The Costco London Food Court Item That Just Makes Sense

Costco's food court is a beautiful place with incredible offerings. Most fans of the wholesale grocery store are well aware that there are differences between Costco's food court menus in the United States and elsewhere — you can try poutine at Canadian locations and bubble tea in Taiwan, for example. One enviable item available at Costco locations in the United Kingdom is none other than the jacket potato, a staple food in England that many customers absolutely adore.

For those unacquainted, U.S baked and British jacket potatoes are quite similar, and they are incredibly popular in England. In fact, the dish has been a staple of Britain's culinary culture for 200 years but has experienced something of a renaissance over the past decade, making its inclusion at Costco locations in the country all the more understandable.

Jacket potatoes are typically roasted longer and include different toppings than the American version. Some of these popular baked potato toppings — baked beans, cheese, tuna, and beef chili — are all available options for Costco's variant of the dish, coming at no extra charge. Speaking of which, each jacket potato costs just £2.99, which is equivalent to about $3.95 if you're in the United States. Considering the hearty nature of the classic food and the fact that popular restaurants like SpudBros charge upwards of £5.00 ($6.60) for a simple jacket potato with butter, this is a remarkable price that makes the menu item even more desirable.

While having a jacket potato on the menu is awesome on paper, it doesn't mean much if it doesn't taste good in practice. This is where the menu item struggles, as there are wildly mixed reviews on Costco's jacket potato from those who have ordered it. Of course, some Costco shoppers in the United Kingdom consider the menu item to be a tasty, enjoyable, and inexpensive choice overall. In fact, one Redditor complimented it, saying, "I often find myself at Costco just for its baked potato, it's cheap and the serving is great."

However, the Costco jacket potatoes aren't without their criticisms. For starters, many have found that the potatoes themselves are much too hard, not really resembling the soft, fluffy texture one would prefer the dish to have. Customers have also noted that the butter is not put directly on the potato (the food court provides either a small package of butter or no butter at all) and that the shredded cheese doesn't melt into the potato well enough.

Plus, a Costco worker on Reddit added that it's an inconvenient menu item to prepare. All in all, one reviewer on Facebook summed it up quite simply when he said, "Look, it scratches the itch for a jacket potato, but is it a good jacket potato? No, it's not."