A Maryland Suburb’s Barbecue Boom Continues With the Arrival of Money Muscle

Montgomery County’s pandemic-born food truck hit Money Muscle BBQ just expanded to neighboring Prince George’s County with a dedicated location to finally call its own.

Money Muscle BBQ debuted a dine-in stall on Monday, January 16 inside Le Fantome, bringing an array of smoked meats, sandwiches, sides, and standout sauces in regional styles to the Station at Riverdale Park (4501 Woodberry Street). The mixed-used development’s polished food hall, open since August, sits a short drive from brisket standard-bearer 2Fifty Texas BBQ.

Pitmaster Ed Reavis and his wife Jennifer Meltzer birthed Money Muscle BBQ out of their downtown Silver Spring seafood stalwart All Set Restaurant & Bar in fall 2020. Imported food truck favorites include smoked wings, Carolina pulled pork, Texas brisket, and a vegan black bean quinoa burger topped with slaw, fried shallots, and Kansas City barbecue sauce.

Scott Suchman

Scott Suchman

New menu drops include a Chapel Hill pulled beef sandwich on challah with horseradish mayo and crispy onions; jerk-rubbed barbecue salmon skewers; and mac and cheese loaded up with pulled pork, chopped brisket, or black bean and quinoa crumble. Dine-in, pick-up, delivery, and catering options are available; hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

Reavis, who grew up eating comfort foods in a small southeastern Virginia town, recently bought a 1,000-gallon, reverse-flow meat smoker to handle its surge in business. The team recently took over Fryer’s Roadside in Silver Spring and added a few of Money Muscle BBQ’s best sellers.

Money Muscle BBQ joins options for sushi, hot fried chicken sandwiches, and Korean dishes at the 83-seat international food hall, which includes a full-service bar and rotating roster of ghost kitchens. The all-day lineup is curated by Hospitality HQ founding partner Akhtar Nawab, an award-winning chef and restaurateur behind Mexican hotspots Alta Calidad in New York and Otra Vez in New Orleans.