Costco is one of Canada's biggest grocery stores and it's filled with a bunch of jumbo and crave-worthy foods, from rotisserie chicken to seasonal pies and frozen pizza. There is much to be wowed by, especially if you've never been to the wholesale store before.
But you don't need to take your Costco groceries home to get a taste of this place, because the Costco food court is legendary in Canada. First of all, the prices are unheard of, the portions are enormous and the smell is mouthwatering.
Shopping at Costco requires a membership, but the food court is accessible to everyone, which makes this spot a dream come true for anyone looking for a filling and cheap meal.
I went to a Costco in Toronto and tried every menu item at the food court to tell you which ones are worth buying.
I ordered everything from the all-beef hot dog to the pizza, chicken tenders, poutine, fries and even the soft-serve ice cream cone. You can imagine my surprise when the entire meal cost around $20. This would never be the case at any other restaurant I've ever eaten at in Canada.
Here's everything I ate at Costco's food court in Canada ranked from worst to best, in my opinion.
Hot Dog
Costco hot dog.
Price: $1.50
Costco's famous hot dogs are the cheapest and biggest sandwich I've ever seen. (Yes, I've decided for this article that a hot dog is a sandwich.) Costco's price of $1.50 per hot dog seems like a loss in this economy, and apparently, it is.
In fact, it is known as a loss leader, which is basically an item that is sold for less than it's worth to attract customers.
If you've ever been to a Costco, you've probably fallen for the hundreds of discount traps they've set out for consumers to fall into, but no one is complaining about them, especially me. Costco is life.
The one thing that always makes me twitch is having to pay a hefty bill for stuff I want but probably don't need. But doesn't all the pain disappear when you spend $1.50 on a sandwich? It sure does at Costco.
I tried my first Costco hot dog last week and will never have one again. I went for the all-beef and added some ketchup and mustard, but the taste wasn't the greatest, in my opinion.
The bread was soft and felt like the perfect bun for a sandwich, but the hot dog was too watery. Once I bit into it, I could hear the water squishing through it and it made for an unpleasant experience.
At first, I thought it was oil, which made my stomach hurt, but then I found out that hot dogs are boiled at Costco, and it was still not the best.
I prefer my hot dogs from street carts in Toronto, particularly the Yonge and Dundas one.
Score: 2/10
Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders from Costco.
Price: $6.99 with fries
I was most excited about trying Costco's chicken tenders, mainly because I ate a sample of chicken tenders while browsing the aisles and really wanted more. But if I could describe them in one word, it would be "meh."
There was nothing special about the chicken tenders other than the fact that they were hot and fresh, but that was it.
Apparently, they use Hampton House Frozen Chicken Strips, but my favourite frozen type is Jane's Pub Style Chicken Strips.
Score: 4/10
Pizza
Costco food court cheese pizza.
Price: $2.59
You know that one pizza spot you used to eat at as a kid where the pie wasn't the greatest, but you associated it with a great time, so you kept going back? That's what the Costco pizza felt like to me.
The pizza slices were huge, served on paper plates and the cheese was stretchy.
Costco's pizza is the perfect combination of junk food that you can still enjoy as an adult. It felt like I was eating a Pizza Pizza type of meal.
I ordered the cheese slice, but customers can get a pepperoni and you can even order the whole pie for $12.99 if you want to. Once I have a family, you know I'll be coming back for this awesome Costco deal.
Score: 5/10
Fries
Costco fries.
Price: $2.99
I've had the Costco fries before and occasionally, I find myself comparing all kinds of fries I eat at restaurants to these because they're at the top of my list.
Costco serves Cavendish FlavourCrisp Fries in their food court, and from the looks of it, it's definitely a fan-favourite item because people in line were ordering them constantly when I was there.
You can order them as is, add gravy or upgrade to a poutine.
The fries didn't get a top score for this specific review, but that's only because I think I got an older batch, and that's more of a service problem than a product issue. I've tried them fresh and they're fantastic.
Regardless, the fries are crunchy, perfectly salted and filling. Even though it wasn't their best batch, I got to give them another try when I ordered the poutine and I can confirm that my gut feeling was right.
Score: 6/10
Poutine
Costco poutine.
Price: $5.99
Sorry Canadians for what I'm about to say, but what the heck is poutine and why do you all love it so much? I seriously don't understand the appeal of soggy fries and cheese that isn't melted on it. Oh and the gravy? Blekh.
I even tried poutine overseas and still didn't like it, but the Costco poutine was actually good and that's saying a lot, especially coming from me.
When I first opened the container, I was instantly grossed out because it looked fatty and oily, and it also smelled like, well, poutine.
But I then had a bite, and wow! The fries were perfectly warm and crunchy, the gravy didn't have an overpowering taste and the cheese wasn't so bad.
I liked it so much that I had multiple bites out of it and only stopped because I noticed the one dish had over 1,800 calories, which shocked me because that's a lot.
Regardless, if you love poutine, then next time you're at Costco, order one and let me know where my standards lie.
Score: 7/10
Ice Cream
Costco ice cream.
Price: $2.89
I've tried soft-serve ice cream from fast food chains in Canada and also tried the best gelatos and ice cream shops in Toronto. You could say I'm basically a pro ice cream tas ter at this point, and the Costco soft-serve is at the top of my list.
The ice cream, first of all, was freaking ginormous! It was so big that it started to slant to one side. I ordered the ice cream cone with the vanilla and chocolate mix to try both flavours.
Not only is each flavour delicious on its own, but it's the perfect combination when they are eaten together.
The cone was also delicious, especially in combination with the melted ice cream.
As much as I love getting the best bang for my buck, I would have preferred a slightly smaller ice cream swirl to finish the whole thing.
Overall, this is definitely a Costco menu item that I will be going back for...next summer.
Score: 10/10
