Hollis Johnson
Costo is the holy grail of bulk buying; the cathedral of wholesale.
But it’s not all about the 10 pound jars of peanut butter.
A stop at Costco’s humble food court — after walking miles around the cavernous warehouse — is a shameless reward for buying enough extra paper towels to fill your entire car trunk.
The food court is simple, yet esteemed by Costco diehards. Amazingly, it’s one of the biggest pizza chains in the US, and nationwide they sell roughly 100 million hot dogs a year – at extremely low prices.
After several of our readers expressed their regard for Costco’s hot dogs and pizza, we took a trip to the retail giant’s Brooklyn location to discover all of its revered food court glories — and it totally exceeded our expectations.
The food court at Costco doesn’t offer the most varied selection, but it’s cheap, quick, and provides a nice treat for customers after a long day of shopping.
We ordered one of each item on the menu, excluding the salad, smoothies, and ice cream — those are pretty uninteresting run-of-the-mill items.
We did not expect the servings to be so enormous — and dirt cheap. This entire selection costs just over $25. Let’s delve in and go through the choices.
Cheese pizza:
We heard about the slices of pizza at Costco being gigantic, but after seeing it for ourselves we understand what people are talking about. One slice should be considered two — and for $1.99 a slice we’re not complaining!
The pizza is extremely doughy. But it’s not soggy. The cheese it lightly burned on top, the sauce is sweet, and the pizza provides a warm comfort that we guiltily indulge in.
If we were to compare Costco pizza to its fast food counterparts, it most closely resembles Pizza Hut’s salty, extra cheesy pizza, which won our taste test for serving the best chain cheese pizza.
Is it the best pizza in the world? No, far from it. But one wouldn’t expect gourmet slices from a Costco food court — and for what it is, it’s a fantastic deal nonetheless.
Hot dog:
Customers can order one hot dog, plus a drink for $1.50. Customers have the option to add ketchup, mustard, relish, onions and sauerkraut (if you ask) to the supersized hot dog. The bun is soft and sweet — it holds the dog and condiments well, without succumbing to sogginess.
The dog is very flavorful — it has a slightly smokiness to it, similar to kielbasa. Costco sells over 100 million hot dogs a year, according to the Daily Meal. That’s more than all of the MLB baseball parks combined sell during an entire season.
This is easily one of the best hot dogs we’ve tried – at least in terms of fast, cheap food. Our expectations were low, so the quality is all the more surprising.
Italian sausage:
Costco leaves one place on its menu for a rotating item. When we visited, the Italian sausage was being served for a mere $2.79.
The Italian sausage was in very high demand when we went to order: we waited 15 minutes for them to make enough to keep up.
When we finally received the hefty Italian sausage doused in grilled peppers and onions, it seemed to be too much for the soft bun to handle. The bun is the same one used for the hot dog — and while it worked great for the dog, it doesn’t work as well with the bulky sausage.
The entire thing is a soggy mess. It tastes great, but not spectacular. Although the sausage looks perfectly charred, it lacks the flavorful kick of traditional Italian sausage.
Hot turkey and provolone sandwich:
This perfectly packed hot sandwich, with cheese melting off the sides, is priced at $3.99.
After the first bite, we’re both pleasantly surprised. We weren’t expecting anything amazing judging from the sandwich’s rather homely appearance, but this is delicious.
This simple looking sandwich is packed with quality ingredients. The thickly–sliced turkey tastes like it’s fresh from the deli, the melted provolone cheese provides a sharp bite, and the bread is warm and toasted.
Chicken bake:
Costco’s one-of-a-kind chicken bake looks like a golden brick of carb-loaded goodness, priced at $2.99.
We were, and still are, confused about what exactly this is. We want to compare it to a hot pocket, but it has its differences. After biting into the crispy golden shell, the melted cheese and chicken poured out.
This is different from a hot pocket because it’s packed with juicy chicken. It’s not skimpy. The cheese, Caesar dressing, and bits of bacon make for an unusual, yet oddly enjoyable and indulgent combination.
BBQ brisket sandwich:
Enveloped in white cardboard, this seems like the Mount Everest of huge sandwiches, even though it’s priced reasonably at $4.99.
This sandwich is packed with more than it can handle. We took the cardboard off and the meat gently tumbled out.
After taking a huge bite of the massive sandwich, our eyes lit up.
We’re instantly blown away. It may sound dubious, but this Costco brisket sandwich is one of the best we’ve had.
The brisket is savory, sweet, and melts in your mouth. The coleslaw adds a nice crunch and picante bite to the texture of it. The bun is soggy, but we barely notice because the velvety, tender brisket sweeps us off our feet. We’re still in awe of this sandwich.
Churros:
We ordered three churros, not thinking that they would be as gigantic as they are – they’re nearly as long as a forearm. Priced at $1.oo each, they’re one of the best deals on the menu.
Costco’s supersized churros are crunchy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. The dough has a smooth, slight vanilla taste, and is lightly coated with cinnamon sugar.
Verdict: We went to Costco with low expectations of its food court …
… but we were completely blown away. The food at Costco is supersized, delicious, and indulgent.
It may not be the healthiest food, but it’s a guilty pleasure we plan to cater to more often.
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