The Costco Food Court Item You Should Avoid Ordering At All Costs

Shopping when you're hungry is always a bad idea. It leads to overspending on higher-calorie foods and stuffing your cart with too many things you don't really need. While Costco might benefit from hungry customers in its warehouses, the company's actually provided a way out of hunger-shopping: A food court with a menu full of fan-favorites, such as hot dogs and soft-serve ice cream. The menu isn't exactly healthy, though there's usually a salad option somewhere among the pizza, cookies, and calorie-dense sandwiches. But there is one item on the Costco food court menu you should really avoid: The frozen strawberry lemonade.

Costco's frozen strawberry lemonade is new to the menu, rolling out in 2025 as the summer's newest trend. It was billed as refreshing and drew quite a bit of attention when it arrived on the menu — and got mixed reviews. Some customers raved about the new drink online, pointing out real chunks of fruit. However, more reviews have come in on the frozen strawberry lemonade, and they're not all glowing. Some say it 's too sweet or too sour, almost impossible to drink through a straw, and just not as good as the fruit smoothies that have previously been on the Costco menu.

You pay $2.99 for a 16-ounce frozen strawberry lemonade at Costco's food court, and it also costs you about 250 calories. It's advertised as having no added artificial colors or flavors, instead relying on real strawberries for flavor (and an ample dose of strawberry syrup). It looks, tastes, and seems like a healthier option than other Costco food court treats, including the 580 calorie Cold Brew Mocha Freeze or the 740-calorie hot turkey and provolone sandwich. We've even suggested you give the frozen strawberry lemonade a try. On the surface, it's a delicious, refreshing option, but there's a problem with this frozen, sweet-tart treat: We don't know how much sugar is in that cup.

Costco hasn't posted sugar content for the strawberry lemonade anywhere, and customers have questions. Some suggest that strawberry syrup could contain way more sugar than anyone realizes. Others say it tastes artificial, even though Costco's advertising claims the opposite. Even if the strawberry syrup used in the frozen lemonade is made out of real fruit, syrups are notoriously loaded with sugar. We'd love to know how much is in that cup of frozen strawberry lemonade.