These 4 New Costco Deli Items Were Complete Flops In 2026 (So Far)

Listen, no one gets it right all the time. Even Costco has its flops. While we were excited by Costco's best new deli items and prepared foods for 2026, some of their new launches didn't get members' approval. How do we know? Shoppers posted their views on social media, and they posted hard. We get it. If you're going to navigate the warehouse with your giant cart, peruse item after item, and spend your hard-earned money on something, you want it to be tasty. Some of their items sound so good (hello, pesto anything!), and you expect them to deliver on deliciousness.

But it isn't just about flavor necessarily. Some of these items were also panned because of their high price points, overly-processed ingredient list, and the fact that many of these items can be easily made at home without much effort or cost. Will Costco heed the feedback? Or will these four deli items continue to disappoint unsuspecting customers?

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

The ingredient list on the Kirkland Signature Thai Chili Wrap with Sweet Chili Sauce sounds yummy enough: Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken, tomato tortilla, cream cheese, Asian barbecue sauce, red onions, and sweet chili sauce. But reviewers are not here for this new-to-the-deli-for-2026 item. For starters, calling these Thai felt deceitful to some: "There was nothing 'Thai' about those wraps unless you consider the sweet chili sauce the only thing making it remotely [categorized] as an Asian-inspired dish," wrote one Reddit user. Another agreed with that comment, adding, "The texture was very weird; both my wife and I couldn't get over it and ended up just tossing them."

Was there anything else that reviewers disliked? Plenty. One wrote on Reddit, "These are just bad IMHO. I had the Southwest chicken wraps and like those but the Thai chicken wraps don't cut it. I can't figure it out but it may be the sogginess combined with the bland/lack of sweetness I feel a chicken wrap should have." Some also suspect that the wraps are made with Kirkland Signature rotisserie chickens that aren't bought and are then repurposed for pre-made deli items, meaning that by the time they're used, they're starting to taste a bit old. As with many of the deli items, others called out the price, with one Redditor writing, "Not worth the $6.99/lb price."

Costco's Japanese-inspired deli items have hit some bumps along the way, including customers' mixed reviews of the Costco sushi platters that were new in 2025. And now customers are deeming the newest addition a flop. Earlier in 2026, Costco members in Canada began negatively reviewing Bento Onigiri Rice Balls, and now that they've hit the U.S., the onslaught has continued.

Each six pack comes with two rice balls of each flavor: Teriyaki Salmon, Spicy Crab, and Tuna Mayo. You can read about what exactly onigiri is, but in brief, they are rice balls stuffed with a filling and wrapped in nori (seaweed). They're beloved for their snack-size portability, but the version available in the Costco deli department? A flop. The biggest complaint appears to be the rice, both that there's too much of it versus filling, and the gluggy texture. One Instagrammer wrote, "The onigiri is disgusting ... they put too much mushy rice [and] less filling. My son and I wanted to like it but it [was] not good [and] we tossed it. Waste of money." That waste of money appears to be $11.99, so roughly $2 per wedge.

Another review on Instagram said, "We tried them and were unimpressed. The rice is packed too tightly and is too sweet, the fillings are on top rather than inside, and they are nearly impossible to open ... without tearing the nori." Fans confirm that these are a disappointment, with one Redditor posting that they returned the pack after trying only the tuna flavor due to the lack of filling.

Our Tasting Table review of Costco's newest prepared meal as a pricey platter of disappointment was only one in a chorus of voices slamming the Kirkland Signature Barbecue Platter. The meal comes with chicken wings, ribs, corn on the cob, a mound of potato salad, pickled onions, pickles, and barbecue sauce. For anyone who enjoys an easy option for a summer-themed feed, what's not to like? A lot, apparently.

We mentioned the price previously. That's because this platter rings in around $50 (it's $5.49 per pound). "You can put that together yourself for wayyyyyy under $50," commented one Reddit user. A TikTok reviewer mentioned that it wasn't easy to reheat, with the two meats cooking at different times and temps. Price and inconvenience could possibly be forgiven if the taste was there. But it's not. "Costco does many things well. BBQ is not one of them," wrote one person on Reddit to an approval of upvotes. Another replied speculating, "I feel like this is just the ribs and wings next to the rotisserie that don't sell," with others making similar comments. Another person on Facebook said they wouldn't buy it purely because of the disappointing potato salad that's on offer as a standalone item in the deli. 

Costco shoppers tend to adore the Kirkland Signature Pesto, so it stands to reason that the new-for-'26 Kirkland Signature Pesto Pasta Salad with Mozzarella Pearls & Italian Pesto, plus slow-roasted tomatoes and fresh arugula, would be delicious. Sadly, the sound of it didn't deliver for the majority of Costco shoppers. Though a few folks thought it was edible, there were plenty who found that this under-seasoned new pasta salad at Costco didn't live up to its hefty price tag.

One Reddit reviewer wrote, "It's so bland, it's unappetizing. The ingredients are fresh, but it has no taste. Waste of $20." Another replied, "It was so bland, I convinced myself I had covid." If that doesn't put shoppers off, this review on the same Reddit thread might be the nail in the coffin to skip this pasta salad: "Didn't like it at all. The pesto was just too much and the pasta had pieces that were hard. I couldn't tell if they were undercooked or partially frozen. I ended up returning it because I didn't want to force myself to eat it or throw it out, and it was too expensive not to."

At the end of the day, this is another dish that doesn't cost much (in time or money) to make. Check out this classic basil pesto pasta recipe, add in some sundried or fresh tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella, and you're in a taste realm that this Costco deli flop couldn't come near.