The Costco Exclusive Prepared Meal Shoppers Call 'An Abomination'

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Costco's prepared foods come in clutch when you don't feel like cooking, going out, or spending an exorbitant amount ordering a meal from DoorDash or Uber Eats. However, these convenient dishes can be hit or miss, and we've all experienced the disappointment of heating up a new premade meal only to realize it's nothing like we expected — and not in a good way. 

Luckily, cautionary internet reviews can help prevent this tragic fate. According to many shoppers, one of Costco's worst premade meals is the Snapdragon Stir Fry Chicken Pad Thai. This Costco-exclusive dish comes in a two-pack of 16-ounce servings and typically costs about $15. However, it tends to go on sale frequently, which is unsurprising considering that it averages an abysmal 1.9 stars on the warehouse chain's website.

In a one-star review titled "Do not buy, Costco should remove from shelves," a shopper lambasted the dish. "Even if it was called something other than pad thai, it doesn't taste good. It's an abomination. It is chock full of sodium. The sauce is nothing like pad thai. It is essentially red pepper and fish sauce. I made it and threw it away and I will probably throw the other half of the pack away too," they said. In a Reddit thread on the r/Costco subreddit, one person ruthlessly commented, "Among the worst meals I've had in years. Quite possibly one of the worst I've had in my life." Another user didn't mince words: "Worse than cat food." While taste is subjective, the overwhelming majority of reviewers seem to agree that the Snapdragon Stir Fry Chicken Pad Thai is superlatively unappetizing.

Costco's Snapdragon Stir Fry Chicken Pad Thai is described as boneless white chicken, rice noodles, and vegetables with a sweet and tangy sauce, which sounds innocent enough. However, even the most generous reviewers complain that it doesn't live up to its name. One Reddit user diplomatically warned, "If you're expecting Pad Thai, you'll be disappointed," while another person, less diplomatically, complained, "There isn't even a semblance of pad Thai flavor here, the smell of fish sauce is overwhelming despite the lack of flavor, and the sauce itself is gritty at best."

The reviews of Costco's Snapdragon Stir Fry Chicken Pad Thai are mostly negative, but the dish does have at least a few redeeming qualities. For one thing, it's peanut- and gluten-free, which is possibly a cause of the unfamiliar flavor but makes it more allergy-friendly than many pad thai recipes. Additionally, several reviewers note that the portion of chicken is relatively generous and decent tasting for a prepared meal. Still, it's safe to say that the Snapdragon Stir Fry Chicken Pad Thai isn't one of Costco's prepared meals that are worth the cost.