7 Deli Items From Costco That Are Absolute Must-Haves And 4 You Should Skip

Warehouse grocery giant Costco may not have a traditional full-service deli, but its shelves are overflowing with deli items of all kinds. There's a vast variety of the chain's Kirkland Signature meats and cheeses, as well as options from other brands, along with prepared salads, some of which are made in-house. Unlike a deli with counter service, at which you can specify your specific needs, Costco's deli items are all pre-packaged in hefty portions. If you're looking for a single serving of potato salad or a solo sandwich, you'll probably want to go elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you're stocking up for a backyard party, a group picnic, or a family reunion, Costco's portions and prices are right on the money.

With all of Costco's deli choices at hand, you may wonder if every item is worth the trip, not to mention the space in your fridge. This guide is here to help. I grabbed some of the most popular deli items from Costco's shelves and took each one for a test run. I spent several years behind a gourmet deli counter, slinging sandwiches and whipping up savory salads, so I was curious to see how Costco's products stack up. While every item on this list is a bargain compared to what you'll pay for the same item elsewhere, there are a few that stand out as exceptional deals, and some that you'll be better off keeping out of your cart. 

As a self-proclaimed pickle aficionado, I've tried every brand I could get my hands on. I regularly drink pickle brine straight (although I prefer it as a whiskey chaser). Once, on vacation, I purchased so many artisan pickles at a farmer's market that I had to check an extra bag on my trip home, each container painstakingly bubble wrapped as if it were a bottle of fine wine. As far as my personal preferences go, Grillo's dill pickles rank among my top choices, so being able to purchase a 52-ounce vat of these crispy spears at Costco prices is like a dream come true.

As classic as it gets, Grillo's dill pickles are simple: Cucumbers, garlic, dill, grape leaves (for texture), and a brine made from water, vinegar, and salt. There's nothing fancy or off-the-wall here. You get a pure, fresh, zesty flavor and a satisfyingly crisp snap. Because this massive bucket of cool pickles costs about the same, or in some cases even less, than half the size of the same brand at a typical grocery store, you'll definitely want to take advantage of this screaming value.

Costco's rotisserie chicken is incredibly popular, as I can attest as someone who regularly comes across an empty case when I shop there, surrounded by people eagerly waiting for the next batch of birds to appear. I like to put my own spins on store-bought rotisserie chicken, so I'd never tried Costco's chicken salad (made in-house) until now. It's a decently flavorful concoction: The chicken is moist and meaty, the dressing has freshness and a bit of zip, and it's substantial in texture without being heavy.

One look at the ingredients list, though, and my eyes widened. I didn't think a simple chicken salad could possibly include this many mysterious ingredients. Both the chicken and the dressing include carrageenan, a commonly used but somewhat controversial food additive. It caught my attention because I've been advised to avoid this ingredient in my pet's food, and while I'm aware that I'm not a cat, it concerned me that I was ingesting something that I wouldn't feed to him. While more studies are needed to flesh out the full picture, many well-respected food researchers have been banging the drum regarding this additive's risk to humans as an inflammatory agent and possible carcinogen. According to a 2021 study from the University of Milan, published in the journal Nutrients, humans (not just their pets) should limit their exposure to carageenan. Costco's rotisserie chicken is also infamous for being high in sodium, so if you're concerned about such things, this salad is best avoided.

Kirkland's seasoned roast beef is one of the pricier deli items available at Costco, but it's still a great deal — 20 ounces of beef, which the label estimates to be 10 servings, for just under $15 at my local store. That's a lot of sandwiches for not a lot of cash. It's by far the most flavorful of all the deli meats that I tried for this list, and one of the top tastiest offerings of all the items. In fact, of everything I brought home in this Costco haul, the roast beef was the first thing to get gobbled up, and it sure didn't take very long.

Made from USDA Choice beef, seasoned with salt, garlic, and spices, every bite of this seasoned roast beef is packed with flavor. It's sliced nice and thin, and it's so tender it practically falls apart and melts on your tongue. The fact that it's already well-seasoned means you can throw together a gourmet-tasting sandwich in no time, with no need to reach for the salt shaker or pepper grinder. It's juicy, too, so that flavor seeps into your sandwich bread for even more deliciousness. My only complaint about this item is that I ran out too quickly, and I'm going to have to grab more so I can get my North Shore roast beef sandwich fix.

Kirkland Signature's hefty wheel of brie is almost intimidatingly large, and so heavy you could probably use it as a weapon if necessary. At just over $10 from my local Costco, it's a steal, especially considering it's actually made in Normandy, France, from the milk of grazing cows. Dairy cattle's diets greatly affect the flavor of cheeses made from their milk, and this cheese has a lovely fresh grassy flavor to it, along with subtle notes of nettle and wild herbs.

What's great about this brie is its versatility. Its size and shape make it perfect for baking, so you can throw together a party appetizer that'll feed a big group with very little effort by simply throwing the whole wheel in the oven. If you want to make something a little more impressive, try our Baked Brie with Pecans and Cranberry Orange Chutney — just make sure to cook it a little longer to account for the extra poundage. 

On the back of the package, Kirkland offers a helpful graphic laying out the different stages of brie development, so you can let this wheel age a bit if you like a more complex cheese. I tried it right after purchasing (after letting it come to room temperature, of course) and then again about a week later, to find that it had already become softer and earthier. I'm tempted to put some candles on this brie and serve it like a cake on my next birthday.

Full disclosure: The only time I've ever enjoyed a pure ham sandwich was in Paris (yes, I'm aware of how bougie that sounds). It's just never been my favorite type of deli meat. I wanted to give Kirkland Signature's extra lean uncured ham a fighting chance, though, so I attempted to recreate that simple yet perfect Parisian sandwich using this meat. I sliced a fresh baguette in half, coated one half with butter and the other with a thin spread of Dijon mustard, sprinkled on some coarse sea salt, and piled on pieces of ham. It was fine, but the ham was the weakest part of the sandwich.

There is one reason to buy this two-pack, and that's the price. You get 48 ounces of meat for under $10. If ham is your jam, this might be the deal for you. However, I found the meat to be fairly bland, sliced a little too thickly for my tastes, and it had a slight rubberiness to its texture. I'd much rather spring for one of the other deli meats available, even if they might cost a few dollars more.

I'm a sucker for a good potato salad, but typically pre-made versions from grocery stores just don't do it for me. I almost always end up having to add seasoning, vegetables, vinegar, or herbs — or all of the above — to get the flavor and texture to where it should be. That's why I was floored by Will's San Francisco potato salad. I'd never had it before, because I didn't want to deal with having to fix five pounds of underwhelming salad. Turns out, no fixing is necessary. This is a balanced, well-crafted, delicious potato salad right out of the bucket.

Unlike Costco's house-made chicken salad, Will's potato salad has a small and easy-to-understand ingredients list. There's nothing out of the ordinary here: Mayonnaise as a binder, potatoes, vinegar for tang, and onions, carrots, garlic, parsley, and pepper for flavor. The potatoes are the stars of the show, as they should be, and rather than cubed, they're sliced, which I thought was a nice touch — too often, with big chunks of potato, you'll get unevenly cooked pieces. Here, the slices are all uniform and just the right texture. This is a classic potato salad that I'd happily serve at a picnic or backyard barbecue, without having to make it myself or doctor up a mediocre version.

After falling in love with Will's potato salad, I had high hopes for the brand's macaroni salad. Unfortunately, in this case, the deli salad lightning only struck once. This product has a few things going for it, but it's also got enough going against it that I wouldn't purchase it again. If you're a macaroni salad fan, you may not be able to pass up the price — three pounds of it only costs $6.99 at my local Costco — but for only a few more dollars, you can get five pounds of Will's superior potato salad, which I believe is a much better deal.

The pasta itself is the best part of this salad. Short tubes of macaroni (otherwise known as ditalini) are a good size and shape for this dish, small enough to be manageable but not so small that they would fall through the tines of a fork. The noodles are tender and well-cooked. There's a decent amount of flavor, but the balance seemed off, with too much sweetness not tempered enough by savory or spicy ingredients. The label says that the salad includes crunchy vegetables, but the celery and carrots are cut so small, they don't really offer any crunch. That lack of texture is really exposed by the liquidy, almost soupy dressing — you might need to eat this with a spoon. Opt for the potato salad instead and you'll be much better off. 

Fresh goat cheese is something I like to always have in the refrigerator. Layer it on toast in the morning, drizzled with honey, serve it with sliced fruit, mix it with herbs for a veggie dip, crumble it on salads, spread it on garlic bread — there's really nothing you can't do with fresh goat cheese. I thought that perhaps getting 20 ounces of the stuff for just over $8 would be too good to be true, but I'm happy to report that Kirkland Signature's goat cheese is a winner.

The texture is rich yet still airy, not stodgy or heavy. While I personally love a strongly flavored, funky goat cheese, this one has a mellow flavor, which makes it far more versatile while still being flavorful. There's a great balance between that signature goat milk tanginess and buttery soft richness, and the salt level is fairly low, which means you can add it to assertively seasoned dishes without worrying about overdoing it in that department. I look forward to buying this regularly and never running out of goat cheese again.

I should preface this by admitting that yes, I did actually finish the Sonoma Cheese wine country party tray, even though I put this item in the "skip" category. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the cheese itself. It's just a little pricey for what you get, compared to many of the other cheese options at Costco. While I paid a discounted $9.99 at my store for this variety pack, the regular price was listed as $13.49, which seems like a lot for a few dozen small slices of cheese, even though it's delicious.

Sonoma Cheese Company's specialty is Jack — one of the best cheeses for melting — and this selection includes three varieties of it, with traditional, hot pepper, and garlic. There's also mild Cheddar for a change of pace. This tray wouldn't be a bad thing to have on hand for sandwiches, especially since the cheeses are pre-sliced. If you make a lot of sandwiches, they'll go pretty fast, though. You'll get better bang for your buck if you buy the same types of cheese in blocks.

Prosciutto di San Daniele is what's known as a protected product, with the post-nominal abbreviation D.O.P., which stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta. What this means, in practice, is that this item must be made according to specific rules and regulations and can only be crafted within a certain geographical area, in this case, San Daniele in northeastern Italy. This gorgeously silky, savory cured ham is one of the world's greatest porky treasures, and it's typically not cheap. Somehow, though, Costco is selling this beautiful product for an incredibly low price — nine ounces for under $14 at my local store. I've seen it at other retailers for triple the price.

There are so many things you can do with these diaphanous slices, like adding prosciutto to a frittata, putting it on top of a pizza, and, of course, as part of an Italian sandwich. This stuff is so elegant and flavorful, however, that it doesn't need anything else. You could make a charcuterie board that was just all Principe prosciutto, and I don't think anyone would complain.

Kirkland Signature brand sliced turkey breast may not be flashy or exciting, but it's solid and dependable. Mildly meaty, it has a subtle roasted flavor and a springy, tender texture. Sometimes a simple turkey sandwich is all you need, and this Costco meat is perfect for that. It's right at home piled high between two slices of wheat bread, with some mustard, crisp lettuce, and fresh tomato. The meat isn't too salty, either, which can sometimes be the case with deli turkey.

Three 14-ounce packages cost $13.99 at my local Costco, making this a fantastic deal — you can make a heck of a lot of sandwiches with this triple pack. It's convenient, too, as each package is resealable, and opening one at a time means the unopened turkey will stay fresh longer. If you've got a lot of lunch boxes to fill, keeping this multi-pack of turkey on hand will make sandwich prep easy and cost-efficient. Some people have complained online about Kirkland turkey's quality, but I didn't experience any of the reported issues of wetness or sliminess in my packages. Your experience may be different, and it's possible I just got lucky, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy this turkey again based on my experience.

To select the items to include on this list, I took a trip to my local Costco and made a note of all of their sliced meats, cheeses, salads, and other items commonly found in a full-service deli. Then I narrowed it down to a shortlist of items, focusing on Kirkland Signature brand whenever possible but adding other brands' items as well to get a wider variety.

After procuring all of the items, I tasted each one individually. In the case of the salads, I ate them as-is. For the meats, cheeses, and pickles, I tasted them on their own first, and then prepared them as I normally would — making sandwiches, trying them on crackers, and so on. After tasting each item, I decided whether or not I would purchase it again. Then I took into account the price of each item to determine if it was a good deal.