The Korean Costco Food Court Item We Desperately Wish American Stores Had

Costco shoppers grabbing a bite at the food court anywhere in the U.S. have the same familiar things to choose from, like the cheese and pepperoni pizza, the chicken bake, and the famous $1.50 hot dog and drink combo. Maybe they mix it up with hacks like a free way to upgrade the pizza. But people at Costco locations in the other 13 countries where it's located have some different foods to choose from, tailored to local tastes. One tempting food court item at Korean Costcos that has us wishing it would come to American warehouses is bulgogi pizza.

Bulgogi, which means "fire meat," is traditional sweet and savory Korean barbecue. Thin slices of ribeye or sirloin beef are marinated in soy sauce, sugar or honey, sesame oil, garlic, onion, and Asian pear, and then grilled. They can also be stir-fried with vegetables. One of the things you can expect at Korean restaurants is seeing grills built into the tables for bulgogi where patrons can cook the meat. It's usually eaten in lettuce wraps with other fillings like rice and kimchi, or over rice, and is served with side dishes called banchan.

The Costco bulgogi pizza is topped with bulgogi slices, green and red peppers, onion, black olives, and mushrooms. Many reviewers online have raved that it tastes like the discontinued Costco combo pizza, but with bulgogi added. Part of what the bulgogi brings to the party is some sweetness, a taste that would be familiar to fans of pineapple pizza. It's common to put bulgogi on pizza in South Korea, usually joined by lots of veggie toppings like Costco's.

Another item at the Korean Costco food court is tteokbokki, a popular street food. It's made with tube-shaped rice cakes and fish cakes in a spicy and sweet red sauce made with the Korean chili pepper paste gochujang. (It's also a Korean comfort food that can elevate your mac and cheese.) There was a bulgogi bake at one time before it was discontinued, a Korean take on the U.S. chicken bake. 

Just like in Korea, the country-specific foods at Costcos in other nations would be very familiar to the people who live there. Canadian food courts serve poutine, the beloved unofficial national dish of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Spanish Costco shoppers can buy croquetas, fried croquettes stuffed with ham that's a customary street food. Australians can get Aussie beef pies, and breaded and fried shrimp burgers are available in Japan. Iceland's warehouses serve cheeseburgers, something that's ironically not sold in U.S. food courts, where you'd actually expect to find them.