The Hambone Opera — Restaurant in Lawrence Township

I was born in NJ, but was raised in the South; NC and VA to be specific. I grew up on pulled pork, cole slaw, and baked beans, when it comes to BBQ. I've had all kinds of BBQ, good and bad, but as a Southerner, I have an extremely, almost unrealistically high standard when it comes to trying new BBQ joints, and ESPECIALLY when those joints are in a state that DOES NOT BELONG SERVING OR SELLING BBQ, not unlike NJ.

That being said...

I have mixed feelings about what I just ate, which was pulled pork, brisket, baked beans, and cole slaw.

The brisket seemed to be ONLY flavored with smoke. The smoke flavor and tenderness were so good that I can confidently say that no other place in the country, even in the South, can match it. If it tasted as if the chef at least looked at some salt, though, I would've fully enjoyed it.

The cole slaw tastes too much like traditional NJ cole slaw to me. If you really eat cole slaw, you know EXACTLY what I'm saying and what can be done to fix it.

Mind you, I was raised in Carolina, so that particular style of pulled pork is and will forever be King. The pulled pork from THO, though? It pleasantly surprised me that a BBQ joint outside of NC could make pulled pork that doesn't have to be saved by BBQ sauce. It stands up very well on its own. I added no sauce to it; I ate the hell out of it; I'm about to go back for seconds.

The baked beans?!? OH MY GOD. "Best ever" is an oversimplification AND and understatement. They're not sweet like traditional baked beans, but the sweet is there. They're just spicy enough to let you know and remind you subtly that they're spicy, which is PERFECT for me. If there was a Nobel Prize for food, those baked beans, in ALL of their smokey glory, would win it every year. I honestly don't think anyone can even come close to those baked beans. Did I mention that I liked them?

All in all, I feel like THO has their work cut out for them, but I also feel like they've earned the top spot in NJ, if not the entire...

Ok I've eaten here twice in the past few weeks. I tried the ribs first, delicious. I'm not even a huge meat lover but the smell of it in the market pulled me in. HOWEVER, I went back again another day and got chicken wings. This time, it was pretty bad. There were little hairs on half the wings (i got about ten of them). They could have been actual human hairs, or maybe hairs from whatever brush they use to brush the spices on. I'm not sure. But it was definitely hairs and not part of the chicken. Either way, that's not something that I want to consume. On top of that, many of the bones were broken inside. I won't be going back here. I only need to find a bunch of hairs in my food one time to...

I normally don't take the time to write reviews however Hambone Opera got my attention. You can t help but gravitate towards the smell of the smoked meat. the staff was fast super friendly and efficient. I go there towards the end of the day and they were out of pulled chicken so I went with the brisket. Hands down best brisket in NJ. The smoked flavor the seasoning the tenderness of the meat and just enough fat. Cole slaw was extremely fresh but needed a little more flavor. A hidden gem at the Trenton Farmer s Market....