Raleigh Durham
You're flying out of Raleigh-Durham Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Raleigh-Durham Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Raleigh-Durham's airports.
Downtown Raleigh · $$$
Triangle's most awarded cocktail bar.
Downtown Raleigh · $$$
Speakeasy reached down a staircase off Fayetteville Street.
Five Points · $$$
Wine-and-cocktail bar with one of the Triangle's best Italian wine lists.
Warehouse District · $$
American whiskey bar with a long bourbon-and-rye list and serious bar food.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Raleigh-Durham proper at the end.
Plays for Raleigh-Durham Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Raleigh Durham? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.