00:00People love the food at Costco.
00:02I gotta go there today and I'm gonna get a dog, I don't mind telling you.
00:05Sometimes people go there just for their food.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and most iconic food and drink
00:14items sold at retailers with a dedicated food service area, excluding malls.
00:19You ever just have that moment where you're craving the triple berry sundae from the cafe, but there's nothing you
00:24can do about it?
00:25Oh, you're in for a treat.
00:28Number 10, Pizza, Costco.
00:31There's something nice about the simplicity of capping off a Costco run with a slice of pizza.
00:35When I order a whole pizza, I ask for plates, but it's all for me.
00:39When do you do that?
00:40Every time.
00:41Whether you get pepperoni or plain, or apparently you can get seafood toppings if you're at a Costco in Asia,
00:47this is a solid slice.
00:49It's doughy crust, tasty cheese blend, and nice ratio of ingredients help it exceed the expectations of a retailer food
00:55court pizza.
00:56Add in the fact that it's just two bucks a slice, and you got yourself an enjoyable, budget-friendly lunch.
01:01Hot dogs and slices of pizza start at just $1.50.
01:05Memberships start at $60.
01:07Perhaps Costco's food court is even better known for a few other items, but do not sleep on the pizza.
01:12You will be required to prove that you actually have an active membership to get in.
01:18Some people are going to spend a lot of money just to go in there for that good old pizza.
01:22Number 9, Soft Pretzel, Various Stores.
01:25Okay, you're out shopping, you stop by the food court, and you smell those pretzels.
01:29If you are looking for the best, Sean Gigi may have found it in this morning's Up in 60.
01:33It doesn't get much more classic than this.
01:35The soft pretzel is a snack that you can find in many places, and that of course includes food courts.
01:41Ben's Soft Pretzels will open in the downtown restaurant.
01:44The South Bend Tribune's Lincoln Wright says it will be ready to go by April 26th, which just so happens
01:49to be National Pretzel Day.
01:51Buttery, salty, soft, and chewy, it's the perfect thing to hold you over till your next meal while you're out
01:56shopping.
01:57In terms of pretzels at retailer food areas excluding malls, you might think of super pretzel machines.
02:02But even the beloved Annie Ann's pretzels qualify for this list, as they are not exclusively in malls, which most
02:09of us associate them with.
02:10No matter the brand, though, the soft pretzel is a great food court item because it's rare to get a
02:15bad one.
02:15Can I have a super pretzel, please?
02:18Make every moment super.
02:20Enjoy.
02:21Number 8, Pizza Pretzel, Sam's Club.
02:24You know what my favorite thing about lunch at Sam's Club is?
02:29It's the pizza pretzel.
02:31We have to give bonus points for uniqueness and flair, and that's what the Sam's Club pizza pretzel brings.
02:37Like, come on, it's a pizza pretzel.
02:39How uncommon is that?
02:41Sure, at plenty of food courts, you can get a pizza, a pretzel, or perhaps one of each if you
02:45so please.
02:46But this Sam's Club food court item conjoins the two.
02:49The flavor of the sauce and the cheese is the same flavor of a pizza, but the bread is a
02:54little bit more like gum, like all of the pretzels.
02:57It's a pretzel with melted cheese, pepperoni, and a side of marinara sauce.
03:01The item is served hot and is a sizable portion, and don't get it twisted.
03:05It's an absolute bargain at just $1.98.
03:08And Sam's Club is going up from 50 to 60 bucks a year on May 1st, but drivers say it's
03:14worth it.
03:15Number 7, Cinnamon Buns, IKEA.
03:17They call it kanelbullet in Sweden.
03:19The cinnamon roll is an iconic pastry that originated in Europe.
03:22It's believed that the modern version was invented in Sweden.
03:25Swedish cinnamon buns, or cinnamon rolls, or as we say in Sweden, kanelbullet.
03:31Whether or not that's the case, the cinnamon bun is closely tied to the Scandinavian country's food culture.
03:36Is this a sweet treat?
03:38Because it looks like a sweet treat.
03:40And so, it certainly feels right that IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, offers these sweet, tasty treats at their famous
03:47food courts.
03:48With its drizzle of icing on top, it's going to be hard to say no to this delicious pastry once
03:53you lay eyes on it.
03:54It smells like a sweet treat, so I'm going to try it and just see if it is a sweet
03:58treat.
04:01It is. I knew it. It was a sweet treat the whole time.
04:04Number 6, Chicken Bake, Costco.
04:06Social media sure has helped the word spread about this large food court item, and it's come to have a
04:12huge cult following.
04:13The Chicken Bake is synonymous with Costco.
04:15It's a go-to before a game at Rogers Arena, or when you just need a cheap meal.
04:20But soon, not just anyone will be able to get a bite to eat at the downtown Vancouver Costco food
04:25court.
04:26You could argue it has relatives in the Stromboli and Hot Pocket, but the Chicken Bake is very much its
04:31own thing.
04:31It's a long piece of baked dough filled with diced chicken, mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, bacon, and caesar dressing.
04:38It is a pizza crust filled with chicken breast strips, mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheeses, smoky bacon, creamy caesar dressing,
04:49and green onions in a hand-rolled crust.
04:51You're not going to have to worry about still being hungry after eating this thing.
04:55The big portion size makes it enough for two people. That is, if you want to share.
04:59It gets pretty busy. You can wait like 20-30 minutes just for your order, so I can see why
05:04they want to control that.
05:05I think it's going to be easier for me to get food, or it's going to be faster. It's going
05:09to be less cloudy over there.
05:10Number 5. Berry Sunday. Sam's Club.
05:13A Sunday can obviously be a lovely indulgence on a hot day. In fact, it's a delightful treat any time
05:19of year.
05:19Add as many frozen berries as your heart desires. I think we went a little overboard here.
05:24And that is how you can make your own triple berry Sunday at home when desperate times call.
05:29It's no different at Sam's Club. The innovation and creativity of one of the chain's sundaes in particular make it
05:35stand out.
05:35That's the berry sundae, or as some call it, the four-berry sundae.
05:39It's that combination of four berries that makes this treat feel as close to a gourmet dessert as you can
05:45get as far as retail food courts go.
05:47The berry sundae consists of vanilla frozen yogurt and a berry sauce of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
05:53So if you like berries, you won't be disappointed.
05:56I like it a lot.
06:00Number 4. Icy Slash Slushy. Various Stores.
06:03I want blue. I want red. I want yellow.
06:09Sound familiar?
06:10Few items have had this level of iconic food court aura.
06:13The slushy is the ultimate frozen beverage.
06:15You can sip it, you can spoon it, it's the Icy Surprise.
06:19There's Coca-Cola, orange, dry, spring, or lime.
06:22And in many cases, the brand you'll find at the food court is Icy.
06:26Kids' eyes, and let's be real, adults' eyes, might very well light up at the side of this, particularly on
06:31a hot summer day.
06:32Whether it's a soda variation like Coke or Fanta, or a fruit flavor like blue raspberry or cherry, there are
06:38slushies for various taste buds.
06:40But many will tell you that nixing is the way to go, and that Sweet Tooth will thank you.
06:44A lot of companies don't survive all the things that we've survived, and then grown.
06:50It's a product that people know and love, and we've been very fortunate to be a part of it.
06:55Number 3. Popcorn. Target.
06:57While it's not nearly as widely available as it once was, Target popcorn is still out there at some locations.
07:03Since the late 2010s, its availability has dwindled, though, causing many customers to hope that popcorn returns as a staple
07:10to their local Target.
07:11We've got deals that will make your day.
07:13Come on down to your local Target and stock up on everything right here for it.
07:18Sharon!
07:19That's because it's quite good.
07:20It's a great grab-and-go snack to munch on while you're shopping.
07:23Part of the lasting impression is the Target-branded bag or box that popcorn comes in.
07:27For many of us, it's nostalgic.
07:29Though, if you find the right store, you can still taste the nostalgia.
07:32It's a very clean, very clean store. Prices are reasonable.
07:38Number 2. Swedish Meatballs. IKEA.
07:40If you know, you know.
07:42On your way to IKEA, it's expected that you're not just thinking of that piece of furniture, but also those
07:46iconic Swedish meatballs.
07:48It's convenient, it's Swedish, and pretty much for everybody.
07:52And it's still served in all the restaurants in the IKEA stores in the world, joined by a whole family
07:58of different kinds of meatballs.
07:59For some, that's probably the first thing that comes to mind when they're thinking of IKEA.
08:04Meatballs from a furniture store.
08:06Mmm, who would have thought?
08:07But the franchise has also become well-known for its restaurants, and the crown jewel in those restaurants is, of
08:13course, the Swedish Meatball.
08:14What takes these things to another level is the gravy they're served in.
08:18Made with ground beef, pork, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, whole milk, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil, IKEA's
08:26Swedish meatballs are restaurant quality with a home comfort food feel.
08:30That is a winning combination.
08:33This is good.
08:34It took almost a year of hard work until the restaurants could start serving the IKEA version of the Swedish
08:40meatball.
08:41Number 1.
08:42Hot Dog.
08:43Costco.
08:44How could we not place the hot dog at number 1?
08:46A hot dog is a classic food court item, and no retailer food court does it better than Costco.
08:51There are no plans to raise that price.
08:54The beloved $1.50 hot dog soda combo has cost the same since 1985.
09:00There's a reason the Costco hot dog has such a substantial cult following.
09:04In addition to the fresh quality meat and roll, the value is extremely hard to beat.
09:08The combo of the quarter pound glizzy plus a 20-ounce soda famously costs just $1.50.
09:13The hot dog price will not change as long as I'm around.
09:19Amazing.
09:19Amazing quality, amazing value.
09:24That's $1.50 well spent.
09:25If you're a really big fan, you may even have a Costco hot dog shirt.
09:30There are dozens of shirt options online.
09:32One individual even told CNBC about the great success he's had selling them.
09:36That's just further proof of the Costco hot dog being firmly ingrained in retailer food court lore.
09:42There was one time where I went through a phase where I was eating a Costco hot dog every day
09:46for a month.
09:47Which of these retailer food court items is your favorite?
09:50Let us know in the comments.
09:51My name is Chrisş.
09:52Your response depends...
09:57My name's Chris.
Comments