11 hours ago
Costco's Newest Product Is Generating Tons Of Mixed Reviews — Here's My Brutally Honest Opinion After Trying It
Costco has a knack for spotting a food trend the moment it tips from niche to mainstream and then rolling out a tray that feeds half the neighborhood. The Chicken Street Tacos showed up just as weeknight taco trucks became a thing. A Frozen Strawberry Lemonade slid into the food court the second every drive-thru debuted its slushy version. Now the warehouse has set its sights on birria — the slow-braised, chile-rich beef you dunk in consommé until your fingertips match the sunset.
The online buzz was mixed before I even unboxed it. On TikTok, @yungfoodbeast shows off a dramatic cheese pull and calls the tacos 'fire."
While @photogami (aka The Sushi Guy) takes a more hands-on approach, he dips each taco in the consommé for extra moisture, sets them in a lightly oiled skillet, then presses and flips until the tortillas pick up that deep-orange quesabirria crust and the cheese melts right back where it belongs. He's into the beef, tender, well-seasoned — no complaints there. But he still raises an eyebrow at the total price, skillet success or not.
I found the tray right next to the Chicken Street Tacos, and it drew a small crowd the moment I paused for a photo.
Sydney Martin
One shopper even tapped my shoulder to see if I'd tried it yet. Field research nearly turned into a jump scare, but her curiosity told me everything about the aisle's vibe: cautious excitement and a little sticker shock.
Before I committed, I zoomed in on the shelf tag: Birria Taco Meal Kit — $6.49 per pound, eight tacos, Jack cheese, corn tortillas, Spanish-style rice, plus a cup of consommé.
Sydney Martin
Costco doesn't hide the math, but that per-pound price can feel friendly until you realize the tray weighs almost four pounds, which puts you north of $25 the moment it lands in your cart.
Credit where it's due: The packaging team makes this feel like a true crowd-pleaser. Still, I found myself doing the quiet Costco math in my head, wondering whether this was a clever illusion or a genuine bulk bargain.
Sticker shock continued at home, so out came the scale. The kit weighs 3.89 pounds. All eight tacos together weigh just under two pounds.
Sydney Martin
My camera had trouble capturing the digital scale numbers, but the official weight was 28.30 ounces.
When I opened one and weighed only the filling, it was roughly two ounces. Add it up, and you're looking at a total of about a pound of beef.
Sydney Martin
The rest of the weight is 17 ounces of consommé, 15.9 ounces of Spanish-style rice, and two lime wedges.
Sydney Martin
In dollars, roughly $11.50 pays for the tacos; the remaining $13-plus covers broth, rice, and citrus. Suddenly $6.49 a pound feels less friendly.
Cooking was by the book: tacos straight on a sheet pan (I skipped parchment — poor choice) at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Halfway through, white rivers of cheese were already bonding to the pan.
Sydney Martin
While the tacos baked, the consommé warmed on the stove, and the rice took a quick two-minute spin in the microwave.
Sydney Martin
Taste time. The beef? Tender, well-seasoned, still juicy after the oven stint, and excellent once dunked in the broth.
The tortillas? Dry going in, tough coming out. A skillet crisp could help, but that's not what the box asks for.
The consommé is flavorful, warm, and lightly spicy, but realizing seven of my dollars floated away in that pot dampens the glow. The rice lands squarely in the filler category: dry, lightly seasoned, and easy to ignore once the tacos disappear.
Then there's the Chicken Street Taco comparison. That tray costs about $15, makes a dozen tacos, and throws in slaw, salsa, and crema, which works out to roughly $1.25 a taco. The birria kit costs north of three dollars per taco, offers fewer servings, and arrives without extras. Feed more than three hungry people, and eight tacos vanish in a blink.
Sydney Martin
Verdict: flavorful filling and chewy shells, but a premium price.
If Costco softens the tortillas or trims a few dollars, I'll happily buy it again. Until then, the Chicken Street Tacos stay in the cart, and real birria cravings will send me to my favorite truck.
Have you tried Costco's birria kit? Did the tortillas break your heart, or am I underselling them? Drop your thoughts in the comments! Meanwhile, I'll keep an eye on the prepared-foods case (and that price tag) to see whether this tray sticks around or drifts off when the next trend rolls in.
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