Costco China's Food Courts Will Delight Mushroom Lovers

While U.S. Costco menus are defined by hot dogs and slices of pepperoni pizza, China's food court treats include various mushroom-centric dishes. According to a Costco Reddit thread, those offerings absolutely deliver and will satisfy any mushroom cravings.

Although the first Costco opened in the U.S. in 1983, China didn't welcome its first outpost of the wholesale retailer until 2019. It was a highly anticipated affair; droves of shoppers rushed to the Shanghai store to get their hands on bulk goods, discounted electronics, and Costco's famous rotisserie chicken, which many people fought over. 

According to Time, a customer wrote on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo that "There's no other word to describe Shanghai's Costco but crazy." Now that things have slowed down and Costco China has expanded to three locations, shoppers are sharing their experiences of the members-only store. A central topic of conversation? The mushroom-based items in its food courts. 

If you find yourself at a Costco in Shangai or Suzhou, be prepared to indulge in a mushroom sampler for lunch. A photo of the Costco China food court menu shared on Reddit shows creamy mushroom soup and truffle pizza, both of which the thread's creator calls "amazing." 

Depending on the location, the truffle pizza comes with toppings like Beijing duck and mini shrimp. This item, in particular, has left some shoppers wondering why Costco food courts in the U.S. don't offer more variety. "[U.S. Costco food courts] should have an international food of the month to test [the] waters to see if people will like something from elsewhere," wrote one Reddit user.

For now, Costco members in the States can salivate over menus from afar. In addition to the mushroom items, Costco China sells lychee passion fruit smoothies, melon soft serve, six-piece buckets of spicy fried chicken, bulgogi bakes, pork mooncakes, and the classic hot dog combo made with pork instead of beef.

As Costco shoppers around the world know, the food court is only part of the draw. There are plenty of elusive items on the shelves that only the most observant shoppers (and those who frequent Costco TikTok) are privy to. Costco China is no exception. 

Those with a sweet tooth can try Samanco ice cream, which features red bean ice cream tucked inside a crispy waffle exterior shaped like a fish. It's a frozen take on taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped pastry commonly sold by street vendors. Samanco also comes in chocolate, green tea, and strawberry flavors. 

Over on the savory end, one YouTuber raves over a large container that contains a whole chicken, lobster legs, abalone, and other types of seafood. As one might expect, there are also plenty of Kirkland Signature products in the food sections and beyond — and, yes, free samples.