5 New Costco Deli Items That Totally Bombed In 2026 (So Far)

The Costco deli is where many of us go to get a head start on dinner when feeding a crowd or a busy day leaves us feeling drained. From take-and-bake pizzas to heat-and-eat macaroni and cheese, you know you'll always find something to put on the table. While Costco has certainly wowed members with some great deli finds in 2026, not all of its deli items are absolute winners.

Some people think the Costco deli has released enough bombs that they've completely lost confidence. As one Redditor wrote, "It's adorable how Costco keeps trying to make the deli and food court profitable and how bad they are at doing it." Another user said, "I'd argue that all of their best premade food is mediocre at best besides one thing. Outside of rotisserie chickens, I've never thought I got a great deal or top-end quality to justify a purchase in their deli."

Some complete misses include exciting meal kits that turned out to be utter disappointments and platters that completely flopped. Here are some of the worst Costco deli bombs of 2026, so far.

Costco was fully prepared for America's 250th birthday in July 2026 with the Kirkland Signature Barbecue Platter. It included all the major components for a backyard barbecue: pre-cooked pork ribs and chicken wings, raw corn cobs, potato salad, a side of pickles with pickled onions, and barbecue sauce. It seemed like an exciting shortcut for Father's Day and Independence Day hosting; you just had to reheat the food and cook the corn. 

Fireworks died down when shoppers discovered the price, however. At $5.49 per pound, each Kirkland Signature Barbecue Platter costs about $50. Members said it's not worth the convenience, and there isn't enough meat to justify the price, especially since the platter has generous servings of corn and potato salad.

Kirkland Signature's Barbecue Platter doesn't even taste all that great, according to those who have tried it. One YouTuber explained that the meat isn't well-seasoned, the wings aren't very crispy, and the ribs are dry. "I mean, what do you expect when you're cooking things that were already cooked?" they said. "Ends up drying it out a little bit."

Kirkland Signature Beef and Broccoli with Noodles is Costco's attempt at a takeout-style beef-and-broccoli meal kit. Containing USDA Choice beef, yakisoba noodles, fresh broccoli, and stir-fry sauce, it looks like a handy hack for making a restaurant-style dinner. But some shoppers think it's just a more expensive and inconvenient way to eat takeout. 

All the ingredients in the kit need to be cooked together to create a stir-fry. It only saves you the few minutes it takes to shop through the whole grocery store and some chopping time. At around $30 per meal kit, Kirkland Signature's Beef and Broccoli with Noodles isn't all that much of a deal, either, according to some reviews. "You could get two quarts of freshly made beef lo mein from the local Chinese restaurant for 2/3 the price, and it would require no cooking labor on your own part and taste significantly better," noted one person, comparing the portions to what generally comes in Kirkland's meal kit.

The long list of ingredients has also created a few concerns around the Kirkland Signature Beef and Broccoli with Noodles meal kit. While the three main ingredients are fairly healthy, the sauce contains a few ingredients like preservatives and allergens. The whole meal kit also weighs in at 580 calories and 28 grams of sugar per serving, stats that drew a few astonished comments on Reddit.

If you love smoky chipotle cheese paste, Kirkland Signature's Chicken Quesadilla platter with Mexican-style corn salad might be the deli choice for you. It's a two-part meal featuring six flour tortillas, stuffed with cheese, chicken, and spices. They're nestled beside two containers of ready-to-eat Mexican-style street corn salad made with black beans, quinoa, bell peppers, chipotle, feta, and lime wedges. 

It was introduced in the deli in 2026, and members have decided it's a one-and-done item. They say the filling inside the quesadillas is a blob of indiscernible ingredients. Some complain they're too bland and others that they're too spicy.

An almost identical product — Kirkland-branded quesadillas with a Mexican-style corn salad side dish that doesn't mention chicken in the name — has also triggered a bit of disappointment. Like the chicken quesadilla, some members wonder if the quesadillas actually contain any chicken, even though the ingredients clearly list it. It's led to more than one unsatisfied Costco member wishing their quesadilla had more prominent pieces of chicken inside.

As Michael Scott from "The Office" would say, "Well, well, well. How the turntables." Kirkland Signature Pesto Pasta Salad with Mozzarella Pearls appeared on our August list of hands-down best new Costco deli items of 2026 (so far). It's made with trotolle pasta, Kirkland Signature Italian Basil Pesto, arugula, slow-roasted tomatoes, and mozzarella pearls. It was released in January 2026, and it initially got people excited, especially since Kirkland Signature Italian Basil Pesto is on the list of Kirkland Signature foods Costco customers buy on repeat. 

As time passed, though, more people complained of a pasta salad that is too oily and disappointingly flavorless, with tomatoes being the standout ingredient. "It was so bland I convinced myself I had Covid," one person wrote on Reddit. Others had tips on seasonings and mix-ins that give the pasta salad more flavor.

Kirkland Signature Pesto Pasta Salad with Mozzarella Pearls isn't just a disappointment; it's an expensive one. The containers are priced at $5.99 per pound and start at around $20 each, which members are not about. "I grabbed some without looking at the price," one person wrote in a review, noting they paid $19. "I agree that it's under-seasoned and the tomatoes are the best part. Definitely worth trying to recreate it better at home, though. [sic]"

Kirkland Signature's Beef and Chicken Fajita Kit is another one of the top Costco deli items on our list. It captivated customers by streamlining a multi-step meal, but it didn't deliver enough flavor or convenience to be worth the price. The kit comes with pre-grilled beef and chicken, raw pepper and onion slices, 12 flour tortillas, cilantro lime crema sauce, tomato salsa, and Sizzle Cooking Butter. It's a dream come true if you want to skip slicing veggies and grilling fajita meat, but it bombed because everything about it is just mediocre. It doesn't have an authentic, restaurant-level flavor, according to reviews, with salsa and veggies that aren't fresh enough. The sauce has caused its own set of complaints. Some say it's too salty and you should use your own; others are annoyed that there isn't enough in the kit.

At $6.99 per pound, each Kirkland Signature Beef and Chicken Fajita Kit costs around $25. That cost has shoppers shaking their heads as well, noting the ingredients add up to about half that price. One Redditor explained, "$7 a pound for $2 worth of flour tortillas is, as the kids say, diabolical." Another said, "I saw this today and considered it. Then I realized I could get sizzling fajitas at a Mexican restaurant for like $15."