About Us

Pineapple Express Barbecue is a restaurant and beer garden at the historic Lackawanna Railroad Terminal in Montclair, NJ. The menu highlights smoked heritage meats by the pound, including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, hot links, and wings, plus rotisserie chicken, seasonal vegetable sides and salads, and a full bar serving local beer, wine, and cocktails. Meats are smoked onsite over local oak and cherry woods, with counter service ordering, mobile bars, indoor and outdoor seating, and yard games. Chefs and owners Lauren Hirschberg and Damon Wise are breathing new life into Lackawanna Plaza with their award-winning barbecue, offering a gathering place for the Montclair community. 

Although dedicated to the craft of barbecue, the two chefs are not bound by any regional method or style and use that freedom to make some interesting, tasty stuff. With many years of fine and casual dining experience between them, Pineapple Express Barbecue is the result of a longstanding friendship and an 11 (maybe 12?) year run with competitive barbecue team Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krewe, and counting. Over the years the team has placed first among over 200 teams in the poultry, seafood, exotic, and mustard and vinegar-based sauce categories at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Contest. In 2023, the team took the Grand Champion title, as well as the title in the ribs category -- the first team to take both titles in 22 years.