Whether you've been to IKEA dozens of times, or you're making your very first pilgrimage
to feast on the chain's famous Swedish meatballs, there's probably plenty you don't know about
the IKEA dining scene.
Here's everything you need to know before you go.
Have you ever arrived at a store all ready to shop, only to realize that it wasn't even
open yet?
If you were shopping at IKEA, that would never be a problem.
IKEA opens its restaurants a full half hour before the rest of the store.
And their breakfast is totally worth coming in early for, since you can actually get a
tasty, filling meal for under a buck fifty.
Plus, your food is served on a real plate with silverware, not just handed to you in
little cardboard cartons with plastic utensils.
The IKEA basic breakfast consists of a generous scoop of scrambled eggs, a sizable serving
of fried potatoes, and even a side of two sausage links.
If you want to be a big spender and pony up $2.99 for a real breakfast splurge, you can
get the Swedish-American upgrade, which includes all of the above, plus two Swedish pancakes
and a side of jam.
Be forewarned, though — IKEA stops serving breakfast at 11 a.m. on the dot.
"I'm sorry, we stopped serving breakfast but we ARE on the lunch menu now.”
“I want breakfast.”
“Well, you can’t have it, we’re not serving it."
When it comes to IKEA meatballs, you've got choices.
In 2018, IKEA added salmon balls to their menu, bringing the total to four different
kinds of meatballs.
Now you might be thinking that a meatball is just a meatball, regardless of what it's
made from.
Well, not if you're IKEA, billion-selling meatball champion of the universe.
Their first meatball, the iconic beef and pork variety, beloved by just about everybody,
has been around since 1985.
It took decades before IKEA would expand its meatball roster, but 2015 saw two new heavy
hitters added to the lineup: Chicken, meant to be lower in fat, and veggie, meant to be,
well...made from vegetables.
The veggie balls are also gluten-free, soy-free, and more sustainable than traditional meatballs.
"Did you learn that at vegan academy?"
But what's with the salmon balls?
Like their veggie-packed cousins, they're sustainable, reliably-sourced, and have a
lower carbon footprint.
They also contain a certain amount of cod, and are flavored with seaweed and lemongrass
in order to, as IKEA likes to say "capture the fresh taste of the cold Nordic sea in
a tasty ball."
After all, Sweden is pretty big on all things fishy.
“Anyway, enough about our balls."
It took a long time for IKEA to finally acknowledge its vegetarian customers.
Their veggie balls didn't come out until 2015 and it took three more years for veggie dogs
to make their debut.
Although, whether you'll actually want to eat these plant-based alternatives may depend
on how hungry you are.
The veggie balls, which are made with peas, corn, kale, carrots, chickpeas, and bell peppers,
have the distinction of coming in at the bottom of two different lists: TimeOut Los Angeles
said bluntly,
"These veggie balls are like the discarded rejects of chicken meatballs.
Do not order these."
While Thrillist called them
"A dry, bland mix of dehydrated veggie chunks and odd spices."
Business Insider didn't rank the veggie balls, but had this to say :
"[They] are but a pale imitation of the real thing.
[...] Vegetarians should be the most angry of all IKEA diners for this travesty."
On the other hand, IKEA's veggie dogs received a far more favorable reception in America
and across the globe.
According to the company's food service team, a million were sold throughout Europe during
their first two months in stores.
"Amazing."
If you order either classic or chicken meatballs as an entree, they're likely to come plated
with a green vegetable, a scoop of mashed potatoes, a tasty cream gravy and…some kind
of red jelly.
If this seems strange, there's probably at least one other time of the year that you
happily gobble up a big plate of meat with a side of sugary berries.
In fact, if you take a nibble of the fruity stuff next to your meatballs, you may find
it tastes pretty similar to Thanksgiving dinner's red-headed step-child...good old cranberry
sauce.
“Shut up, cranberry sauce, nobody likes you!”
“Your mom does.”
“That's true."
There's actually a legit reason for this familiar flavor.
It turns out that the lingonberry is pretty much the European equivalent of the North
American cranberry.
Lingonberry jam has been a traditional Swedish meat accompaniment for at least 250 years.
So the next time you have some savory meat and sweet jam on the same plate, go international
and mix them up...European style.
"Mmmmm, interesting, European style."
Like many of IKEA's tastiest treats, pizza is only available from the Bistro.
And it's definitely something that you should pick up on your way out as a quick energy
booster.
You'll need it to psych yourself up for the grueling work of assembling all that impossible-to-pronounce
furniture you just bought.
While most of the food served in IKEA's sit-down restaurant is Swedish-style, the Bistro's
offerings seem to be typical American fare.
And, in the case of the pizza, we're all very fortunate that this is the case.
There's a reason why Sweden is not known for its pizza.
Even the most polite reviewers have called the Swedish version of pizza an acquired taste.
And when it comes to odd topping combos, nobody can out-bizarre Sweden, the home of what some
have said might just be the worst pizza on earth.
"Look, I'll eat some"
Luckily, IKEA is sticking with a style that most Americans are familiar with.
And as far as food-court pizza goes, IKEA's take on the cheesy classic isn't too bad.
Although the cheese topping doesn't look so great, TimeOut Los Angeles confirmed that,
in this case, looks are deceiving, and rated it a solid number six out of the 20 IKEA food
items they ranked.
Another Bistro-only item is your basic hot dog.
Although IKEA is no longer selling these for 50 cents, even at the current price of $1,
it's still a pretty great deal.
There's also a meal combo for $3.25, which gives you two hot dogs, plus a beverage.
It's not the epic bargain you get with Costco's famous $1.50 dog-and-a-drink combo but it
might be worth the extra cash to enjoy the ambience of IKEA's restaurant, rather than
the depressing, high school vibe of Costco's seating area.
Overall, IKEA's hot dogs are actually pretty decent — all beef, boiled rather than grilled,
but still moist and flavorful.
The only thing that some customers question is the hot dog's size.
They're only about half as big as the monster Costco dog.
However, the upside of the smaller wiener is that each of these puppies will only add
280 calories to your waistline.
That's compared to over 500 calories for a Costco hot dog...and that number doesn't even
include condiments.
So if you want to add ketchup, that's totally up to you.
"Put on the ketchup.”
“Do you work here?"
If you're perusing IKEA's dessert section, you might discover a rather mysterious and
lumpy brown wedge labeled Daim cake.
But what exactly is Daim and why would anyone make a cake out of it?
As to the first question, Daim is a type of Swedish candy.
When you walk through an IKEA food market, you'll definitely see a few hundred bags and
bars of Daim.
As to what it tastes like, basically it's a Swedish version of a Heath Bar.
In fact, if the two candy bars were in a head-to-head competition, it would probably end up as a
draw.
Although, Daim seems pretty serious about crushing it.
While there are multiple chocolate-coated toffee bars on the market, there's only one
IKEA Daim cake, with its slightly sweet almond-flavored base, creamy layer of custard, and thick coating
of milk chocolate embedded with almond brittle bites.
Daim cake might not be the prettiest pastry in the dessert aisle, but its taste has inspired
copycat recipes and rave reviews around the world.
From critics to customers, everyone agrees that IKEA's frozen yogurt is a winner.
TimeOut Los Angeles picked the sweet treat as the best item available at either of Burbank
IKEA's two restaurants.
They describe it as
"Everything you want after a day of shopping.
[...] It's sweet, airy, and simple,"
exactly unlike IKEA's assemble-it-yourself furniture.
What's more, IKEA's frozen yogurt comes in at a mere 130 calories, including the cone.
Perhaps the best thing about this chilled-out classic is that it's so cheap.
After all these years, it's still only a buck.
If you're feeling tired and thirsty after a hard day of shopping and want a soft drink,
you may notice that IKEA doesn't offer the standard array of Coke and Pepsi products.
While there's a generic type of cola at the soda fountain, it's supposed to be Swedish-style,
and not really what most of us are used to.
The other option is something called "Nordic Fruit Water," and it's available in sparkling
lemon, raspberry and pear flavors--as well as a still lingonberry variety.
Focusing on these flavored waters, instead of traditional soda, was a very deliberate
attempt on IKEA's part to reduce global sugar consumption.
Well, at least that's what we heard from this very posh-sounding little girl.
"IKEA is cutting sugar at its drinks towers in half.
And introducing, new Nordic fruit water, made from natural ingredients."
If you prefer to pick up something pre-packaged , the selection is still pretty Swede-centric.
Some of your options include apple and pear cider, fruit smoothies, and tiny juice boxes
that could easily be described as oddly IKEA.
If you can't decide what to order in IKEA's restaurant because everything looks so good
or you're just a fan of budget-priced all-you-can-eat buffets, be sure to keep an eye on the events
page of your local IKEA website.
Several times a year, IKEA hosts holiday-themed buffets around Christmas, Easter and in June
for a Midsummer celebration.
Of course, each buffet features a selection of Swedish breads, crackers, amazing desserts
and unlimited drinks.
But the best part is that these buffets tend to run a very reasonable $16.99.
Beat that, Golden Corral.
"Ha, ha, ha...no!"
Unfortunately, one of IKEA's signature traditions, their almost-annual crayfish party, had to
be canceled at IKEAs across the U.S. in 2018 due to a lack of crayfish.
Just like every other store out there, IKEA offers a loyalty program.
Although, unlike every other store out there, IKEA Family actually gives you something free
each time you walk through their doors.
According to their website, you can get a free coffee or tea from the restaurant with
every visit.
If you can't be enticed by a hot beverage, here's something else that you might like:
as an IKEA Family member, IKEA gives you what their website describes as a surprise for
your birthday, which is actually good for the entire month that you were born in.
Although their FAQ doesn't offer any further hint as to what the surprise might be, a couple
of deal-roundup websites have spilled the birthday beans: It's an entire free meal.
A meatball entree, plus your choice of Daim or almond cake.
Don't forget your free coffee.
Plus, you'll receive an IKEA coupon worth $15, which you can always use in the food
market to pick up some extra meatballs and cake to share with your family.
Or, better yet, save the coupon, make a return trip with a couple hungry friends, and start
your IKEA culinary adventure all over again.
"Now let's go get some tiny meatballs!”
“Meatballs!"
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.