(NEXSTAR) — Besides its bulk offerings, rotisserie chicken, frequently cheaper gas, and members-only status, one of Costco’s most iconic features is its food court.
Costco added a new menu option to its food court last year, the chocolate chip cookie, and recently started swapping out the soda machines nationwide. Other staples of its menu include cheese and pepperoni pizza, sold as slices or whole pizzas; the beloved $1.50 hot dog meal; sandwiches; chicken bake; a Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken; smoothies; and ice cream.
The menu isn’t the same outside of the U.S. Sure, the hot dog and chocolate chip cookie can be found in the likes of Spain and Australia, but they’re featured alongside some arguably American options.
Here are 10 items you can find at international Costco food courts, but not your local warehouse:
Aussie steak pie
This makes sense, since the post is said to be from a warehouse in Australia. Aussie steak pies are a large pie “with golden puff pastry filled with slow cooked chunky pieces of beef in a rich gravy,” according to Costco.
Chicken tenders
The menu Down Under and in other countries also includes tenders and fries. You won’t find that in the U.S., even though the chicken favorite earned a spot on the menu during Taylor Swift’s sold-out “The Eras Tour.”
Fried chicken
In addition to chicken tenders found at some international Costcos, locations in Taiwan tout a bucket of fried chicken.
Sushi
That’s right, you’re missing out on sushi at your Costco food court. An image of the menu in Seville, Spain, shows a California Combo for 9.99 Euros. Another post from Canada shows a California crab roll on the menu.
Cheeseburger
Believe it or not, you won’t find a cheeseburger at your local Costco food court. You will, however, find one at the Costco in Reykjavik, Iceland, according to one Reddit post. That’s not to say Costco never had cheeseburgers on a U.S. menu. The company tried organic cheeseburgers at some warehouses in the Northwest in the late 2010s, only for the item to be pulled from the menu in 2020, the Seattle Met reports.
French fries
We mentioned it before, but we’ll do it again: Costco warehouses outside of the U.S. serve French fries. In Canada, for example, you can get French fries and poutine — fries with cheese curds and gravy. They’d likely pair well with the Montreal smoked meat sandwich that’s also on the menu, according to this Reddit post.
Jacket potatoes
While we’re talking about potatoes, Costco shoppers in the United Kingdom can order “jacket potatoes,” better known in the States as a baked potato. You won’t find that at your local Costco.
Coffee
Costco food court menus in the United Kingdom and other countries also include coffee. Options shown in images shared by Reddit users include cappuccinos, lattes, and Americanos. You can, however, find a cold brew mocha freeze in U.S. food courts.
Soup
The type of soup may depend on where you are. In Taipei, Taiwan, for example, it’s clam chowder. In South Korea, it’s mushroom soup.
Seafood bake
Instead of the chicken bake, locations in Taiwan and Korea have seafood or bulgogi — thinly sliced, typically marinated meat — bakes.
Like the aforementioned seafood bakes, you’ll largely find the same U.S. food court items in Costco warehouses worldwide, with some variations. For example, smoothies, which are mostly strawberry-banana in the U.S., are mango in Iceland, New Zealand, and the UK. In Korea, there are two pizza options, cheese and bulgogi, compared to the cheese and pepperoni options found in the U.S.
Costco didn’t respond to Nexstar’s inquiry regarding why warehouses outside the U.S. have different food court menus, but it isn’t unprecedented.
McDonald’s, for example, has different menus in different countries. In India, you can order a Spicy Paneer Wrap, featuring a paneer patty (an Indian cheese) with a “fiery, crunchy batter coating.” In the UK, McDonald’s menus currently offer Chilli Cheese Bites, which appear similar to fried cheese curds. And in Canada, a Strawberry Pie is on the menu.
If you’re traveling internationally and happen to find yourself in a Costco food court, you’re in luck: your membership card works at any warehouse in the world.
