Costco’s newest food court item is getting mixed reviews: ‘Tasted like baby food’

A brand-new summery beverage from a beloved big-box store is getting less-than-stellar reviews.

On June 8, a Redditor u/MisterPolyamory posted an image of Costco’s newest food court item: a mango smoothie. The item, which was originally sold in Australian Costcos before making the leap to Hawaii for a test run, finally got the nationwide treatment, having been spotted in Oklahoma, Washington and California this month.

“Mango smoothies arrived at the Lakewood, CA Costco,” wrote the Reddit user. “It’s pretty good, it’s about as good as the fruit smoothie imo. It does have a somewhat strange/strong flavor, it tastes kinda like overripe mangoes. The consistency is very smooth. I like it.”

While this Redditor gave the new drink a mostly positive review, many others online disagreed with that assessment.

“I really don’t like them, what you said about it just tasting a little weird is how I feel every time. It taste like mango baby food,” wrote one Reddit user in response.

“Tried this yesterday and it wasn’t good. It was real tart. The wife said it tasted like baby food,” wrote another Redditor, to which another replied, “It smelled like bad baby food to me so I wasn’t willing to taste it.”

“I don’t like these and I am sad that they replaced the (berry) smoothie with it,” added another, referencing a food-court item described by many on social media as “delicious.”

Costco declined a request for comment from TODAY.com.

But the peanut — er, mango — gallery isn’t only relegated to Reddit. On other social media platforms, Costco customers are letting their opinions on the smoothie be known.

“They changed the berry smoothie to a mango smoothie at Costco and it don’t hit the same,” one person on Twitter wrote.

“Costco mango smoothie is A-- they need to bring back the berry smoothie,” tweeted another.

“Had it yesterday, horrible! I threw it out, should’ve gotten a refund. Taste like baby food, texture is like baby food,” commented one person on Instagram.

The original Redditor who enjoyed the mango concoction was not completely alone, though. On June 14, popular TikToker Laura Lamb (@costcohotfinds) shared a video with her 1.2 million followers about the smoothie, giving it a positive review.

“The Costco food court just got a mango smoothie. It’s huge, it’s delicious, it’s $2.99,” says Lamb in her TikTok, adding that it has four servings of fruit, no added sugar, additives or preservatives. “The first thing my son requested this morning was another Costco mango smoothie.”

But many of her viewers who sampled the smoothie themselves disagreed with her evaluation.

“Friend and I purchased last weekend. We both couldn’t finish it; had bitter gross taste. Will not purchase again,” one TikTok user commented.

“It was horrible, couldn’t finish it,” wrote another, in the video's most-liked comment.

Lamb has a theory as to why so many people are put off by the smoothie.

“I think why people don’t like it has to do with texture,” Lamb tells TODAY.com, adding that both her husband and son loved the smoothies, too. “It is thick, so think of it more like a puree over a smoothie because it has four servings and it’s all mango. There’s no added sugar, preservatives, additives, nothing. It’s like ice and mangoes, and I think a lot of it comes down to consistency.”

Take, for instance, other mango smoothies at popular chains, like Smoothie King’s Mango Fest, which boasts mangoes and juice blends of apple and pineapple as well as papaya. Lamb says the simplicity of Costco’s offering might be throwing people off.

“People are expecting Jamba Juice, where they mix like four or five different fruits and a ton of ice,” Lamb notes. (Jamba Juice’s “mango-a-go-go” drink has a pear, white grape, orange, passion fruit and mango juice blend in addition to mangos and pineapple sherbet.) “Jamba Juice is amazing, I’m not saying it’s not, but this is a clean version of a smoothie.”

But Lamb says she — and that one Redditor — aren’t alone in their fandom for Costco’s new item.

“There were mixed reviews, but I got plenty of messages and comments that were like, ‘No, no, I liked it, too,’” she says. “So I think everybody’s got their own tastes.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com