More Than Q BBQ Opens its Doors in Lambertville

More Than Q BBQ, the Texas-style barbecue purveyor with farmer’s market roots in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, opened their new dine-in location in downtown Lambertville Wednesday.

The 49-seat, family-friendly BYOB will cater to customers who share owner Matt Martin’s philosophy that “the best things in life are smoked in a pit.”

More Than Q BBQ has already attracted a sizeable local following by serving up succulent smoked meats, along with southern sides, like burnt end baked beans, collard greens, and cheesy grits.

“We’ve been in the Stockton Farm Market for four years, and we’ve been bursting at the seams for the last two,” explained Martin. “I was approached about the Lambertville space by the owner, and I was already looking in town because we have so many Lambertville customers, and our name is known here,” he said in a June interview.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Martin, 40,  graduated from Council Rock High School in 1994, and lives in Washington Crossing with his wife Beth and two children. He started out in sales after attending the University of Maryland, and moved to Chicago while courting Beth, ultimately attending cooking school. It was there that Martin helped open the prepared foods section of the Whole Foods Lincoln Park location, working his way to management, and being transferred to Philadelphia in 2011.

In 2013, a friend was starting a barbecue stand at the Stockton Farm Market, asked Martin to join him, but then suddenly had to leave the area. Martin bought him out, started quickly honing his barbecue skills, and the rest is history, including the opening of an Easton Farmer’s Market outlet on April 15 of this year.

When it comes to the actual product, Martin keeps it simple and direct, dry-rubbing the cuts and smoking them over wood.

“I believe menus don’t need to be long — the meat is the centerpiece,” Martin observed. “My philosophy is that the each week presents a new challenge to perfect the meat.”

“True, authentic Texas-style barbecue is an art, and I respect all the players in this BBQ game,” said Martin. “Our main focus is giving our customers the highest quality BBQ experience we can.”

More Than Q BBQ is located at 13 Klines Court in Lambertville; (609) 773-0072.