Carmen Varner / Tasting Table
Costco’s food court reminds me of mall food court heydays. It’s always packed, buzzing with life and chatter; being there makes me feel alive, like I’m part of something bigger. I visited my Costco food court to get my hands on the strawberry shortcake sundae, after waiting weeks for my store to carry it. I’d seen it all over social media and was intrigued to try it myself. Did it live up to the hype? Is it better than the best food court item, the chicken bake? We’ll find that out shortly.
I’ll talk about what it tastes like, how much it costs, and whether it’s worth trying next time you’re at the store. I did a fair amount of people watching while I was eating my sundae, mainly to see what people ordered, and the sundae was pretty popular. But is it good? If you’re lonely, just order a sundae and sit in the food court for a bit; there’s so much noise, chatter, and hardly any personal space. You’ll go home full and potentially socially drained.
Methodology
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table
I went to my local Costco and ate the strawberry shortcake sundae in the food court to ensure freshness. My store offered the standard strawberry shortcake sundae, which is made with strawberry ice cream, cake pieces, and strawberry pieces. But it also offered a vanilla strawberry shortcake sundae (vanilla ice cream) and a strawberry vanilla swirl shortcake sundae (vanilla and strawberry swirled together).
I based my thoughts on the dessert’s overall flavor, execution of the included elements, and value. I was seeking something that delivered the strawberry and shortcake parts of the title.
Taste test
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table
The sundae is a strawberry lover’s dream. It has a wonderful berry base, along with strawberry pieces in the topping. The fruit bits create a chewy mouthfeel to contrast the otherwise very creamy, but thick sundae base. As a strawberry sundae with strawberry swirls, it’s successful and delivers both elements. Now, the cake, however, feels a bit lacking.
I’d love to see more pieces, but for $2.99, I’m not sure how economical that would be. The cake pieces on top of the sundae are quite dry, firm, and dense, so they aren’t the most delightful to eat. However, the strawberry topping on the bottom of my cup had a couple of additional cake pieces, and I really understood the need for dryness here. If it were any softer, the cake would disappear and turn into mush in your sundae. The dryness helps it sop up the liquid of the ice cream as it melts, as well as the strawberry topping. I’d love to have more of those pieces tossed into the sundae.
While I was enjoying my frozen treat in the food court, I saw several people getting iterations of the shortcake sundae — some were the classic strawberry, while others were the vanilla or swirl options. Based on images I’ve seen, how your sundae looks is up to the person making yours. Mine is filled past the brim, with the cake delicately placed above the rim. I have a smaller portion of the strawberry topping; others have a pool of topping on the bottom of the cup, as well as a very generous mountain on top. I can’t fault the employee or Costco for that, but I’d reckon it’d be even better if it had it.
Final thoughts
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table
To answer my question from earlier: Yes, the strawberry shortcake sundae is good and well worth the price. Costco does a phenomenal job of offering competitive pricing on food court items like the $1.50 hot dog and 20-ounce soda (or water bottle). You can’t beat the price, and the flavors are wonderfully summer and strawberry-forward.
That said, I think my sundae is extremely light on the strawberry topping, compared to others I’ve seen. The cake pieces, on the other hand, seem pretty standard. The photo of the sundae on the food court menu doesn’t appear to show any more than what I was given. Although I’ve seen some people on social media with a generous amount of cake pieces, too (around nine to my 5.5).
Regardless of how much cake and topping, this is well worth the price tag, especially if you want a festive summertime treat. It’s pretty large and heavy, so you can easily share it with one or two people (if not more), and it would certainly make the kids happy to have this as a sweet. Costco does a great job of offering seasonal sundae, like its caramel brownie one from late 2025.
For added fun, order a soda fountain drink and get a Coke. Ask for a water cup and then scoop some of the sundae into the cup, top with Coke for your own DIY Coke float. It was really good! The flavors mesh well together, and I encourage you to give it a try.
Price and availability
Carmen Varner / Tasting Table
I called my store every few days for three weeks trying to locate this sundae, and at last, it was available! If your Costco doesn’t have it yet, it’s truly just a matter of time. The standard strawberry shortcake sundae and the two other options I mentioned earlier are all priced at $2.99 each, plus tax. That makes the new item around 50 cents more than the regular strawberry ice cream sundae. It has 750 calories, which is totally feasible if you share it or merely when you desire a rich treat — nothing wrong with that.
Dining and Cooking