The Costco Food Court Hack That Combines 2 Iconic Menu Items

By Bobby Lewis
Menu boards at a crowded Costco food court Iv-olga/Shutterstock

The Costco food court is a long-time customer favorite, and not just for the legendary $1.50 hot dog combo and its outsized cultural impact. The food court offers a slate of items that may not be as beloved as the giant hot dog, yet still deliver good flavor and satisfaction for the price. But one thing you may not have thought of is combining food court items for a new, delicious dish.

Costco's food court doesn't have tacos on the menu, but you can make your own, in a sense. Order both a hot dog combo and a slice of pizza, and when everything is ready, discard the hot dog bun (or keep it if you love the carbs) and wrap the dog in your pizza slice. It's a hearty meal for less than $4, and you still have the fountain drink.

This version of a Costco taco is not authentically Mexican in any way, and is not even a taco, but it is one of the Costco food court hacks you have to try. But the creativity doesn't have to stop at just those two components.

Making the Costco taco the indulgence of your dreams

A 1/4 pound Costco hot dog wrapped in a slice of cheese pizza, crust facing out Jenn Carneval/Daily Meal

Fans of the NBC sitcom "30 Rock" likely recognize the Costco taco's similarity to a famous line from the show. Series protagonist Liz Lemon, known for her inspired relationship with food, once sang, "take a hot dog, stuff it with some jack cheese, fold it in a pizza — you got cheesy blasters!" Costco will not stuff the hot dog, but you can raid the pizza condiments for Parmesan cheese to add on top. Or take the whole thing home and add jack cheese yourself.

The hot dog also has its own condiment selection, one of the reasons social media loves Costco's hot dogs. These can be key for boosting the Costco taco as well; if ketchup and mustard seem too adventurous for pizza, don't sleep on the flavor potential from relish or especially onions.

One thing to consider when building this dish, though, is the ease of eating. When we ranked 5 different Costco food court hacks, the Costco taco (aka Costco pizza dog) performed poorly because the ingredients tend to slide out with each bite. If you have toothpicks handy, they might somewhat help hold everything together, but the greasiness that makes this dish so indulgent also means it's going to be a bit of a mess no matter what. Be sure to take some extra napkins.