Rib Ticklers Barbeque

We walked in and it wasn't busy so the wait time to get our food wasn't long at all so that was nice. We were although a little disappointed with the food. My fiancé ordered ribs and tri-tip and i ordered ribs. Both plates came with corn bread and a choice of 2 sides. The only thing good out of that was the tri-tip and potato salad. Sadly our ribs were over cooked so the meat came out hard for the most part. Our mashed potatoes were extremely salty and our corn bread seemed as though it's been sitting on the side for awhile.

Customer service was okay. She checked on us a few times but didn't bother to ask if refills were needed on our drinks. I guess We have to ask for ourselves when we want refills? Who knows. Maybe they were having an off day. hopefully one day in the far future we'll try this place out again.

Who runs out of food?!
Who doesn't have enough staff or ambulatory personnel to service their customers?
Who doesn't know how to handle customers or talk to people on the phone?
Who is slower than molasses and talks down to customers?
Rib Ticklers does this and will NEVER get my business.

Some serious BBQ!!!

I have been waiting for these guys to open for awhile now, much like a lot of people.

Anyhow great bbq, I ordered the tri-tips, which were very good, but the ribs are were it is at, they are amazing. Big, juicy, perfectly cooked ribs with the right amount of smoke. A lot of ribs I have ate or bought are all fatty and small, but these are not. I don't know where these guys get their meat at, but I got to find out.

The sides, at least the coleslaw and BBQ beans were very good as well. I usually hate coleslaw, but I could have probably ate the whole jar. Lastly, their bbq sauces, which they have a few, are mild, spicy, turbo and I think Nitro. I tried them all except mild, my favorite was the Turbo, a bit of heat and red peppers flakes, so good I bought a bottle to take home. The Nitro was great too, not too hot, but the spices did linger a bit on our tongue. If that does not do it for you, then they offer a variety of local beers as well to go along with the BBQ.

There are not many really good BBQ places here or Seattle, but these guys definitely rate in high in my list. I cannot wait to come back to try the rest of their selection. If you have not been here, hurry up you are missing something special.

I decided to try this restaurant for the first time after passing by several times before and seeing the $5 lunch banner. Overall, I would say it's a good basic barbecue restaurant with good BBQ food and a friendly staff!
What drew me in was that they offer a $5 lunch and I figured that was a good way to try out what they offer as the basics. For $5 you get a standard white hamburger bun with a choice of pulled meat (a link, chicken or pork) with barbecue sauce. They also offer for $5 a taco or a sandwich as well.
The meat was tender and well cooked and not over soaked in any kind of sauce and not salty either . What they did put on top of the meat was their own recipe of barbecue sauce which tastes like a molasses-based sauce (?). They offer mild and in spicy and I started out the mild but I actually preferred the spicy, which wasn't extremely hot. I do ,however, like my pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw but that would be an additional charge (for next time). The meat was not OVERWHELMINGLY smoked, which I prefer, but other consumers may prefer more of a smoked meat. Again, that is something I would have to try next time with alternative menu choices.
Over all I have to say the restaurant operates very well, clean and I would like to try it alternarive menu choices, next time. I'll be coming back and I would recommend this restaurant to others looking for some good barbecue!

Had a hankering for some bbq, glad I skipped class for this place. I live in Tacoma, but this restaurant was only 7 minutes away. It is a clean establish, a bit nondescript on the outside, but the smell emitting from inside was mouth watering. The prices are fantastic for the amount of food. I ordered the ribs, and leg and thigh combo (14 dollars) with two sides of Mac n cheese and potato salad. It was very well seasoned, and had that smoked taste. It was juicy and hot. My boyfriend ordered the half point of tri tips, and pulled pork with his two sides. It was equally delicious. I would definitely come back, the only reason why it wasn't a five, was because they were out of the cider. The only cider sold there.

I almost didn't try it when I saw the indoor "smokers" and my gut instinct would've been correct. The next thing I noticed was tri-tip instead of brisket on the menu. Tri-tip isn't a meat you smoke (it's for grilling). At least the Holy Trinity was on the menu (ribs, chicken, pulled pork).

My biggest pet peeve is when a BBQ joint puts out meat that doesn't have a hint of smoke on it. That's called steamed meat which one can do in a crockpot at home. I imagine the smokers use gas and very little wood which would get you run outta town in any authentic BBQ state.

The beans had a tomato base flavor which could be improved by adding some Worcestershire and rub (if they use rub, I couldn't tell).

Use elbow noodles for the mac n cheese and let a batch of that sit and get happy all day. Penne noodles cooked to order topped with Velveeta is close to trailerpark mac but not close enough. If your going do anything to mac to order, top it with crushed potato chips.

Dump those "custom made smokers" and get one that uses hardwood and if you're going to give your hot BBQ sauce a cool name, make sure it's hotter than 1 star Thai food. I'd be curious what "national award" it won, the Kraft sauce competion?

Short story: What a waste of time and money! Don't go.

Long story: am a southerner & this was one of my worst BBQ experiences. For our drink order there wasn't a single refill. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich w/ Slaw on top. They brought out 2 sandwiches for me--both wrong. Then a 3rd with slaw that was only shredded cabbage and DRENCHED in sauce. Sauce I'd kindly requested on the side upon ordering. It was terrible, processed gelatin based bullshit. When the waitress finally noticed I wasn't eating, she asked "you hate your sandwich?" I playfully replied "yep," and she didn't offer to do a thing about it. She then play punched my shoulder --WHY did she even touch me!? I walked up to the owner/manager to pay my bill & they tried to charge me for the extra sandwich AND they still charged me for the sandwich I didn't even eat.

Worst Service ever! Terrible ass sauce! Meat with no soul! Never returning!!

We have been looking for a great barbecue restaurant near us and found Rib Ticklers Barbecue in Gig Harbor! Dennis put his spin on bbq sauce both mild and spicy and is a real treat for the 'buds! I had the tri-tip and it just melts in your mouth! So tender and full of succulent juicy smokey taste explosions! Dennis also brought a fall-off-the-bone rib for me to try and I was very much impressed with the amount of meaty goodness with just the right amount of fat! I picked that bone clean!!
We also had the chopped pulled pork sandwich which was a full meal with savory bbq sauce on a tasty bun! Coleslaw and a bowl of mammas beans with bacon! That bowl of beans was rich and satisfying! Some tasty coleslaw and homemade cornbread finished out the generously portioned meal! If you have time, go visit Dennis and Nicole for an excellent meal!!

First off, if I were just reviewing the food, it would be five stars. I think that the missing star may just be working out the kinks of a new restaurant, and I'll be back (probably many times) to find out.

That being said, they are still working out a few of the kinks. The interior still looks somewhat unfinished, and there seems to be a shortage of staff. I felt as if I were at a "soft open", where they were still trying to get their feet on the ground. (Which may well be the case.)

But my wife and I went for the food, and we were not disappointed.

First, while I like sauce with my barbeque, I tried both the ribs and the tri-tip unsauced first. Both were outstanding. I was especially impressed with the tri-tip. Great flavor, moist, and wonderfully tender. Their sauces made both even better.

My wife enjoyed the pulled pork "taco" (a flatbread sandwich with cole slaw). I've had their pulled pork at a previous location, and the bite she gave me showed that it was as good as I remembered.

"Mom's Beans" had a good flavor, and if they ever came near a can, I'd love to find it. The potato salad and cole slaw were also good.

Oh, and if you like very spicy sauce (as I do), they have a "behind the counter" sauce that they do not put out on display. Something about it being hazardous to life and limb. Ask for the "Nitro" sauce, and you will be handed an unlabeled bottle and a dire warning not to let it fall into the hands of mere mortals.

Overall. Excellent barbeque in an informal setting. I'm hoping they're around for a long time.

So excited for this little business to get their own space to expand! Their new location up by Columbia bank across from the new Fred Meyer that is going in. Their food is delicious and local which is always a plus! They have friendly employees and even 25% off ribs and beer during the Seahawks game!! There have plenty of tables and booths to sit comfortably with a busy night! I got my meal to go and it came with two little pancakes (so cute and fun). Definitely check this place out if you're a fan of good bbq!!