Every Item At The Sam's Club Food Court, Ranked Worst To Best
While shopping for groceries when you're hungry usually isn't a good idea, you don't need to worry if you head to Sam's Club. That's because the food court at Sam's Club can fill you up fast. For the most part, their food is tasty and inexpensive.
While the food court at Costco gets more national attention, Sam's Club has items that can legitimately compete with the best Costco has to offer. That said, you need to know what to order because there are also a handful of duds at this warehouse club's food court.
Before you drive to your local Sam's Club, it's a must that you look over this definitive list of their food court items. We have ranked everything they have to offer on their menu from worst to best so that you'll be armed with the necessary information the next time you're standing in line at the food court.
14. Sam's Club Caesar salad
Even if you are on a diet, the Caesar salad in the Sam's Club food court should be completely avoided. It's not worth any of your hard-earned cash. In fact, even if a Sam's Club employee offers to give it to you for free, you should still pass on this sorry excuse for a salad.
The main issue with their Caesar salad is the romaine lettuce. First of all, it's soft, wilted, and lacks any sort of satisfying crunch. The lettuce is so slimy that it's difficult to swallow. The included Parmesan cheese is so bland that it's virtually tasteless, while the texture of the croutons is inconsistent. Some croutons are too soft, while others are rock hard. The dressing that comes with the Sam's Club Caesar salad is sugar-free and certified organic. Unfortunately, this dressing isn't too healthy for you due to an overabundance of fat, which is the case for most types of Caesar dressing.
Perhaps in an effort to hide the shortcomings of this food court item, the salad comes with a lemon wedge. However, even if you cover this entire thing with lemon juice, it won't be able to mask the disappointment your taste buds will encounter if you attempt to eat this salad.
13. Sam's Club cheese pizza
When you pass by the food court, the pizza is what will catch the attention of your nose. The pizza at Sam's Club smells amazing and looks even better. Be warned, though, that the cheese pizza will leave you completely underwhelmed.
When you first begin to handle a slice of the cheese pizza, the vast amount of grease will be the first hint that you've made a mistake. If you angle your slice wrong, a torrential downpour of grease will inevitably find your clothing. Not only do you risk ruining your favorite top, but the hot grease is also sure to turn your skin red if it makes direct contact.
The second major drawback of the cheese pizza is the surprising lack of cheese. Judging by the name, you'd expect to receive a fair amount of cheese — but that's not the case. Instead, you'll notice too many naked sections where the underlying tomato sauce is laid bare.
At Sam's Club, you can order your pizza either as a slice, a slice with a drink, or a 16-inch pizza. While some of their pizza is good, their plain cheese pizza is not. This stuff is a hard pass without a scintilla of hesitation. Don't be confused and think this pizza is the same as the deliciousness you find at Costco because it's not — and it's not even close.
12. Sam's Club quarter-pound hot dog
If you are a Costco member, you know all about how wonderful their hot dogs taste. For one dollar (or $1.50 if you get a combo with a soda), you get a memorable meal that is one of the best bargains in all of the culinary world. While your local Sam's Club hot dog may look similar to a Costco, don't be fooled into thinking all warehouse club hot dogs are created equal.
Like the Costco hot dogs, Sam's Club will give it to you for one dollar, and making it a combo will cost only 50 cents more. And just like Costco, the Sam's Club hot dogs weigh in at a quarter of a pound. But that's where the similarities end. Sam's Club hot dogs aren't worth eating. The texture is mushy and it doesn't have a genuine beef flavor at all.
Once upon a time, Sam's Club sold Nathan's Famous hot dogs in their food courts. Sadly, they recently switched over to using their own brand of hot dogs and it's been a flavorless failure.
11. Sam's Club frozen yogurt cup
The frozen yogurt at Sam's Club is another disappointment. It's fairly priced, you get a decent amount, and you have a choice of three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, or a swirl of both vanilla and chocolate. It all sounds good theoretically — but the actual frozen yogurt will leave you wondering where it all went wrong.
The texture of the frozen yogurt is the primary issue. Instead of being rich and creamy, the texture is surprisingly rough and icy. When you resort to chewing your frozen yogurt, you know something has gone terribly wrong.
The secondary issue is the lack of taste. It's odd but both the vanilla and chocolate hardly have any taste to them at all. Your taste buds will need to strain to pick up any of the chocolate or vanilla notes. Even if you get a swirl of both flavors, you still won't get much in the way of flavor. A chocolate Frosty from Wendy's, which is actually a mix of both chocolate and vanilla, tastes like a gourmet dessert by comparison.
There is a bit of good news, though. These desserts from Sam's Club are low in calories, with the vanilla variety having only 110 calories per cup, for example.
10. Sam's Club pepperoni pizza
While the pepperoni pizza is an improvement over the cheese pizza at Sam's Club, there's still not a whole lot to love about it. Although it inexplicably has more cheese than the cheese pizza, grease is even more of an issue. The reason for the grease apocalypse is the lack of quality of the pepperoni. Instead of being thick, substantial slices of pepperoni, the slices are thin, greasy, and they lack a powerful punch of flavor. The best tasting pepperoni has a bit of a kick to it — but that's not the case with the pepperoni on this pizza.
If you really want pepperoni pizza from Sam's Club, consider their Take 'N Bake pepperoni pizza. Compared to the pizza you get at the food court, the Take 'N Bake pizza will be less greasy, the quality of the pepperoni is higher, and the amount of cheese is even greater. That said, keep a close eye on it when it's in the oven because it's very easy to burn the crust.
9. Sam's Club Icee
An Icee makes for a fun, tasty treat every once in a while. In the Sam's Club food court, you can get an Icee for a reasonable price and you can be confident that the quality will be high. Sam's Club does a very good job of keeping their Icee machines working, which can't always be said for fast food restaurants like McDonald's and their ever-broken ice cream machines.
Sam's Club's Icees are available in either 20-ounce or 30-ounce cups. The three flavors that are available are cherry, Pepsi freeze, and blue raspberry. While all three flavors are good and refreshing, go with blue raspberry if you don't know which one to select. It's a unique flavor that tastes best in Icee form.
Though there's nothing wrong with the Icees at Sam's Club, the excitement level just isn't there. If you've had an Icee flavor once, you know what to expect and you are unlikely to make a special trip to Sam's Club to order it again.
8. Sam's Club fruit and yogurt parfait
While the food court at Sam's Club offers a lot of bang for your buck, that's not really the case with their fruit & yogurt parfait. These goodies are smaller than you are imagining. You will probably need to order two of them in order to be satisfied. However, at $2.99 each, forking over nearly six bucks for a pair of these parfaits is an iffy decision unless you have money to burn.
The fruit & yogurt parfait has some low-fat Yoplait vanilla yogurt at the bottom. The next layer is fresh fruit from Sam's Club's produce section. Typically, that fresh fruit layer is either blueberry or strawberry. The top layer is a granola layer — Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey, to be specific.
The ingredients of this parfait are top-notch. It's healthy and you will enjoy each spoonful. The only issue is value. It's much smarter to buy each of the ingredients separately and create your own parfait. Thus, unless you are in a major hurry or your bank account is teeming with funds, you'd be wise to skip this parfait.
7. Sam's Club churro
When you head to Sam's Club, you just never know what to suspect if you order a churro. If you get lucky, these things are 18 inches of yumminess. But if you get a bad churro, the size and length only adds to the sadness because you'll either have to throw it away or force down a foot and a half of despair.
These Sam's Club churros are at their best when they're warm. You don't want to eat it when it's piping hot and you definitely don't want to eat it when it's cold. When the churro is warm, the texture is satisfyingly chewy and the dough will melt in your mouth. The coating of cinnamon and sugar will have you licking your fingers as you eat it.
Unfortunately, sometimes their churros are too crunchy. Other times it will be cooled off completely by the time it hits your lips. If you are willing to live with the risks, go ahead and order one of these long churros at the food court. Since they only cost one dollar, it won't be the end of the world if you get a dud.
6. Sam's Club deluxe pizza
Ordering a slice of Sam's Club's deluxe pizza is another step in the right direction when compared to the cheese pizza and the pepperoni pizza. In addition to pepperoni, the deluxe has Italian sausage, black olives, mushrooms, and onions. The Italian sausage is outstanding — much better than the pepperoni. Of the vegetables, the black olives steal the show. The pieces are big, flavorful, plentiful, and make each bite rewarding.
The mushrooms on the deluxe pizza aren't bad but they aren't anything special, either. You don't get many mushrooms and the few you do get don't have much flavor. The onion slices have a good amount of flavor but their texture is unpleasant. The onion is rubbery and will slow you down when trying to devour a slice.
While the cheese and pepperoni pizzas are both greasy, this version doesn't have much of a grease problem. You will still need napkins at your side but you won't have to be as paranoid about the grease drip issue.
5. Sam's Club pretzel
If you are looking for something quick, easy, and dependably tasty at the food court, you can't go wrong with a pretzel. This Sam's Club favorite can always be trusted to fill you up and leave you satisfied with your decision.
While Sam's Club offers both salt and cinnamon sugar pretzels, you should always go with the salt version. The cinnamon sugar pretzel isn't bad but if you are after cinnamon and sugar, you might as well take your chances and order a Churro.
Along with your salt pretzel, order a cup of nacho cheese to dip it in. The cheese takes Sam's Club's pretzels to the next level. It's such a delicious combination that you might have to order another salt pretzel and another nacho cheese cup for the road.
If you find yourself addicted to the pretzels from the food court at Sam's Club, you will be happy to learn that you can purchase the pretzels in bulk. Sam's Club sells 60 of them in a box for a very reasonable cost. Put them in the oven for three to four minutes or pop one in the microwave for about a minute and you'll be ready to munch.
4. Sam's Club bacon Angus cheeseburger
While the Bacon Angus cheeseburger looks unassuming and like a burger you'd find at any generic fast food joint or mall food court, it's actually quite unique. The meat is juicy and full of flavor, while the bun is light, fluffy, and buttery.
Along with onions, ketchup, and mustard, the bacon Angus cheeseburger comes with relish and sauerkraut. What really stands out in a positive way is the sauerkraut. While sauerkraut on a burger may sound odd, it actually works out amazingly well. Don't be surprised if you're putting sauerkraut on all your burgers after trying one.
If you fall in love with this cheeseburger, you can purchase a ten pack of frozen Angus beef cheeseburgers for your freezer at home. While this burger is different than the burger you can get at the food court, the meat is really similar so it can tide you over until your next visit to Sam's Club.
3. Sam's Club four berry sundae
While the aforementioned frozen yogurt cups are too blah, Sam's Club solves that issue by adding a blend of berries to the mix. They call the result a four berry sundae and it's by and large the best dessert option at their food court.
Your first duty is to select a base of either vanilla frozen yogurt or chocolate frozen yogurt. While the chocolate works surprisingly well, going with the vanilla option is safer and should be what you order if you are unsure. Next, your friendly Sam's Club worker then adds a mix of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. While all the berries are tasty, the raspberries and blackberries are what will really grab your attention.
The only drawback of this sundae is its nutrition. One sundae has 350 calories and a whopping 56 grams of sugar. Though you don't want to eat this frozen delicacy every day of the week, it's worth putting your diet plans on hold to give it a try.
2. Sam's Club four meat pizza
The creme de la creme when it comes to pizza from Sam's Club is their pizza stacked with four kinds of meats. Two of the four types of meat can be found on the deluxe pizza: pepperoni and Italian sausage, with the other two being bacon and ham. The ham is really, really good, while the bacon eclipses both the ham and the Italian sausage as the best meat on this pizza. Even if you don't usually order bacon on your pizza, you will be blown away by the flavorful bacon on this food court pizza.
Although this pizza is topped by a ton of meat, Sam's Club is kind enough to also include a massive amount of cheese. Order a slice and you will cherish each and every bite. Alternatively, you can go ahead and order a 16-inch four Meat Pizza with the utmost amount of confidence.
One word of advice, though: Don't purchase the Take 'N Bake version. There isn't enough cheese on it and the amount of bacon is underwhelming, too. Go to the food court instead.
1. Sam's Club chicken bites
While they are a relatively new addition to Sam's Club's food court menu, the chicken bites have rocketed to the top of the list. These nuggets are out of this world. In fact, it's not hyperbolic to compare the Sam's Club food court nuggets to the chicken nuggets you get at Chick-fil-A. While the Chick-fil-A nuggets might be slightly better, this version by Sam's Club is very, very close to a perfect replication.
Though the food court has a few sauces to pick from (most notably a really good ranch sauce), you should know that Chick-fil-A sauce is available in stores. Buy these Chicken Bites at Sam's Club, pick up some Chick-fil-A sauce, and you'll have an extremely tasty meal that didn't cost you much money.
If you wander away from the food court, you can find these Chicken Bites in a three-pound bag in the freezer section. We're confident that after you try one of these nuggets, you won't hesitate to purchase a big bag so you can continue eating at home.