirit’s collapse.”
Still, whether or not Frontier can prove how sustainable the ultra-low-cost model actually is remains up in the air.
Sky’s the Limit
To keep up with RDU’s 15.5 million passengers per year—and counting—major enhancements are in store. Dubbed Transform RDU, the project includes runway replacement, additional eco-friendly parking, a John Brantley Boulevard extension, and a Terminal 2 expansion—all set for phased completion by 2032.
For its part, the Terminal 2 expansion—which broke ground in January and is taking place behind a barrier stretching through the north end of the ticketing hall—involves additional ticketing counters, a roomier international arrival area and new baggage carousels.
Catering to future parking demand, the Park Economy 3 Expansion project has already begun adding 7,000 new spots to the public surface lot near the intersection of Aviation Parkway and National Guard Drive—complete with some of the airport’s lowest daily parking rates and shuttle service to both terminals.
The parking expansion project also includes a new solar-powered amenities building—set to debut late summer—offering restrooms, vending machines, a lounge with monitors displaying flight info, and office space for staff/law enforcement.
Speedier customs reentry into the U.S. plus TSA PreCheck perks
$120/5 years
TSA PreCheck automatically included with membership
Approval can take months—and interviews are req’d.
REAL Talk
Still don’t have REAL ID? TSA’s ConfirmID program can help keep your trip from getting grounded. Travelers without a compliant ID may pay a $45 fee for temporary identity verification valid for a 10-day travel period to fly domestically—unless you have an acceptable alternative like a passport or Global Entry card. Pro tip: Complete the process online before you get to the airport to avoid the extra security-line chaos.
Travel Hacks
If you must check a bag, do it online or in the app before you get to the airport—kiosk fees can be higher.
Skip baggage and ship your luggage ahead of time via Stowic’s door-to-door service—the $40 flat-rate alone may be worth not lugging your bag.
Print your boarding pass—don’t leave all hope in your Apple Wallet (spotty Wi-Fi, dead batteries… sometimes the odds *aren’t* in your favor).
To fight off fraud, some airlines—especially international ones—require the physical credit card you booked with.
Double-check monitors before wandering too far. Your assigned gate at check-in can change on the fly—sometimes to the opposite end of the terminal.
The February approval from Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board came after a six-month pilot proved popular with both travelers and terminal dining spots.
“Travelers embraced the change, leading to increased revenue for our concessionaires,” says Stephanie Hawco, RDU Airport Authority external communications director. “We believe this approach benefits both our business partners and guests.”
The pilot program also allowed to-go bevs that can be imbibed anywhere in the post-security terminals—and Hawco anticipates a permanent decision to be made mid-year. Bloodys before boarding? Now officially cleared for takeoff.
LOCAL LIFT 6 RDU spots now serving spirits all-hours
Adios! By Oscar Diaz Bond Brothers Kitchen & Bar Conniption Cocktails & Cuisine Crawford’s Genuine La Farm Bakery & Cafe Raleigh Beer Garden*
There’s no place like home. Raleigh’s housing inventory has increased 54.5% YoY, marking the largest jump across all major U.S. cities
New year, new flights. A slew of nonstop destinations are joining the RDU lineup in 2026, including Dublin (March 4), Punta Cana (March 4), Montego Bay (March 5), Cancun (March 7) and San Diego (April 22). Better pack those bags!
NC’s own Morrisville life science and manufacturing campus Spark LS landed the largest manufacturing lease in the U.S. this year, rumored to be Millennium Print Group, a manufacturer of Pokémon cards.
Kiddos are getting a mandatory social media detox in Australia after the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16. Social companies have since revoked access to ~4.7 million accounts. Only time will tell which country joins them next…
RDU closed out 2025 with a bang, welcoming a total of 15.6 million passengers, up slightly from the previous year.
North Carolina ranked No. 22 in America’s Health Rankings’ 2025 annual report, citing such low prevalences of excessive drinking, frequent physical distress and adults using e-cigarettes. To health!
Don’t text. NC’s statewide public school cellphone ban went into effect, banning students from using their phones during instructional hours. In Wake County, phones must be silenced and put away.
Bye, Meta. Facebook’s parent company ended its lease at Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, which had previously planned to employ around 100 “enterprise engineers.”
TSA is getting real. Starting Feb. 1, airport passengers will be charged $45 if they don’t have a REAL ID, which will cover travel for 10 days. Better make those DMV appointments!
In other flight news, Avelo closed its RDU crew base, thus cutting the airport’s only nonstop flights to Albany, New York, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Avelo’s Punta Cana flight was always cut, but Breeze will continue the service.
Swipe on this: Credit and debit card swipe fees hit a new record of $187.2 billion, led once again by Visa and Mastercard.
It’s giving The Lorax. … Wake County reportedly lost 11,000+ acres of tree canopy over the course of the last decade—more than double the size of Umstead State Park (!)—thanks to new homes and apartments being built.
WHAT’S NOT
Too cool for school? Enrollment in NC public schools has declined significantly since 2020, falling 5.2% to 1.35 million students, per the NC Department of Public Instruction.
Now raising the bar at RDU Airport is Durham Distillery’s new Conniption Cocktails and Cuisine.
Durham Distillery’s highly anticipated RDU Airport restaurant and bar Conniption Cocktails and Cuisine has officially taken flight—and it promises to quell your pre-flight jitters, layover boredom and touchdown hankerings… and then some. “Our goal is to really be a place unlike any other at RDU—and offer something really unique for the entire country,” says Durham Distillery co-founder and CEO Melissa Katrincic.
An intimate space to land amid the airport bustle, the new all-day Conniption outpost—the second-largest at RDU behind Crawford’s Genuine—boasts an elevated escape with ample lounge seating and a full bar for travelers looking to treat themselves, whether it’s 4am or 9pm.
Naturally, Durham Distillery’s spirits take center stage—showcased in a range of cocktails, some familiar to fans of the distillery’s DurhamConniption Bar & Lounge. Think signature sips like margaritas, French 75s, old-fashioneds and seasonal G&Ts; brunch bevs like bloodys, mimosas, slushies and upgraded boozy coffee; and a tempting world-class ’tini lineup: subzero gin (served straight from the freezer), dirty, or espresso with coffee liqueur. “Our goal is to have the best airport martini in the country,” emphasizes Katrincic.
The crafty concoctions are complemented by refined brunch and all-day Southern-inspired fare—from wraps, egg bites, yogurt bowls, and fresh beignets with espresso caramel sauce to small plates like pimento cheese, sliders and a cheesy flatbread, plus entrees including Cobb + Caesar salads, a chicken sandwich, house burger, and steak frites.
“This is not only a great opportunity for us to get new people interested in the brand and distillery—but really this is about trying to establish a sense of place throughout the entire Triangle,” muses Katrincic. All told, it’s an experience worthy of a delay—or even a cancellation. Happy travels, indeed. durhamdistillery.com
In the Spirit Further raising spirits, Durham Distillery just dropped its new Damn Fine Mocha Bourbon Cream and Damn Fine Vodka—crafted with distilled, purified water for a clean, crisp finish and that trademark “simplicity with quiet confidence.” Now that’s damn fine.
