This Northland restaurant oozes Kansas City pride. Here’s the best sandwich on the menu
When you think of “Charlie Hustle,” you might think of the iconic Kansas City clothing brand or maybe the album by rapper E-40. I think of a chicken sandwich.
The flavorful, spicy and well-balanced sandwich is a culinary revelation for me.
It’s found at a former Subway-turned-biscuit heaven: District Biskuits along North Kansas City’s Armour Boulevard.
At lunchtime on a recent Wednesday, ’90s R&B played indoors and in the shaded outdoor seating area. I sat at the counter facing the window, next to a graphic mural with photos of the food. Customers ranged from young couples to office workers with plastic badges.
An employee called my name on the loudspeaker to pick up The Charlie Hustle ($13.95), a Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich with hot honey, coleslaw and pickles, with coin-shaped tater tots on the side.
Biting into The Charlie Hustle, I taste sweet, spicy, salty and creamy flavors, all at the same time. The crunchy chicken breading, with that indescribable deep-fried flavor, contrasts with the sticky hot honey and keeps me wanting more.
The sandwich’s paper wrapper barely contains District Biskuits’ signature spicy mayo sauce, into which I dipped my tater tots. I washed down the sandwich with a Troost Juice, a flavored lemonade made in-house, which you can get spiked.
Owner and chef Guroux Khalifah said District Biskuits’ menu items are named for Kansas City’s “iconic places, people, landmarks,” like its signature sandwich, The Wonder, which references the now-closed Wonder Bread bakery on Troost where Khalifah got snacks as a kid.
While the District Biskuit menu features five sandwiches and other dishes like biscuits and gravy and mac and cheese, The Charlie Hustle is my go-to dish on their menu.
The first time I went to the restaurant, I tried a bite of my friend’s Charlie Hustle and instantly wished I could eat the whole thing. It’s Khalifah’s favorite sandwich, too.
The Kansas City native worked at a variety of storied area restaurants — Lidia’s, Bristol Seafood — before starting District Biscuit in 2017 as a pop-up. After a few years inside the now-defunct Adam’s Mark Hotel near the Chiefs’ and Royals’ stadiums, Khalifah opened the standalone restaurant in 2022 at 504 Armour Road.
But why biscuits? Khalifah said that they unite people of many backgrounds.
“Everyone loves a delicious, flaky, buttery, soft, tender biscuit,” Khalifah said.
The restaurant’s recipe is based on Khalifah’s mother biscuits, though he remarked, “They weren’t as good as (District Biskuits’)”.
When he started the restaurant, Khalifah said, “I didn’t worry about perfecting anything, because with time, things get better.”
He’s been refining his unique technique for years by listening to the critiques of his customers.
Now, the food is quite close to perfection. I spoke to one customer who said he has been going to District Biskuits for around five years. He said what keeps him coming back is the biscuit. And I’ll be back, too.
