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

Before I even stepped foot in the UK store, I realized I didn't qualify for a Costco membership.

According to Costco's website, only members of qualifying employment groups, such as government, education, insurance, and health services, can get a membership.

I don't fall into any of those categories but my mom, who works for the National Health Service, has a Costco membership and was able to bring me as a guest.

Getting a Costco membership at the Long Island City location went pretty smoothly. I moved to New York City only a couple of weeks before I went to Costco so my new banking information wasn't completely updated and I wasn't able to purchase a membership online.

Luckily, after visiting the store in person and speaking with the staff, I was able to successfully purchase a membership for myself. I chose the $60 Gold Star membership.

The UK Costco's food court featured white tables and red benches that are synonymous with the store's eating area, but it seemed disorganized.

The food court was very close to the store's checkout area, making the whole ordering process very crowded, noisy, and quite overwhelming.

I was surprised to see that the US food court was more separated from the main area of the store, further away from the cash registers. Walking into the food court, the self-service stations were on the left and the dining area was on the right side of the room.

This layout instantly made the ordering and dining areas feel more spacious.

Because of how crowded the UK food court was, I had a hard time figuring out where the line even started.

Due to the food court being in such close proximity to the store's checkout area, it was really loud and hard for the cashier to hear when we were ordering our food.

There was also only one person on the cash registers so the service was slower than I hoped for. We waited around 15 minutes in line and 10 more minutes for our food to be ready.

I was delighted to see the Long Island City Costco food court offered self-service stations for those paying for their meal by card.

The self-service stations streamlined the process and made it easier for me to order exactly what I wanted.

I chose my items, paid for the food, and received a receipt telling me the order number that would be called out once our meal was ready to collect. The whole process of ordering and receiving our food took only around five minutes.

The tables at the UK food court were very close together.

Though I didn't eat my entire meal at the food court, it seemed like dining in would've been a rather unenjoyable experience.

I grabbed a table and laid my food out before digging in. I thought the tables here were separated a little more than they were in the UK location.

With more space, I felt like I was better able to sit down and enjoy my meal.

I bought the double chicken burger, Aberdeen Angus cottage pie, jacket potatoes with baked beans, slices of five-cheese, pepperoni, and BBQ-chicken pizza, chicken bake with bacon, and a vanilla ice-cream cup at the UK Costco.

Out of the items I ordered, the double chicken burger, Aberdeen Angus cottage pie, jacket potatoes with baked beans, and BBQ-chicken pizza are exclusive to the UK.

In total, my order in the UK came out to £25, or about $32.

At the US Costco, I ordered slices of cheese and pepperoni pizza, a chicken bake, the twisted cinnamon-and-sugar churro, and a vanilla ice-cream cup.

Out of the items I ordered, only the twisted cinnamon and sugar churro is exclusive to the US Costco menu. Notably, the US Costco carries a basic cheese pizza and the UK food court offers a five-cheese version.

In total, my food order, which also included two $0.70 sodas, came out to about $14.

The jacket potatoes came loaded with baked beans, an English staple made from beans steeped in tomato sauce. The potato was fluffy and the beans were soft, comforting, and presented a slightly sweet flavor from the rich tomato sauce.

The Aberdeen Angus cottage pie was a hearty, warm dish that had all of the components of a traditional cottage pie — minced beef, diced vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes — but it didn't live up to the homemade version I'd grown up eating. I'm not sure I'd order it again.

I was a fan of the double chicken burger. The meat was tender, the bun was soft and warm, and the cheese added a welcomed change, as it's not something I usually see on other chicken burgers.

The twisted cinnamon-and-sugar churro wasn't as sweet as I thought it was going to be, and the woody, earthy flavor of the cinnamon came through the most. I wish it was coated with more sugar but it was still delicious. It wasn't too doughy and was perfectly warm and chewy with a slight crunch on the edges.

Though it was yummy on its own, I would've preferred it alongside a dip, like a caramel sauce.

Since I didn't have a dip, I dunked the churro in the vanilla ice-cream cup I ordered. It was delicious, so I recommend buying the ice-cream cup and churro together.

When I visited the UK Costco food court, the hot dog was out of stock. It was available in the US, but I opted not to try it because I didn't have anything to compare it to.

However, Costco's hot dog is a fan-favorite in both countries and is available as a £1.50 or $1.50 hot-dog-and-soda-combo deal in the UK and US, respectively.

The hot dog has remained the same price since it first arrived in Costco's food courts in 1985.

The UK had five-cheese, pepperoni, and BBQ-chicken pizza slices so I tried one of each.

My favorite was the five-cheese, which included mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan. I thought the pepperoni and BBQ-chicken slices were also pretty tasty but they weren't my favorite.

I really enjoyed all of the slices' tomato sauce which was rich, flavorsome, and had a delicious tanginess to it. The slices were also quite greasy so I was very grateful for the abundance of napkins that were on hand.

The US Costco I visited had only two pizza flavors to choose from: Cheese and pepperoni. Compared to the ones I had in the UK, the slices in the US had a floppier base — something I actually prefer.

Costco's cheese pizza is reportedly topped with 80% "part-skim milk" mozzarella and 20% "10-month-aged shredded Parmesan." I thought the blend was tasty and I'd order the pizza again.

The toppings seemed to be placed on the pepperoni pizza with more care than the slice I was served in the UK. However, it was slightly greasier than the pepperoni slice I tried in England, making it very hard for me to finish it.

The flavors of both slices were solid and, in my opinion, tasted slightly fresher than the pizza I had in the UK.

I assumed that the UK Costco's chicken bake with bacon would be somewhat similar to a Greggs chicken bake, which is made with chicken pieces in a creamy sauce enclosed in a flaky puff pastry.

As I ate, I noticed creamy pieces of chicken, bacon, and vegetables.

Though the chicken bake seemed good in theory, I wasn't fond of the flavors and I thought the bread around the filling was too doughy and overpowered some bites.

The US chicken bake is made with chicken breast, bacon, melted cheese, and Caesar dressing. The bread also had a crunchy, cheesy topping.

To me, it tasted identical to the chicken bake I had at the UK Costco. Similarly, I thought the US chicken bake was doughy and wasn't a fan of its filling or textures.

Even though I didn't like the chicken bake, it seems many other Costco customers enjoy it. I noticed that a lot of diners opted for the item during my lunchtime visit to the Long Island City location and have heard of the "Forbidden Glizzy" hack, which involves stuffing a hot dog inside of a chicken bake.

I was a huge fan of the vanilla ice-cream cup I was served in the UK. It reminded me of a McFlurry because of its smooth, creamy texture.

The UK Costco also offered strawberry and white-chocolate sundaes.

The vanilla ice-cream cup wasn't overly sweet and was smooth, creamy, and soft. I'd definitely order it again.

I usually prefer simple vanilla ice cream, but there were also chocolate and strawberry sundaes available that I'd like to try on my next Costco visit.

Most of the dishes I compared between Costco locations tasted similar, but I preferred the food and ordering system in the US. The self-service stations made for a quicker and simpler experience, and I liked that the US food court seemed more separated from the main Costco store.

Overall, I thought the US menu items had a little more flavor, were better presented, and were served at a warmer temperature than their UK counterparts — the latter may be due to the speed of the service. I thought the cheese and pepperoni slices at the US location were just a little bit better and really enjoyed the churro.

That being said, I also enjoyed the variety of both locations' menus. Some of the UK-specific items serve as familiar favorites for those who live in Britain or tasty treats for tourists who haven't tried dishes like baked beans or cottage pie before. I also would love to see the UK's BBQ-chicken pizza eventually make its way onto the US menu.

Though I wouldn't go to Costco just to eat at its food court, I'd certainly grab a slice of pizza or ice cream if I felt hungry following a shopping trip at a US store.