9 Costco Food Court Items You Need to Try At Least Once

If you're not full from all of the free samples on your Costco shopping day, you may be inspired to make a pit stop at the food court on your way to get your receipt checked. And who could blame you? Costco's food court is one of the best deals around and has lots of very vocal fans. Read on for our complete guide to the Costco food court.

Do You Need To Be a Member To Eat at Costco's Food Court?

One Redditor explains: "Some stores won’t let you in the front door to use the food court without a membership. Also, some stores have their food courts outside which makes that rule pretty hard to enforce." With the recent crackdown this summer on card sharing, it's smart to check with your local Costco before heading over, but Costco tells us that as of June, Costco stores are enforcing this rule a bit more and you do need to be a member to enjoy the food court. But what if you know someone with a membership? Costco's site states that members can bring in "up to two guests to the warehouse during each visit."

Related: Oh Snap! Costco Is Cracking Down on Membership Sharing

When Is Costco's Food Court Open?

The Costco food court is open whenever the store is open, which means you need to check your local Costco's website for their business hours. Some Costcos are open on some holidays too. The only holidays they're closed are New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Can You Order Food From the Food Court Online?

Nope. You need to be physically present at Costco in order to put in a ticket for food at the food court. Some Costcos now have kiosks where you can place your order, go shopping and pick up your food (or sit down and eat) on the way out, which makes it easy and efficient to eat and shop when the warehouse is super busy.

What's on the Menu at Costco's Food Court?

Costco's food court varies by country. You can get a bánh mi in Australia, jacket potatoes in England and a bulgogi bake in Japan. But here in the States, you can choose from a pretty basic menu of drinks, entrees and a few desserts. Here are nine menu items you can find at most Costco locations.

Nine Things to Buy at the Costco Food Court

Menu items you'll find at most Costco locations—and what folks are saying about them.

1. Pizza: $1.99-$9.99

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Costco offers two different pizzas in two different sizes. You can choose from cheese or pepperoni and grab a slice or a whole 18-inch pie. The slices will run you $1.99 and a whole pizza is an absolute steal at $9.99. Redditors are split on the taste but not the value saying, "Hard to find a $10 pizza that can feed me for days anywhere else!" and "Order it well done. Savor the flavor and thank me later." One Redditor offers a great pizza hack: "I take mine home and throw it in the oven until it crisps up. Transforms a decent value pizza into almost gourmet when the dough has some crunch."

2. Chicken Bake: $3.99

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Lots of Costco fans are also chicken bake fans. Inside the pizza crust packet you'll find chicken, Caesar dressing, bacon and plenty of cheese. Rumor has it that the chicken bake is made fresh at each Costco location, which might be one of the reasons it's so tasty. You may also spy boxes of chicken bake in the Costco freezer section, but the freshly made version definitely gets better reviews (at least on Reddit). "Ingredients-wide, the home ones are fine; it’s really that you’re microwaving it from frozen, vs. a presumably more sophisticated cooking method at the food court," says one commenter. "With microwaving, they end up kinda soggy on the underside. If you reheat via oven they’ll probably be a lot better, though who’s got time for that…" Grab a chicken bake for $3.99 and have yourself a perfectly portable lunch, and probably leftovers for dinner too.

3. Hot Dog: $1.50

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The price of Costco's 1/4 pound hot dog with 20 oz. soda has been the same since 1985—$1.50. In fact, the Costco hot dog has been described as a "loss leader," which is a product sold for less than its worth to help bring in customers (Costco's famous rotisserie chicken is another example). One Redditor wondered whether or not the hot dogs are hot and ready to go when their warehouse opens and another commented "Sure are. Recommend eating one before you start shopping. I saw this advice on here a couple months ago and now make less impulse purchases because I’m not hungry while shopping!!" To make this even more of a deal, don't forget that the sodas come with free refills (Costco has Pepsi products including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Starry).

Related: They're Here! The Top 5 New-in-August Finds at Costco Everyone's Talking About

4. Ice Cream: $1.99-$2.49

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Costco has two ice cream options: the plain cup of vanilla ($1.99) and a choice between a chocolate or strawberry sundae ($2.49). Redditors point out that there's plenty of ice cream in these cups too, so plan on sharing. Costco shoppers on Reddit who are fans of the sweet treat aren't shy about sharing their opinion saying "Strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce oh yeah baby" and "Def cheaper than going to an ice cream place."

Related: The Most Underrated Item at the Costco Food Court

5. Fruit Smoothie: $2.99

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A rumored summer-only menu item, the mango smoothie is a tropical treat in a cup for only $2.99 that a lot of Redditors have mixed thoughts about. "Alright, I feel crazy about this but I really like the mango smoothie. I don’t think it tastes like mango though" says one and "It tastes kind of…. Earthy. Like carrots? It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just not what I’m going to choose to drink if I want a smoothie" says another. Redditors are petitioning Costco to bring back their beloved berry smoothie when mango season is over.

Related: Costco Brings Popular International Item to U.S. Food Courts

6. Twisted Churro: $1.49

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Grabbing one of these donut-like confections when they're fresh is key, say Redditors, otherwise they're not worth the $1.49. "They used to be so good. Now they taste like play dough" says one Redditor and another says they would rather pay more for better quality. "Look, I appreciate Costco’s desire to keep cafe prices low or untouched from what they were 30+ years ago, but they continue to sacrifice quality of the cafe experience in order to do so. The new churros are terrible. Bring back the old ones and raise the price if they need to."

7. Cold Brew Mocha Freeze: $2.99

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Another frozen drink for $2.99, this one will give you a quick boost. "So I finally remembered to try this beverage, and it is fantastic," said one Redditor. "Not too sweet at all, good coffee flavor, and very refreshing. Highly recommended,"

"I was a little concerned it would be too sweet as well, but it doesn't seem to be too sweet to me," says another. "I guess my only wish would be that the coffee flavor were stronger. But I still really like it."

8. Rotisserie Chicken Caesar Salad: $6.99

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This salad, which comes with romaine, chicken breast, Parmesan cheese and creamy Caesar dressing is one of the more expensive options on Costco's menu. Many aren't sold on it saying, "So I just got this today and I'm not sure I'll get it again. It is definitely not the same salad as they had before pandemic. Mine was packed to the rim, but for $6.99, I don't know. The healthiest item also the most expensive. Sigh." Another commenter added, "It’s way too expensive! Instead I’d rather get a whole chicken or a hot dog, sundae, slice of pizza and fruit smoothie for $9. Like I just did now."

9. Roast Beef Sandwich: $9.99

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At $9.99, this new sandwich is the most expensive item on the menu at Costco. Redditors aren't totally sold on this pricey sub, saying "It’s not bad. It’s well-filled, but really missing cheese and the mustard is overpowering; would’ve been better with a little horse radish," and "Honestly, it’s probably a fair price. But it kinda defeats the purpose of a Costco food court imo. For about the same price I can go to a good sandwich shop."

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