I compared Costco food courts in the UK and US, and a few key differences gave America extra points in my book

Emma KershawAug 3, 2023, 19:15 IST

I compared the food courts in Costco in the UK and US.Emma Kershaw

I tried Costco food courts in the US and the UK, and there were more differences than I expected.
The UK Costco food court offers baked beans and the US warehouse carries churros.

Costco is a wonderful place for bulk buys, free samples, and, of course, its iconic food court many shoppers visit for a quick bite at an affordable price. Though my family's never regularly shopped at Costco, I was curious to see how the UK and US locations differ.

I took a trip to Costco in my hometown of Manchester, England, to try out its food court and see which menu items were the tastiest. Later that month, I moved to New York City for work, so it was only right that I visited a Costco food court in my new city — after all, Costco is an American brand.

Though I was delighted to visit the food courts at both locations, I was surprised by how different the US and UK Costco locations were. Here's how they stacked up.

First, I tagged along with my cardholder mom to the Costco in Manchester.

I didn't qualify for a membership at the UK Costco.Emma Kershaw

Getting my own membership was pretty easy at the Long Island City Costco.

I purchased a Gold Start membership at the US Costco.Emma Kershaw

When I arrived, I saw that the UK food court was busy and kind of chaotic.

The lines were long at the UK food court.Emma Kershaw

The US food court was more spacious than I expected.

There weren't that many people in line at the US Costco.Emma Kershaw

Ordering food at the UK location wasn't that smooth of a process.

Customers in line were guided by ropes at the UK food court.Emma Kershaw

I was pleased to see the US Costco had self-service stations.

I seamlessly ordered everything I needed at the US Costco.Emma Kershaw

Even the seating at the UK Costco food court seemed crowded.

Most tables had been claimed at the UK food court.Emma Kershaw

The US Costco food court had a decent amount of diners but I was able to snag a seat.

The US food court had a spacious seating area.Emma Kershaw

I ordered a wide range of food from the UK Costco food court.

I got some UK-specific food and some menu items comparable to those in the US.Emma Kershaw

I ordered a few similar items and a US exclusive at the Long Island City Costco.

The US Costco food court offered a lot of similar items to what I tried in the UK.Emma Kershaw

To start, I tried some of the UK-exclusive menu items.

The UK-specific food items were good but not great.Emma Kershaw

The US-exclusive churro from the Long Island City Costco food court was pretty tasty.

I wish the churro I got at the US Costco came with a dipping sauce.Emma Kershaw

The hot dog was seemingly out of stock in the UK, proving its popularity.

I didn't try the hot dog at the UK or US Costcos.Emma Kershaw

The pizza slices I got in the UK were yummy.

The pepperoni pizza slice I ordered in the UK was about as big as my head.Emma Kershaw

I'd order the pizza I had in the US again.

The pizza slices in the US were a bit greasier than I expected.Emma Kershaw

The UK chicken bake with bacon was too doughy for me.

I wasn't a fan of the UK chicken bake.Emma Kershaw

The US chicken bake tasted and looked almost identical to what I had in the UK.

I still didn't enjoy the US chicken bake very much.Emma Kershaw

The vanilla ice-cream cup in the UK was amazing.

The vanilla ice-cream cup in the UK tasted delicious.Emma Kershaw

The vanilla ice-cream cup at the US Costco was deliciously creamy.

The US vanilla ice-cream cup had just the right amount of sweetness.Emma Kershaw

In my opinion, the US Costco had a superior food court.

I thought the US menu items had a slightly better flavor.Emma Kershaw

I tried 8 cans of whipped cream from the grocery store and ranked them from worst to best

Cookies on the Business Insider India website