IKEA is amazing. It is filled to the rafters with enough affordable flat-pack furniture to keep marriage counselors in business until the sun swallows the planets whole, and a showroom that can keep even those with the shortest attention span occupied for a whole day testing out various chairs, beds, and sofas. This is what IKEA is known for, but what about their insanely affordable food in the cafeteria?
The idea of starting with something basic and adding on items to personalize it is a concept that is used for IKEA’s food as well as their furniture. Beginning with a basic plate and adding on extra items to build your meal seems an expensive way to eat, but IKEA has perfected this method, and the extras are priced just as affordably as the basic plate.
Take breakfast, for example: you start with a basic plate that includes scrambled eggs, two sausages, and hash browns. There is then the option to add on waffles, French toast, pancakes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, cake, and for some strange reason, salad and soup. There is also a very respectable selection of drinks as well. Depending on how many extras you add on and are willing to pay for, you can eat breakfast for less than $10.
The same applies to their lunch and dinner menu. You pick a basic plate of fish and chips, meatballs, veggie balls, or pasta, and work your way up from there. There is the option to add steamed veggies to these basic plates along with salad, soup, and dessert. One other shocking yet pleasant perk of eating in the IKEA cafeteria is that it is licensed, meaning you can have beer or wine to accompany your lunch or dinner. There are also pre-made sandwiches if meatballs aren’t your thing, and, again, many options for under $10.
While I have always been somewhat skeptical of very cheap food, the grub that they have in the IKEA cafeteria is highly underrated. While it may not compare to a fancy brunch or dinner in Gastown, for the price point, it is exceptional. You go there and know exactly what you are getting. There is no worry that your favourite dish will have been removed from the menu, or that the price will have skyrocketed due to an increased cost for the purchaser of a smaller restaurant.
If the thought of eating food at an establishment known more for making the table that you serve dinner on than the food you are serving makes you uneasy, go out for lunch or dinner and try the meatballs. There is something about the combination of lingonberry preserves with gravy on those little balls that just gets to you.
There is also the option of buying the frozen meatballs, gravy mix, and preserves from the grocery store section and making them at home — in case being close to the showroom means that you will leave IKEA with an entirely new living room.
