The Costco Food Court is low-key one of the most popular fast food joints in America. They sell well over 150 million hot dogs every year — that’s nearly one hot dog for every two people living in America. Costco sells so much pizza that it’s one of the biggest pizza chains in the country. And here’s a free hack — while you need a membership to actually shop at Costco, you can hit up the food court without a membership card. But even outside the store, the prices stay right.
Costco‘s famed hot dog is $1.50 with a fountain drink. The pizza is $9.95 for a very large pie.
But the Costco food court is more than just dirty water dogs and sloppy pizza pie. There are often a good dozen other options on the menu on any given day (depending on your location). Which begs the question: What’s the best item on the Costco food court menu?
To find out, I re-tested everything at my local Costco. One key point we have to keep in mind for this ranking is that the menu isn’t exactly the same coast-to-coast. There are also seasonal variants of some dishes (like the soft serve ice cream). And there’s a massive difference between U.S. Costco menus and menu items abroad. In Canada, you can get poutine. Japan has sushi. In England, you might see chicken strips and fries. This ranking is solely about the standard menu items that you can get in the U.S.
Then there are the food court menu items we’ve lost over the years. Some of them were beloved while others … not so much. Let’s take a look at what’s no longer on the menus. Cue up the Sarah McLachlan!
- Double Cheeseburger
- Costco Fries (Yes, this was a thing for a minute)
- Turkey Melt Sandwich
- Acai Frozen Yogurt Bowls
- Gelato
- BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich
- Cobb Salad
- Al Pastor Salad
- Mango Smoothie
- Spicy Chicken Sandwich
- Costco Chili Bowl!
- The Combo Pizza!!
- And … The Polish Sausage Hot Dog!!!
The loss of the Combo pizza was a big one. The slice (and whole pie) had pepperoni, sausage, black olives, red onion, bell pepper, and mushroom. It was glorious. And the Polish Sausage hot dog had a garlic-onion vibe that was second to none. But alas, they’re gone.
The rest of us must carry on. Below, I’m ranking the current menu at Costco’s food court (this does not include Costco-branded hot food that you can get in the actual store). If your local Costco has a slightly different menu… I won’t have those items on this ranking. Apologies in advance, now let’s dive in!
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14. 20 oz. Soda
Price: $0.69
The Item:
Costco’s soda fountain is cheap and … that’s about it. The mix of syrup to fizzy water is very light, making for a weak AF fountain pour of soda pop. Moreover, they’re Pepsi products only with a very narrow window of options. Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Starry, and maybe lemonade are usually the only options. There used to be a root beer fountain but those days seem to have passed.
Bottom Line:
The soda fountain is too water-heavy, even at 69 cents (nice) a cup.
Buy or Skip?
Get some water.
13. Roast Beef Sandwich
Price: $9.99
The Item:
This new item is a baffling one. First, it’s not cheap. $10 for a sandwich is a lot, especially for Costco where you can get an entire pizza for the same price. Second, it’s not great. The sandwich is “ciabatta” bread with mayo and mustard, some lettuce, stewed tomatoes, and onion relish with sliced beef.
Bottom Line:
The sliced beef is a little gummy and feels processed (it is). The bread is always dry and cold (a terrible combination). The sauces are fine but don’t do enough to make up for the lackluster beef and cold/dry bread.
Buy or Skip?
Hard pass.
12. Cold Brew Mocha Freeze
Price: $2.99
The Item:
This is Costco’s Cold Brew Freeze with chocolate syrup added. It’s not bad. There’s a decent caffeine kick and the price feels right.
Bottom Line:
Costco’s chocolate syrup is so sickly sweet that it makes this a hard drink to get down with, especially since the Cold Brew Freeze is already sweet AF.
Buy or Skip?
Buy it if you need a blast of cocaine-like energy for the next hour.
11. Cold Brew Freeze
Price: $2.99
The Item:
This is a standard frozen coffee with a decent layer of coffee notes and chocolate-y sweetness. It’s very cold so sip it slowly or fall victim to an ice cream headache with every slurp from the straw.
Bottom Line:
This is fine. It’s not Starbucks but it gets the job done.
Buy or Skip?
If you need a sweet caffeine kick, go for it.
10. Twisted Churro
Price: $1.49
The Item:
These “twisted” churros braid chocolate and cinnamon dough together before frying. The stick is then dusted in a sugar-heavy cinnamon sugar.
Bottom Line:
This is fried dough with sugar all over it (with a hint of cinnamon). It’s fine but this is by no means a good churro.
Buy or Skip?
If you want something sweet that’s not going to give you an ice cream headache, then get this, I guess.
9. Cheese Pizza
Price: $1.99
The Item:
This is Costco’s signature pizza. There’s a lot of cheese and even more red sauce (that’s very sweet) over a pressed crust. The crust is pretty nice but gets very sloppy at the point of the pizza.
Bottom Line:
This is so sloppy that you’ll need like five napkins to clean yourself up after noshing on a slice of this pie.
Buy or Skip?
This is pure comfort food. It’s plasticky and over-sauced with sugary tomato sauce. As with all pizza though, even the mediocre pies are still pizza. I’d buy if there was no other hot food option at the food court counter.
8. Rotisserie Chicken Ceasar Salad
Price: $6.99
The Item:
This is a big box of romaine lettuce, industrial shredded “parmesan” cheese, croutons, and shredded chicken from leftover rotisserie chicken meat from the back of the store. There’s a small cup of Caesar dressing on the side.
Bottom Line:
This is an exhausting salad to eat. There’s just so much of it — you can easily split these between two people. That said, you’ll need at least two more dressing cups to get a good Caesar salad vibe.
Buy or Skip?
I’d say skip unless you’re really in need of a massive salad in a pinch. The chicken isn’t bad and provides a good dose of protein so that’s a win. Just ask for an extra dressing cup.
7. Fruit Smoothie
Price: $2.99
The Item:
This is a classic berry smoothie. It’s icy, sweet, and full of dark berry vibes.
Bottom Line:
This is a standard and sweet berry smoothie. There’s a nice layer of real berry flavor amongst all the sweetness. Again, pace your sips as the cold smoothie will give you an ice cream headache if you dive in too fast.
Buy or Skip?
Buy. It’s fine and scratches and itch for something berry-forward and sweet in a smoothie format.
6. Ice Cream Cup
Price: $1.99
The Item:
This is a standard cup of vanilla soft serve. That’s it.
Bottom Line:
Costco’s soft serve is pretty decent but not great. You do get a creamy (almost buttery) sense of ice cream with a good layer of vanilla. It is on the lighter end of the spectrum flavor-wise while still feeling heavy in the “cream” sense.
Buy or Skip?
This is a nice but very plain treat for a hot day. Buy it if you need that cool down in the heat.
5. Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae
Price: $2.49
The Item:
This is Costco’s vanilla soft serve with a big dollop of their chocolate sauce. The sauce’s sweetness works here since the soft serve isn’t overly sweet to begin with.
Bottom Line:
This is nice enough and provides a classic counterbalance of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce from your childhood. Just to be clear though, there are no frills here. It’s just soft serve and chocolate sauce.
Buy or Skip?
Again, if it’s a hot day and you need a sugar rush, go nuts.
4. Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae
Price: $2.49
The Item:
86 the overly sweet chocolate sauce and replace it with a jammy strawberry sauce (with actual chunks of real strawberries).
Bottom Line:
The real strawberry sauce takes this to the next level. This is a good dessert treat whether it’s hot outside or not. Again, the soft serve isn’t the best in the world but it works well with this strawberry sauce since there’s plenty of it.
Buy or Skip?
This is probably the first 100% buy. Give it a try, it’s a nice sweet dessert with zero frills.
3. Pepperoni Pizza
Price: $1.99
The Item:
This is the same sloppy pizza as the cheese pie above. But something happens with the pepperoni. For one, it adds a massive amount of flavor. Second, the pepperoni holds the whole thing together better, making it a much less sloppy eating experience.
Bottom Line:
This is the pizza you want to eat at Costco. It’s also a good take-home version since it’s only $9.95 for a whole massive pie.
Buy or Skip?
Buy if you’re in the mood for a sloppy sweet/spicy and very cheesy pizza experience.
2. Hot Dog and 20 oz. Soda
Price: $1.50
The Item:
This is the gold standard of the Costco food court menu — an all-beef hot dog in a big bun that you can dress yourself, paired with a soda. This is the epitome of KISS — keep it simple, stupid.
Bottom Line:
This is a good hot dog. I’m willing to die on that hill. The beef frank is well seasoned and has a good meatiness. Make sure to get a little cup of freshly diced white onion to add to the relish, deli mustard, and ketchup from the bins by the fountain drinks.
Buy or Skip?
100% buy. This is a big dog and it will fill you up.
1. Chicken Bake
Price: $3.99
The Item:
The Chicken Bake is Costco’s signature dish and sort of a giant hot pocket. The “bake” is filled with tender white chicken meat, a cheesy sauce that’s reminiscent of a Caesar salad dressing, and plenty of onion and garlic with a hint of bacon. The bread is then bespeckled with more cheese that melts into the crust and creates a textural crunch.
Bottom Line:
This is a flavor bomb. If you’re looking for a massive and unique hot pocket with a cheesy, oniony, and warm creamy chicken vibe, this is it.
Buy or Skip?
Buy it. It’ll fill you up better than any other item on the menu. Plus, it’s a specialty item that stands the test of time and remains a cornerstone of the Costco food court menu.
