10 Costco Food Court Items From Around The World

Costco's food court might already seem nearly perfect. After all, how does it get much better than a $1.50 hot dog and soda combo? Or a classic vanilla sundae with warm fudge swirled throughout the cup? But take a look at the corporation's hundreds of warehouses around the world, and you'll find several locations offer a number of unique menu items worth taking a look at.

From Taiwan's hearty, loaded soups to Iceland's sweet, creamy desserts, there is a wide range of tempting options that leave members yearning to experience another Costco location's lineup. And while Costco does change up its food court selection from time to time, each country seems to have its own staples. In the same way you'll likely always find a timeless plain pizza in America, a trip to Korea's store will probably always greet you with the country's very own version of the popular chicken bake. Learning of Costco's food court items from around the world just might leave you with a craving for the bulgogi bake you never knew existed.

Costco food courts in the United States somehow don't offer fries, a classic side that pairs with just about anything. This includes many of American Costco menu options, such as its hot dog and pizza. People would likely order them just to be eaten on their own as a quick power-up before a lengthy grocery run, so it almost seems like a blunder to leave a go-to food like fries off the list.

Canada, however, did not make this same mistake. Not only does the country's food court sell plain fries, but it also sells the poutine version. Poutine, also sometimes referred to as disco fries in parts of America, is Canada's most famous dish. And for a little under five dollars, shoppers there can purchase a tray of steaming fries with a salty, vegetable-based gravy poured over them, and of course, mozzarella curds on top to complete the meal. It's a good alternative for vegetarians who want a chance to try the popular dish, as most other poutines are usually made with a meat-based gravy.

For those living outside of Australia, it might sound surprising that the country's food court features a bánh mì. But those living in Oz know that their homeland can't get enough of the stuff, all thanks to the Vietnamese community that popularized the item upon arriving in Australia after the Vietnam War's end. It has been a mainstay dish in The Land Down Under since the 1980s, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

Costco is partly responsible for that, as for about seven Australian dollars, customers can order it freshly made. You don't even need to be a member to get your hands on one of the sandwiches. These rolls can be made with your choice of either chicken or pork, and come with some of the dish's usual veggies, such as shredded carrots. Unfortunately, the offering doesn't seem up to par with people's expectations. It has garnered negative reviews online, with one person stating they were "a bit disappointing as the meat was dry and the portion was smaller." Nick and Helmi, a food-reviewing couple on TikTok, shared similar sentiments in saying the bread was dry as well, and people were quick to agree in the comment section that the menu item is overall a flop.

All avid Costco-goers are familiar with the famous chicken bake. Sold both fresh at the food court and also as a grocery item in the store's freezer aisle, these bacon, ranch, and chicken-filled rolls have been a lasting part of the wholesale retailer's identity for decades now. So naturally, Korean Costcos offer their own take on the Kirkland Signature meal, and it seems to be receiving even more love than the American product.

Rather than poultry, Korea's version of the bake once used bulgogi beef, which is thinly sliced, marinated pieces of meat that the country has become widely known for. This sweet variety was received very well within the East Asian country's Costco and became a fan favorite. But just as many of Costco's items get discontinued, the bulgogi beef bake was ultimately scrapped in 2021. It has since then been replaced by a jumbo bake that instead uses pork, along with Swiss cheese and scallions, all wrapped up in a crispy, doughy bread. The product is said to be less creamy, and therefore less heavy, than the chicken bake. And even more notably, some people have taken to social media to say it's overall better than the American version. One TikToker went so far as to say, "Chicken bakes suck. Pork bakes are where it's at," and rated it a 10 out of 10.

While a combo of chicken tenders and fries is standard in some countries' Costco locations, fish and chips are the norm in others. Take France as an example, as both options are offered there. It makes up for the dish not being offered at the Costco locations of France's neighbor, Britain, where fish and chips originated from and is a defining street food. However, it has found a way onto Costco France's menu for just five euros, allowing customers to purchase a container of two large filets of fish set on a heap of yellow fries. There's also a lemon and a side of tartar sauce for extra flavor.

Fish and chips aren't the only food France's Costco locations have pulled from other parts of the world. The menu has a pretty American lineup of other meals. In addition to the basket of chicken tenders and fries previously mentioned, there's also pizza, burgers, and ice cream sundaes. But if fish and chips are what you really have a hankering for and your food court doesn't offer them, try taking a stroll through your store's deli section. There, Costco once offered a Kirkland Signature fish and chips meal kit, complete with fish, fries, a coleslaw mix, and a lemon. If you're lucky, you might just stumble upon the product's return.

Clam chowder is a warm and comforting dish that commonly fills the bowls of people in the Northeast, such as Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and several other states in America. But other parts of the world have learned to enjoy it, too. Taiwan is one of the places that should be added to the list, as its Costco food courts provide cups of the soup for approximately three dollars. It's a relatively low price considering the generous amount of ingredients that get thrown into the soup's container. And more crucially, people on social media say it checks the boxes off in flavor and taste as well.

Wayne Dang, a known food reviewer on TikTok, shared a clip spooning through a cup of the soup. Each time he stirred, an abundance of ingredients was shown, revealing the soup's pleasantly chunky texture and runny liquid base. Dang praised the dish and said the "flavor is spot on" with a "generous amount of clams" and a "good amount of potatoes." He described it as "nice and tender" and overall being "very creamy with a clean seafood taste." What more could you ask for in a clam chowder soup?

Costco's discontinued combo pizza, complete with sausage, pepperoni, and a healthy amount of veggies, is the item fans want a comeback of the most. It disappeared from American locations during the coronavirus pandemic, only returning in the form of a take-and-bake version in early 2024 as the result of an online petition. So if members want to experience it freshly made, they'll have to go to just about any other part of the world – one of them being China. And bonus points to the East Asian country, because not only does it still sell the combo pizza so many shoppers miss, but it also offers a seafood pizza.

China's seafood pizza is modeled after Japan's okonomiyaki, a pan-fried dish that resembles a generously loaded, savory pancake. It consists of a fried batter, topped off with a variety of ingredients that can be adjusted according to your preferences. This can include anything from meat and dried seaweed flakes to pickled ginger and cabbage. The pizza sold at Chinese Costcos takes the seafood route, providing customers with slices or whole pies adorned in octopus, fish flakes, green peppers, corn, and Kewpie mayo.

From paella and churros to patatas bravas and leche frita, Spain is chock-full of meals people outside of the originating country have come to love. And of the many more cultural foods you have to explore from there, let croquetas be one of them. Fortunately, Costco is a place you can confidently turn to if you ever find yourself in Spain and looking for some of the popular street food.

A wide selection of croquetas can be found in Spain's Costco locations, allowing you to experience the many variations of the snack. Your first stop should be at the store's food court, though, so you can try it as fresh as possible. These deep-fried balls of food can contain just about anything, and the ones made hot and ready-to-go by the employees use ham. You'll have plenty of other filling options to choose from among the store's aisles, too. So once you've had your fill and imminently decide to purchase some for home, browse through Costco's frozen croquetas, some of which use fruit, cream cheese, and seafood.

You might remember the cheeseburgers that Costco pulled from its American food courts a few years ago, but have you heard of its more successful counterpart in Japan? The Land of the Rising Sun is home to the shrimp katsu burger, also known as an ebi katsu burger. Chopped shrimp is commonly used in Japan's fast food burgers, so it makes sense for a big-time chain like Costco to hop on board and work the popular protein source into its menu.

Selling for around five dollars, the shrimp katsu burger can't shine without its thick, crispy patty that reveals a generous amount of shrimp pieces inside after just one bite. There's also some leafy greens and a layer of spicy coleslaw to go with it. And in this case, you can in fact judge a book by its cover, as the ingredients add up to create a burger that's just as appetizing and hefty looking as the picture advertised on Costco's food court menu billboard.

As far as comfort foods go, the U.K. seems to have it all down. Not only does its food court sell ice cream, gelato, and baked potatoes topped off with your choice of warming ingredients like baked beans and beef chili, but it also provides an Aberdeen Angus Cottage Pie. Rightfully so, since England is where the hearty dish originated from. Cottage pie is similar to shepherd's pie but with minute differences, mainly the choice of protein, and is a very filling, savory dish. It consists of gravy-covered ground beef (or lamb, if it's traditional) and veggies, such as mushrooms, carrots, peas, corn, and onions, topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and cheese. All the ingredients come together after being popped into the oven, resulting in a rich and flavorful meal.

The Costco version of the pie seems to have achieved this nicely in the eyes of those who have tried it. For example, as one YouTuber showed off the pie's foil pan packaging and beautifully crusted edges, he was also sure to commend its pleasant scent and generous size. After reviewing its individual elements, he concluded that though the cottage pie is "nothing to write home about," as it lost points for the mashed potatoes not being fluffy enough, it's still tasty and is a stellar value meal considering it costs only a bit over three pounds.

With Costco's endless line of towering aisles and cart-to-cart traffic, going grocery shopping at the big-box warehouse club can be a tiring and draining process. But what better way to reward yourself after a successful grocery run than with a sweet treat offered at the food court? Fortunately, Iceland has plenty of those in its one and only Costco location. Shoppers can restore their energy with the store's usual ice cream cups, and for a real special dessert, there are gelatos, too.

Garðabær compensates for being Iceland's singular Costco location by offering not one, but four flavors of gelato. This Italian frozen delight is similar to ice cream, though there are a few differences in content. The former contains less butterfat and air, resulting in a stronger, richer flavor. Customers will have a pleasantly intense experience when trying any of the available flavors at Costco, which include chocolate, mint chocolate chip, Stracciatella (a white cream with pieces of dark chocolate), and Amarena cherry. Your choice of gelato is then scooped into a crispy waffle cone for a textural wonderland.