Daiquiri bar, restaurant coming to former Kansas City cantina space
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified one of the concepts that is a part of the new business. It has been updated to reflect that menu items from District Biskuits and Howlin’ Fowls will be included.
The white brick building in Kansas City’s midtown — formerly a taquería and cantina — will soon be home to daiquiris and burgers.
A new concept called Daiquiri District will open at 408 E. 31st St., at the end of May.
Brain Freeze Daiquiri, a mobile daiquiri bar, will serve products in the space. Its menu will feature products from District Biskuits and Howlin’ Fowls, said Steven Blakley, who’s involved in District Biskuits on the operations side.
The restaurant will have indoor seating, as well as rooftop bar.
James Thomas, owner of Brain Freeze, told The Star that the space is opening as part of the Open Doors program, an initiative to fill vacant storefronts ahead of the World Cup.
Thomas said Daiquiri District will be there until at least November, at which point the concept will negotiate with the landlord on whether to stay.
District Biskuits and Howlin’ Fowls are sister concepts owned by chef Guroux Khalifah. District Biskuits offers loaded biscuits like the Charlie Hustle (Nashville hot fried chicken, hot honey sauce, creamy coleslaw, dill pickles and DB sauce), while Howlin’ Fowls is a chicken-focused restaurant.
Khalifah did not immediately respond to The Star’s request for comment Wednesday.
Blakley owns Sauced, a burger stand at 1881-B Main St. in the Crossroads that closed last fall but teased a comeback. Blakley also owns elevated dining restaurant Triune. The new spot will not feature any menu items from those two concepts, however. Blakley told The Star Sauced is working on a new location, and details are forthcoming.
Brain Freeze, on the other hand, has been serving daiquiris across the metro (and beyond) for four years via a food truck and temporary stands. Thomas said he’s looking forward to serving customers on a regular basis.
“Now I have an actual location, so where … they can find me at one location,” Thomas said.
He offers more than two dozen daiquiri flavors: sour green apple, prickly pear, cherry, watermelon and more.
The midtown restaurant was most recently home to Barrio Taqueria, part of the Barrio Mexican Kitchen + Bar brand. It opened in 2023 but closed earlier this year.
Before that, Sol Cantina had been there since 2006.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:50 PM.