The Costco Food Court Treats We Would Travel To China For

Travel is always filled with the wonders of new dishes to try and unique flavors to dive into. While traveling abroad, seeing the familiar neon of McDonald's, Starbucks, or Domino's can be comforting, but it's always intriguing to see place-specific menu items — did you know New Zealand McDonald's has a Big Brekkie Burger? Costco is closely following these other chains and providing some fascinating food court additions that are unique and only available at certain stores. One of the most intriguing international Costco food courts? China. 

That's right; some serious culinary wonders exist at the Costco food court located in Shanghai. Picture this: coconut smoothies, mango soft serve, and other sweet delights are all right at your fingertips as you finish or prepare to embark on a Costco shopping adventure. There are some seriously fun and unique treats you won't be able to resist, and a sure demonstration of why you should always visit Costco food courts abroad.

The first Costco in mainland China opened in Shanghai in 2019, but they have since opened two more stores. One opened in Suzhou (a city west of Shanghai), and a second in Shanghai earlier this year. The food court in Shanghai's first Costco branch is the one making particular waves; it's even got Reddit users jealous. So what's on the menu? On the sweet side, there's a delicious and creamy coconut and pineapple smoothie that really leans into some of those iconic piña colada flavors. There's also a fruity and tropical mango soft serve which is light and refreshing. 

More recently, alongside these sweet delights, a melon soft serve and a lychee passion fruit smoothie have been spotted on the menu at Costco Shanghai in the Minhang district. These flavors of smoothies and soft serve are iconic and conventional combinations. However, the peach cheese soft serve on the Shanghai 2022 menu did leave some Reddit users confused. There was significant speculation on how it might taste: sweet, salty, fruity, and a little tangy. Guess there's only one way to find out.

Another creative sweet item to grace Costco food court menus in China are tea-based soft serves. A milk tea soft serve which likely combines creamy custard and black tea notes, and an Earl Grey soft serve which touches on the more floral aspects of the tea. If you're more inclined to something sweet that remains somewhat in the realm of healthy, then you'll also be glad to hear about an avocado fruit salad patiently awaiting on the menu. 

Beyond the food court are some equally intriguing delights; in the freezer section is Samanco ice cream: a fish-shaped waffle ice cream sandwich available in red bean, chocolate, green tea, and strawberry. This is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to specific sweet Chinese Costco products. The grass is always greener, and seeing these unique flavors at such a familiar store might leave you envious. To remedy this, a trip to Shanghai might just be the solution.