We Tried the New Costco Acai Bowl and Al Pastor Salad

It’s either brave or crazy to take chocolate soft serve off a food court menu and replace it with acai.  But Costco did it. A couple of weeks ago, the company also announced it would be taking the Polish Dog off its food court menu. Twitter went crazy, mourning the loss of the sausage. In its place, the Costco acai bowl and plant-based al pastor salad turned up on menus.  We’re at the beginning of a heat wave, so it was a perfect day to try the acai bowl for a mid-morning snack.

The Instagram-friendly Costco acai bowl is a hefty serving for $4.99, including fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries, banana chips and granola clusters packed around acai soft serve. The menu boasted nine grams of fiber, it was indeed filling and kept me going until lunch at 12:30 p.m. You can also order the acai soft serve separately or swirled with vanilla.

VERDICT: Win. Would Order Again.

In an effort to add healthier options to its menu, Costco is offering the soy-based “al pastor” salad ($4.99). This one is baffling. It isn’t clear what actually makes it al pastor-like, since it’s unlikely to be spit roasted. It’s a huge salad with romaine lettuce, black beans, black olives and banh mi vegetables (Record scratch. Huh?). I don’t get it either. They’re pickled pieces of red bell pepper and cucumber. On the side, you get a sweet, tangy dressing that looks like thousand island. I couldn’t tell you the actual flavor. All of it is topped with a healthy portion of soy crumbles tossed in some mix of chile powder and various spices. I’m not vegan, but I’m all for making food choices that reduce our impact on the earth.  Good on you, Costco for bringing a plant-based option to the menu. But I think you might want to go back to the drawing board. This isn’t a salad I’d order again.

VERDICT: Pass.

One final note, after tests in Southern California and other locations, Costco in Issaquah, Washington is now offering self service kiosk ordering inside the store. Order and pay by credit card, then head to the kiosk-only line at the food court to zoom in and out with your food. People seemed reticent to get out of line and head inside to order, but on the two occasions I used it, I avoided a pretty long line.

 

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