Costco Japan's Sushi Offerings Are Making Us A Bit Jealous

Grocery store sushi isn't new by any means, but fresh, budget-friendly sushi at Costco — now, that is something to write home about. A Redditor recently posted about their sushi haul from a Costco in Japan and the envy is palatable. Simply put, the image of the variety pack they provided is enormous, with at least 24 pieces of sushi and a small roll of four pieces — and all for the equivalent of just $25. Is this for real?

In addition to the four-piece roll (featuring scallions and what might be toro, a fattier cut of sushi tuna), the sushi tray purchased by the Reddit user also appears to include tamago (omelet) as well as a wide selection of seafood nigiri including mainstays like tuna and salmon, plus more luxurious options like scallops and octopus. While Costco is well known for its bulk sizes at bargain prices, customers feel that this sushi tray goes above and beyond expectations. And it seemingly beats anything available at the chain grocer's stateside locations, by far.

Costco already sells some sushi in its U.S. stores, but nothing like what is offered in Japan. Instead, the premade selection appears to be on par with typical supermarket offerings (which, frankly, aren't exactly in the same league as the freshly made variety). Never mind the sheer number of choices populating the sushi displays of Costcos around Japan. On Reddit, a commenter shared their haul from an Illinois location — a $15 tray comprising six pieces of salmon nigiri and two salmon-packed rolls — noting that it was "just OK."

But, while the low price of just $25 for an enormous sushi tray does seem a little too good to be true stateside, there is the possibility of a real live sushi counter coming to a Costco near you in the foreseeable future. Freshly prepared sushi is already available at a warehouse club in Hawaii, and a sushi counter opened over the summer in Costco's Issaquah location, which is in Washington state. More counters are planned, so who knows, sushi could be coming to your local Costco sooner than you think.