The Rib Trader

The only thing good about our experience was my grandkids enjoyed the magic show. The restaurants a/​c must have been out because it was so hot inside. If we had just one waitress things would of mistlikly of been a better. But one person not knowing what the other person is doing things we ended up missing 3 meals. The response of the waitress was oh we must of given your meals to someone else.
I have eaten there about 8 years ago and then I would of given the place 3 star’s, but the only reason they were given 2 star’s today is because my grandkids did enjoy the magic show.

happy hour is great other than that a little pricey too hot and dark in the dining area. Our servers are always friendly and attentive. We go about once a week for happy hour.

So my friend and I came to this place for Merlin’s magic show that we found on Groupon. They started seating people in the showroom at 7 pm for the 7:30 show. The workers were very friendly and energetic. There weren’t that many people but just the perfect amount. The Groupon comes with a magic show, soup, ribs, chicken, beans, corn bread, and coleslaw. Overall the food was delicious. I thought the chicken was extremely good. Beans seemed to be marinated in BBQ sauce. My only problem is my soup had a gnat in it… i asked for a new bowl of soup. and they got it from the same pot… normally I’m not very picky, and I didn’t say anything at the time, but there’s something wrong with that lol
Other than that, the everything tasted amazing, especially for it’s price. The magic show was so fun. Even I was amazed! And the magician was extremely hilarious. I would highly suggest checking this out!

Beans are great. Tri tip is not. Tough, dry and tasteless. BBQ sauce is thin, way too vinegary. We threw it away. And they gave me static about taking my coupon.

Great service, very personable. It was a rainy Fri night so it wasn’t crowded. The 3 meat optiion was Huge! We took. most of it home. The food was good, not outstanding, but good.
Again, the servings we received were very generous. I have to say, I really loved the cornbread!

The food was delish. & the sevice was fantastic.. We will come back for the comedy show in the near future.

Our server Alyssa was conscientious and offered some great suggestions. I tried the sampler Platter and found the ribs to be moist and perfectly cooked. The spicy Cajun link had a delightful snap to it and the sauce was very tasty.

We got a LivingSocial deal for the magic show and dinner. We got here early so we decided instead of going somewhere else first, to get something small to munch on before the show.
I don’t know why the other reviews were so bad because what we ordered was very good. The ribs were tender, the chicken wings in BBQ sauce very tasty and the onion rings reminded me of Tony Romas.
Our server was attentive so no complaints there.
OK, so the décor is outdated, but don’t let that stop you.
More to come on the show come 8 PM.

The misses and I came here for dinner tonight and it was absolutely amazing. I don’t understand what’s up with all the bad reviews? I had the baby back ribs with BBQ baked beans. Everything was great. The beans at Rib Trader are beans of legend! The ribs themselves where also great, good sauce too. The wife had fried chicken which was delicious. Perfectly seasoned. I asked for some of that killer corn bread and guy gave us 4 slices! The service was perfect and friendly.
I wish we had time to see that magic show thing they do. Looked interesting and fun. This place is great, please ignore the bad reviews from people who don’t know what they are talking about. I am a chef, I know what I am talking about.

Used to live near this place in mid 2000’s and visited 2 – 3 times a year. Hadn’t been back in a while and was in the area so why not give it a shot.
See the pictures below but — holy crap you get a lot of food! Easily could have split one dish. Corn bread came immediately before we even ordered with honey. Full bar is available.
Food was pretty good. Obviously Ribs was where it’s at with this place. I originally wanted the Prime Rib, but it’s only available on the weekends. (Was that in the menu? I didn’t see it, but the lighting it pretty low and the meny printed on light brown paper was kind of hard to read). I had the ½ fried chicken. It was a little dry on the inside, but the side of BBQ Beans — yummy!
We took 3 containers of food home. The dog went crazy when we walked in just because of the smell. We have lunch and dinner tomorrow, and maybe lunch the next day as well.
Service was exactly what I expected. Food came ultra-​fast. Drinks refilled before they were empty.
Booths are a little worn so expect to see a tear here and there. But it actually lends itself to the style of the place.
They have a coupon in the Entertainment Book for up to $ 14 off (2016 book) which helped. Don’t forget to tip on the pre-​discount total if you use it.
I don’t think we’ll wait another 7 years for our next visit.

Purchased a $ 28 Groupon meal for 4. Looked liked a deal I couldn’t pass up. I mean, what can go wrong with simple bbq?
Everything went wrong, well, except our server Jim who was on top of his game.
Included in the special were: 8 pork ribs, ½ chicken, 4 thin slices of tri tip and 2 sides. Served with 4 hefty slices of corn bread.
Pork ribs: dry and didn’t taste fresh
½ chicken: didn’t touch
Tri tip: rubbery and dry
Mac n cheese: frozen dinner style mac with grainy-​like cheese texture. Everyone gave up on this one.
Mashed potatoes: Hungry man frozen dinner does a better job.
Our whole meal was practically microwaved and doused with bbq sauce. I lost my appetite halfway through my meal. Jim, however, was nice and friendly. Props to you.
A friend mentioned of another bbq place called The smoKING Rib in garden grove. Best ribs in OC, I hear.

We just picked up the groupon package from rib trader. Giving the package 2 star is being nice. We had to pay an additional $ 13 for two soft drinks to go, ridiculous. Got the food home within 5 – 10 minutes leaving the restaurant and everything was cold, nothing was is even warm. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

Amazing fun time for all ages! Great entertainment and food. The staff the service and magician Merlin are excellent. Was a great mommy daughter night. We will be back

Hello,
Hubby and I went last night overall it was a nice experience. We have been here several times over the years. Our waiter, I did not catch his name, was very good especially due to the fact when we came here was almost a full house. I’m a BIG fan of their Onion Rings so we started off with them. Now let me tell you this, these are some of the Best onion rings I’ve ever eaten. remember the onion rings you get at most places, frozen, tasteless etc.
These rings are not like that, no, no my friends, these are done in their kitchen and served fresh and just begging to be eaten. These are a thing of beauty, believe me they alone are worth the trip. Hubby had the baby back ribs and I had the fish & chips both were quite good. the fish was fresh and tasty and the ribs were tasty also. For sides I had a baked potato sub out the french fries. Hubby had waffle fries which were good also. We were way to full for dessert. Good food and good service, that’s good enough for me. Give them a try. Nice place to bring a group of people also.

3÷18÷2016 «Five Star» review
Groupon brought me to this restaurant in Orange. The very tasty food and the GREAT service from James will bring our family back. He is friendly, caring and very accommodating. Now the food we received was a feast of some sort. I first grabbed the ribs and they were melting off and seasoned perfect. They serve them with the sauce on the side in which my kids loved. The sauce was very good and tasted great with the island fries. Island fries are waffle cut fries that were served very hot and with the BBQ sauce were very yummy. Next I reached for the tri tip and let me tell you YUMMY! The chicken was chicken but not dried out like most smoke places come. I forgot to mention the delicious corn bread that was served warm at the beginning, it was great with butter that was soft. All in all Groupon brought us James the server will get us to come back. Great job guys.

So I bought a groupon for this but didn’t make it here on the weekend for the magic show. I’m sure if that was going on, it might have been a little better. So I’m only reviewing on the food/​service on a Monday night. Sadly, not worth it. The service was slow and there was 1 other couple there and 1 guy at the bar. It was basically the owner guy I think who was very friendly & nice. However, it was slow service and with 4 kids, you can’t be that slow.
We got the 4 person meal which was ribs, tri tip, and chicken and we chose sweet potatoe fries and regular fries. The sides were hot, crisp and tasty. Unfortunately the meats were all over cooked, tough & dry. The most tolerable was the trip tips but it was well done. They didn’t ask how we wanted it cooked so it was a bit tough. My 6 year old niece loves steak and she didn’t eat that much. The ribs which are usually my fav were overcooked as well and just dry & tough. Chicken a little better but still dry & tough. Regular price for this meal is $ 54 and with my groupon, it took off $ 53 and in fine print, you have to buy 2 beverages for $ 2.99 a piece (which is Pepsi-​not my fav so that depends if you like coke or pepsi). The corn bread was hot and tasty.
So needless to say, I did not find a good bbq rib place in the OC yet. :(Won’t be going back.

My wife and I came here using one of our
coupons. The Unilocal reviews were passable so we decided to try it. The service was terrible and food has no taste. The ribs tasted like boiled meat and was bbq over. I wouldn’t eat here again if it was free

Ribs were good, albeit a bit on the salty side. The fries were generous. If I went again I would pass on the chocolate cake for dessert (it was overly sweet and underwhelming).
Service was excellent though. The host was very friendly and helpful.

Edit for clarity: the «heavy handedness» i spoke of pertains to the spicing of food– not the pour of the drink! In that regard, they are pleasantly heavy handed.

Awesome beef ribs, and enough to feed the hungriest of men.
If you like Big Meaty beef ribs, Check this place out.
Also, say hi to Jim. (great server) and tell him Chuck sent you…