Review: The New Costco Food Court Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Is Tricky To Drink, But Worth The Hassle

As if you needed another reason to treat yourself after buying a box of frozen lamb, a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels, and a giant rotisserie chicken, Costco has added a new item to their food court. Frozen Strawberry Lemonade joins familiar frozen favorites like the Cold Brew Latte Freeze and Cold Brew Mocha Freeze as the newcomer just in time for the summer heat. Similar to past items like the Berry Smoothie and its successor, the Strawberry Banana Smoothie, the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade is packed with real strawberries.

To find out if Costco's newest offering is worthy of the famous food court, I stopped by my local store and picked one up. Even at 10:30 a.m., I wasn't the only person curious about this fruity drink, but can it live up to the buzz? Read on to see if it's the perfect partner to a Chicken Bake or if it should be relegated to the food court graveyard.

The new drink is hardly a unique invention, as it's Costco's spin on a frozen lemonade flavored with a heaping scoop of real strawberries. Clocking in at 250 calories, it's more than half the calories of the Cold Brew Mocha Freeze, but right in line with the Fruit Smoothie. Like Costco's other frozen drinks, the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade comes in a single, 16-ounce size for $2.99.

The price alone makes it a deal compared to other fast and easy lemonade options. Chick-fil-A's Frozen Lemonade with Strawberries is $5.09, while a small Lemonberry Slush — Sonic's version of a frozen strawberry lemonade — comes in at $3.99 for a 14-ounce serving and is not to be confused with the underwhelming Sweet Topped Strawberry Lemonade. Costco is known for its deals, especially at the food court, where the $1.99 hot dog reigns supreme, so it's no surprise that this frozen drink is one of the cheaper options on the market.

Price is one thing, but quality is the real question. After all, if that famous hot dog was terrible, the price would hardly matter. Thankfully, Costco didn't miss with the new Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. The base itself is tangy and very sweet. If you prefer lemonade that leans more towards the sour end of the spectrum, this may not be the drink for you, but if sweet is your thing, you'll like this drink.

The key feature, though, is the strawberries. It's no understatement to say this slush is packed with chunks of real strawberries, and while that sounds delicious, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the fruit is a great addition. It brings a freshness that a traditional frozen lemonade just can't achieve. The pieces are plentiful and big — be ready to chew a few times — and it creates a really fun experience as you get everything in a single sip.

Unfortunately, those fruit pieces do make this a difficult drink to consume. Without a straw, you're left in the unenviable position of sticking half your mouth inside a slush to get the right mix of liquid, fruit, and ice, but a straw is hardly better as the strawberry chunks get caught inside. The ideal pairing for this drink would be a boba straw. The wider design would be perfect to avoid fruity roadblocks while pulling in plenty of sweet, tangy lemonade slush.

The Costco food court has an ever-evolving menu. Some items are standard, but many rotate in and out seasonally, vary by location, or are simply there one day and gone the next. With no word on the future of Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, it's worth adding to your next order, just in case it's not around long.

This drink is a good frozen option that the whole family can enjoy and it really is great for the warmer months. I picked mine up and, after snapping a few pictures in the food court and a few more at home, quickly downed the contents as I took notes. I didn't plan on drinking the whole thing, but the experience made it too good to stop. The lemonade and occasional chunk of strawberry made for a fun first two-thirds of the drink before I reached the bottom, which was filled with frosty chunks of semi-frozen fruit. It's a fun drink and for just $2.99, it's definitely worth adding to your next order.