The Costco Food Court Item We'll Always Order (And We're Not Talking Hot Dogs)

Costco's food court is one of the most iconic aspects of the warehouse grocery chain, and while its only one of the great perks of having a Costco membership, it is easily among the most frequently utilized. However, even if we love tried and true food court items like pizza and hot dogs, there's something about Costco's strawberry banana smoothie, which Costco debuted earlier this year, that makes it a must-buy every time we're there.

The strawberry banana smoothie has an incredibly unique flavor that goes beyond the two fruits in its name; Costco's new smoothies also feature ingredients like pear purée, pineapple juice concentrate, and apple purée, which give the drink a multi-dimensional taste. Plus, seeing as the drink is only $2.99 at most locations — an ultra low price compared to the least expensive smoothie option at Smoothie King, where a small goes for about $8 – the drink is hard to pass up after a trip to the wholesale store. In fact, the strawberry banana smoothie ranked quite high on our list of the best Costco foods for under $10.

Despite Costco's smoothies having been a food court staple since the early 2000s, some have said that the strawberry banana smoothie is the perfect version of Costco's frozen treat, even compared to previous variations. And that isn't to say the old flavors weren't satisfying, either. Costco cycled through three different smoothie types over the years, and only one — the ill-fated mango smoothie that debuted and got discontinued in the summer of 2023 – has been considered subpar. The berry smoothie (available from 2007 until 2021) and the fruit smoothie (from 2021 until 2025, with a two-month break in 2023) both had massive fan bases.

However, as is the case for most menu items, there are plenty of Costco customers who are critical of the new strawberry banana smoothies. More than anything, complaints that the drink is too sugary and doesn't taste enough like banana have circulated online. However, considering that outright dismissal of the treat entirely has been quite rare in the months since it was released, it seems likely that the new flavor will be here to stay for the foreseeable future.