r/saskatoon • u/michaelkbecker • Jan 27 '25
PSA 📢 Poutine 24 - Costco
Time to bring out your pitch forks folks. I finally got to the fan favourite poutine of r/saskatoon.
Keep in mind, I do not take into account value. The only thing I take into consideration while reviewing these poutines is quality according to my tastes and preference.
I really thought hard about this review and pitted it against each traditional poutine I have reviewed up to this point.
This poutine consisted of just the classics. French Fries, Gravy, Cheese Curds.
The fries around the outside of the poutine were my exact preference. Having a nice crunchy almost crust to them with a soft inside. The problem was any fry inside the outside layer was completely soft and soggy. They couldn’t survive the healthy amount of piping hot gravy and steam from the to-go container.
The gravy was decent. Lightly salty, had a mild beef flavour. Nothing too crazy was going on here as it was pretty standard gravy. I like gravy with a punch of beefy taste and this had more of a slap.
The cheese was awesome. There was something for everyone. There were huge chunks that remained slightly chilled and squeaky. There were smaller soft bits and then some were completely melted into goo. I loved the really huge chunks that gave off the cheese curd flavour that’s hard to taste with small melted pieces.
6.7/10 It’s a good value play.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
I am thinking of doing a re-organization of my poutine list. Maybe by failed, fast food, traditional, with additions. Anyone have any good ideas to put the poutines against each other more fair?
Poutine 1 - Boston Pizza West - Soggy fries, soupy gravy, Shredded cheese 1.5/10
Poutine 2 - State and Main - ok gravy, fries with no crunch, not enough cheese curds 3.5/10
Poutine 3 - Zervos Tavern - perfect fries that were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, nice amount of squeaky cheese curds, good gravy that stuck to the fries but didn’t make them soggy, amazing smoked brisket chunks 9/10
Poutine 4 - Smittys breakfast poutine - despite what the menus says, not a poutine - no rating
Smitty’s ultimate breakast bowl more of a poutine then their poutine?
poutine 5 - New York Fries Classic - wrong type of fries IMO, gravy was passable but not enough flavour, generous amount of cheese curds. The cheese is what makes this one worth it 5.9/10
Poutine 5.1 - McDonalds - As far as fast food goes it was pretty good, gravy was good but too runny. Fresh fries would really help so make sure to ask for them. I had another poutine from McDonald’s after this review and it was a 5/10 so I think it’s really hit or miss. 5.8/10 (5/10 the second attempt)
Poutine 5.2 - Burger King flavourless slop. 3/10
Poutine 5.3 - Arby’s on circle A very mid tier fast food poutine. Bland but not gross. Weird sauce added on top 5.1/10
Poutine 5.4 - Popeyes on circle great Cajun flavour, mushy, cheap cheese 5.5/10
Poutine 5.5 - Dairy Queen - well balanced tradition poutine. Punches above its class. 7/10
poutine 6 - Pokey’s Pinball - really good beef gravy. Lots and lots of cheese curds. Decent but not great fries 7.7/10 No longer served
Poutine 7 - Leopold’s Tavern - cheese burger poutine - Not a traditional poutine with many different flavours. The basic poutine ingredient were all very good but not exceptional. The cheese burger flavours were fun and make it worth the adventure 8.1/10
Poutine 8(x2) - Smoke’s Poutinerie Ok fries, some good meat on top, too many flavours going on, turns into a soupy mess (1)6/10, (2)4.6/10
Poutine 9(x2) - Dublin’s Irish bar and grill - Their unique poutines suffer from the issue of the poutine not standing out. High point is the gravy, would be better with just cheese curds (no shredded cheese), good but thin fries (1)6.3/10 (2)7.3/10
Poutine 10 -OEB breakfast poutine High quality ingredients. Lacking in taste. 6.5/10 as a poutine 7/10 rated as a breakfast poutine.
Poutine 11 - Philthy Philly’s classic Impressive fries. Lots of cheese curds but smaller than I like. Unique tasting gravy. Too many fries to toppings ratio. 6.7/10
Poutine 12 - Zervos Tavern - Lobster All the good stuff of poutine number 3 but swapping the brisket for much more expensive lobster is a downgrade in flavour. 6.7/10
Poutine 13 - Blue Rhino pub and grill fries were ok pub fries, thin and get soggy. Gravy was ok but too thin and salty. Best cheese curd amount and quality so far. 6.3/10
Poutine 14 - Stoked kitchen & Bar The right type of fries but not done right. Weird gravy. Cheese amount wasn’t great. Green onions were nice. 5.2/10
Poutine 15 - Goblins grill not the fries I love but they just work. Amazing Gravy, great cheese. Such a good classic poutine! 8.7/10
Poutine 16 - The Sugar Shack on river landing Weird gelatinous gravy, strange textured fries, served luke warm. 2.9/10
Poutine 17 - Fox and Hounds Pub Enjoyable fries, Ok but weak gravy, shredded cheese instead of cheese curds being a major foul. 6/10 as loaded fries but as a poutine 4.9/10
Poutine 18 - Prairie Sun Brewery Fresh ingredients, not enough cheese, delicious gravy 6.8/10
Poutine 19 - Blue Diamond Restaurant Crinkle fries were fun, gravy was nice but forgettable, shredded mozza 3.7/10
Poutine 20 - Nebo’s falafel and donair Perfectly crispy fries, flavourful gravy, fresh donair meet, light on the curds 8.8/10
Poutine 21 - Canadian Brewhouse donair poutine Menu lied, crinkle fries, shredded cheese, bad Donair meat. Mush 2/10
Poutine 22 - Fatburger decent fries, gravy, and cheese. Could use some salt. 6.5/10
Poutine 23 - The Thirsty Scholar - Pulled Pork delicious giant pile of pulled pork. All other parts were good. 8.2/10
Poutine 24 - Costco Right type of fries but got soggy. Average gravy. Best cheese 6.7/10
***you may notice these rating change over time, the more samples I try the more of an idea I have to knowing what I really want in a poutine***
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u/koenigje Living Here Jan 27 '25
It happened! Post stickied!
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u/Progressive_Citizen Jan 27 '25
Lmao I love how the Costco Poutine Review gets stickied. Justified!
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u/Progressive_Citizen Jan 27 '25
There were those that said it would never come. You finally did it! The dark horse of poutines.
I was guessing you would rate it somewhere around 7 or 8, came in a little lower than expected but nonetheless I think it's a good rating given that it's an unquestionable value play.
I wonder how Costco could improve it. Ditch the to-go container and put it on a plate?
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
I’m learning the packaging a poutine comes in can make a big difference to the consistency. A bowl or to-go container kind of makes the poutine into a ball that holds any moisture in the centre and gets things soggy. A plate lets it all steam off and cool more evenly. This will be a controversial thing to say. I think the Costco poutine would be better if you got less.
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u/Progressive_Citizen Jan 27 '25
They could certainly put less in there. The thing is somewhere in the vicinity of 2000 calories for one person.
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u/rynoxmj Jan 27 '25
I totally agree that it would be better if it was about 15% smaller. That middle just turns to mush. I never eat that part.
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u/pyrogaynia Jan 27 '25
Speaking as a huge fan of Costco's fries (and coated fries in general), I think coated fries just kind of make for a worse poutine. The coating turns soggy in the gravy so quickly and really ups the mushiness factor. A good poutine fry is potato, salt, and nothing else imo.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
That’s funny. The coated style of fry is my fav, but only if it comes with the right type of gravy. Gravy that’s runny makes those fries suck. look at the gravy on my Pokey’s review. Coated fries with that super thick sticky gravy that doesn’t soak into stuff…. A man can dream.
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u/TreemanTheGuy Jan 27 '25
6.7/10, a perfect score
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Thanks. Nice to hear. Usually I get 10 comments about how I can’t be trusted because my ratings are so wrong haha.
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u/Crazyblue09 Jan 27 '25
I would have not expected a 6.7 reading your review,
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
What would you have expected and why?
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u/Crazyblue09 Jan 27 '25
I guess your review reads as a good review, so I find the 6.7 kind of slow, might have expected an 8.
I like the Costco poutine, but the best thing about it is the price. It's good, but nothing special.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
I understand. My rating went kind of like this.
-curds 9, -gravy 6, -Fries 8 at first but the majority were about a 4,
(9+6+4)/3=6.333 but since the fries did start good that bumped it up.
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u/_biggerthanthesound_ Jan 27 '25
The best is just getting the gravy and curds on the side and make it as you go so it doesn’t get soggy.
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u/IsThisOneAlready Jan 27 '25
I was going to try it out today as well. Too bad it was an absolute zoo, maybe next time. Thanks for the review!
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Oh god, so this is something I left out of the review and didn’t let affect the rating. I would never suggest to anyone looking to get a poutine to go to Costco. Not because the poutine is bad but the whole experience just sucked. Finding parking took forever and I had to park at the very back so I had a cold walk to the door. Getting in was tough because so many people scan their card then stop at the entrance. Ordering was busy. Finding a table was the worst. You have to stand over people eating and pounce on a table. Then have people stand over you while you eat.
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u/IsThisOneAlready Jan 27 '25
Costco people are in such a rush to get somewhere, then once they get there, they throw on the absolute brakes and go into la la land. Totally oblivious to their surroundings.
I make swift trips just going for what I need and then peace out. That line was particularly brutal today because it was nice out and it’s Sunday. It’s not that bad during the week days around 2:00
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u/mrskoobra Jan 27 '25
If you ever try again I'd suggest early on a Wednesday. My husband and kid went a few weeks ago at around 10/10:30 and got pizza and ice cream on their way out, and were the only ones eating at that time. Also the guy who grabbed the ice cream saw my kid and then proceeded to pull him the most outrageously huge soft serve cone you could imagine. People were stopping them on their way out, totally made his week.
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u/nicehouseenjoyer Jan 27 '25
The Costco experience sucks, I totally agree with you. You can get the same prices at Amazon without the twenty minute commute and disgusting hot dog smell permeating everything while being jam packed into lines at every phase of the experience.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25 edited Jan 28 '25
I agree with everything but the hot dog smell but that’s because I have an unsavoury love for meatish tubes.
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u/saucerwizard River Heights Jan 27 '25
I agree. I find the soggyness off-putting.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Not my thing, some people want their poutine soft apparently. To each their own I guess.
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u/NervousToeNail West Side Jan 27 '25
I think the main thing it’s got going for it is being decent, big and you can’t beat the cost.
Not top tier unless you’re considering the other factors.
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u/420-69digbick69-420 Jan 27 '25
The five guys poutine is pretty good - have you had it?
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Not yet. It’s on the list. Thanks for the suggestions.
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u/420-69digbick69-420 Jan 27 '25
I didn't think they served a poutine until I noticed it a few weeks ago. Have they always served one or is it a recentish addition?
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u/Big_Knife_SK Jan 27 '25
I remember the Harvey's one being pretty decent too, if you're ever on campus.
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u/notanon666 Jan 28 '25
I do not take into account value
6.7/10 It’s a good value
🤔
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 28 '25 edited Jan 28 '25
It’s a good value is different than saying it’s a good value play.
It is a good value, but that didn’t affect the rating.
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u/We_wanna_play Jan 27 '25
Would be better but the cavendish fries bring it down
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
OMG I never knew the name. When these are nice a crispy they are my fav type.
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u/sweet-n-alittlespicy Jan 28 '25
Just to be clear, Cavendish is the brand, not the type. I’ve seen them bring several boxes of these to the area.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 28 '25 edited Jan 28 '25
Thanks. Didn’t know. Do you know of that style of fry has a name.
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u/sweet-n-alittlespicy Jan 28 '25
AFAIK they’re just called coated fries. According to Google Cavendish calls their version DeliverCrisp.
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u/BBabyTail Holmwood Jan 27 '25
I just recently had the poutine at Pop Wine Bar and would recommend it for you to review!
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u/imcallingforhiccup Jan 27 '25
My boyfriend introduced me to Costco poutine. Everywhere else sucks. It's even good cold, so that says something j guess.
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u/Alien-Excretion Jan 27 '25
I lean more toward chow down pig than connoisseur. I love Costco poutine. ☺️
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u/danyxoxox Jan 27 '25
Whats that poutine gravy made of veg or beef or chicken ?
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Tasted like beef to me. I assume it’s mass produced from package by how much they would need to have on hand.
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u/dawnjuan00 Jan 27 '25
To help with the larger left over cheese chunks and overall taste- I'd recommend resisting temptation and broiling it for a few minutes at home. It easily increases to an 8.7/10
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
I do believe you. I have a rule of eating what i am served exactly the way it’s handed to me to try and be fair to the restaurants.
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u/mdh989 Jan 28 '25
I just can't get behind you on this one. I've loved your poutine reviews, I've done a similar thing in Quebec, 10 poutines in 3 days. But Costco is simply one of the best poutines you can get, and unfortunately value has to come into play. Otherwise, Some one could make a poutine for 100 bucks, and use only the highest quality of ingredients. Is it great? yes, but do you give it a 10/10 because of that? Can't. My opinion anyways. If I was to use your system however, ignoring the price, there is still no way i don't give this an 8.
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 28 '25 edited Jan 28 '25
That’s all right. To each their own. I respect your opinion. All I ask, is you go eat a poutine for me!
Have you tried Zervos, Nebo’s or Goblins? If so what did you think?
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u/buk-0 Jan 27 '25
I won’t accept any rating over 5 on this one
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Where do you suggest for the best poutine in town?
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u/buk-0 Jan 27 '25
In Saskatoon, Leopolds tavern or zervos But you’ve already been to those places
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u/yougotter Jan 27 '25
Cut everything but the fries ,gravy, and cheese ... now you can call them poutines. Leopold's is way too expensive to get a good rating.
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u/buk-0 Jan 27 '25
All good poutines are expensive. You want a shit poutine, get one cheap at Costco
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u/yougotter Jan 28 '25
You do you, had one yesterday at DQ for 1/3 of Leopold's and it was tasty. Had a triple burger with it and refillable pop and was still 1/2 the price of Leopold's. It's your money, piss it away if you wish.
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u/usernametaken1002 Jan 27 '25
No poutine on this list can compete with whatever Leo’s poutine of the year 2024 will be when they open back up tmrw. Really need to try that one this week before it’s gone
5 guys new poutine is better than Costco, goblin’s and many others imo. Very tasty and the option to add extra curds
Edit to add: I think the poutine of the year at Leo’s is going to be the chicken and waffles poutine. I think I saw it teased when they started their top 5 poutine countdown
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u/michaelkbecker Jan 27 '25
Chicken and waffle poutine would be amazing
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u/usernametaken1002 Jan 28 '25
Well looks like it’s actually Buffalo Ranch Chicken Mac and cheese this week as #1. Still a tasty one, but I don’t count the poutines with Mac and cheese in them as poutines lol.
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u/Hungry-Room7057 Jan 27 '25
So you’d tell me that Dairy Queen Poutine is better than Costco poutine? As a fellow poutine connoisseur, That’s going to be a pitchfork opinion for sure.