Rib Ticklers Barbeque

Positives: the tri-​tip is really, really good. Lots of seasoning and very tasty.
Negatives: Ribs are too dry and too lean. Pulled pork had a weird, almost chemical after taste. Cost… way too expensive for what you get. It’s a drive thru at a gas station, so there’s no table service and the prices are absurdly high.

First time here in a long time. The taste is very, very good. The sauce, or at least the one sauce that they included in my order was excellent.
The kicker. The price is too high. Additionally, they forgot several items in my order including chicken and sauce. The cornbread; not so good, mushy and weird. The beans and potato salad, while good, extremely small portions for the combo and the price. Also, for the 6 rib and 2 meat combo, you probably get ³⁄₁₆ of a pound of meat (think the meat on a Subway sandwich) and the 6 ribs.
Overall, I need to try again to be sure. Double check your order before you leave and skip the combos and buy your meat etc. al a carte. Plus if you order sides, just get the large ones again, al a carte.

This place is legit!!! So delicious, my mouth waters just thinking about it. Let me start by saying that I moved here from Houston, TX so I’ve had my share of bbq, I also lived in Reno, NV where every year they host a rib cook off and various bbq places from all over the U. S attend and compete. This place did it for me, I have found my favorite bbq place here. I got the flat bread with tri-​tip inside came with cole slaw and baked beans, I eat fast and this time I took my time and savored and enjoyed every bite. Not to mention The owner Dennis, is very pleasant and great to chat with, I even asked how it was that he knew how to make amazing bbq if he’s not southern and he said he grew up in the Caribbean where he learned to hunt pigs and how to cook it. I’m so happy to find this place! Will be a regular!

DO NOT let location keep you away from having the best BBQ!!! This place is inside a gas station, however, the tri-​tip and pulled pork are to die for. Had the spicy BBQ sauce (will be trying nitro next time) and had the best eating experience with my wife, and she was never a big BBQ eater. Just moved to the area from TX and tried many places, none of them compare.

Support your local restaurants! This place is great. BBQ sauce is unique and very good. Prices are extremely reasonable and food is great. Kinda weird its in a gas station but whatever… best spots are usually in the last places you would think.

Great food, always great service. These guys are awesome.
Definitely a returning customer.

Don’t let the location (inside of Valero) fool you. This is some serious barbecue. We had the pulled pork with beans, slaw and corn bread. All of it reminds me of good bbq in Texas! I’ve also had the tri-​tip sandwich. It is also excellent.

Best BBQ around, it reminds me of the joints in Nashville where you do eat at the gas stations or truck stops. Generous portions and great sides, worth the trip over the bridge!!!

OK so I’ll admit I was skeptical. BBQ in a gas station? Hmmmm… but after reading positive reviews and giving myself the «keep an open mind» pep talk, I decided to give it a go.
The pulled pork was pretty good but what I will be thinking about loooong after this visit are the baked beans! Sweet and loaded with bacon and… mmmm… :)
The potato salad was really good as well and the owners son was really nice. He offered me samples beforehand. I read on the Togo menu that the owner had been a chef in the Navy and served as Bob Hope’s personal chef for the USO tours. In my book that’s super cool!
And those beans… I live about 15 miles away but may have to make a special trip over the narrows bridge for them some time in the future. Were they seriously that good? Yes! Yes they were! :)

Loved it when he had Rib Ticklers in the harbor before and still love it after being gone for several years! Very nice owner & staff. Their B-​B-​Q sauce (spicy) is the very best around !! Love the chicken and the ribs, but wish they had more chicken so they don’t run out so early. (Tip: call ahead and reserve what you want to pick up at a certain time) so glad they are back!

The Customer NON Service Over Confident Attitude Of The Owner Made The Meal Nauseating. His Ego Was The Biggest Thing In The Whole Building Notwithstanding His Love Of His Damn Red Ribbon! RT Can NOT Cook Texas Hot Links The Way A Texan Enjoys Them! Hot Links Need Love & Care & Grilling Too! Molasses Based Sauce? So, What Have You Done Lately? This Flavor Is On The Low Shelf At Any Grocery Store.

I ordered trip tip chicken and all the sides for a party of 25, and everyone loved it. They packaged it so it stayed warm and moist. Thank you so much Rib Ticklers! You were aa hit.

Second time here, food is great, service way above what I would expect for buying BBQ at a gas station they got location down ! It’s right off the freeway and there ain’t nothing to eat between them and fox island! Good job guys, I just wish they had pickled eggs, and sweat tea

Good BBQ! Fast friendly service. Lacking on side items. I would love to see a smoked Mac and Cheese.

We had Rib Ticklers cater a beach side party this past weekend… and we were thrilled with the food… ribs, chicken, beef, slaw, beans and three different degrees of sauces. Dennis, the owner, was a joy to work with… from our first planning meeting, to the «extras» thrown in. The food, Dennis, and his son, were enjoyed by all!

Ribs are good but they need to be more careful with their orders (mixed up). And bad customer service.

I must say, I was a little skeptical about buying BBQ at a gas station, but let me tell you, this is the real deal.
We had ribs and pulled pork, both were excellent.
Can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.

He’s back and I for one couldn’t be happier. Been eating the food at Rib Ticklers since it’s beginning. Nothing compares. When they first opened twenty some years ago we drove from Spanaway to the Harbor to eat this food. Much closer now and you can call my hub a I regulars.
Do yourself a favor and try everything. I love the pulled pork sandwich with the sides, it’s a meal. The cole slaw (creamy not dry and it’s not watery) and beans are a must their from Dennis’s mom. Yum. I already know what I’m getting next… the baby backs or maybe the beef ribs.
This food has won awards so if you like BBQ it’s the best in the area. Don’t forget to take a bottle of sauce home. Its good on lots of things even fingers.

Came on a day that he was out of chicken, little bummed, but made the best of it. Beams and slaw. Mmm pretty good stuff.
Don’t think many people know about this spot. He’s just has a small table or 2. Tucked inside of the Valero gas station. Has a drive thru also if you don’t want to get out. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Good Barbeque is hard to find. Good Barbeque in Gig Harbor was impossible to find… until now. There are a few restaurants in Gig Harbor that «Claim» to have barbeque, but they are all posers when compared to Rib Ticklers. Rib Ticklers leases space out of the back of Valero gas station across from the famous Patterson’s market on the corner of 56^th & 38^th. This may seem a little strange but I remember standing in line at Dixie’s BBQ in Bellevue to sit and eat BBQ in their auto repair garage, so going into a mini-​mart for world class ribs is just fine with me.
Having eaten at many of our regions great BBQ joints (Cave Man, Dixie’s, Peco’s Pit, and many more) Rib Ticklers is my favorite by a mile. The owner («Dennis» I think is his name) has been in the Rib Business for 25 years and he is kind of like a «Rib Nazi» (of the nice kind). You know it is a good rib joint when you go up to order and he tells you «Sorry I can’t sell you that right now». Anyone who knows how BBQ works, knows good BBQ takes time and skill to get it just right. If the meat is underdone or overdone and dried out you just can’t serve it. This is the case at Rib Ticklers, if they are not happy with the meat at the time you come in, they simply will tell you that they can’t sell it right now.
Anyone going home to the Artondale, Arletta, Cromwell, or Fox Island areas has to drive by Rib Ticklers to get home (if you use the Olympic exit). Do yourself a favor and grab some ribs on your way, if you’re lucky there will be some ribs ready to go when you get there… you can even use the drive thru! …And don’t be afraid to get the «Turbo» sauce, it is not as spicy as you think and has more of a tangy flavor.
They are open Tues-​Friday 11 – 2 and then 4 – 7. Saturday’s 11 – 7.