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IKEA Restaurant – Swedish Specials

Rating:

By Veron Ang

One of the places that I like to visit is IKEA. It doesn’t even matter if I’m not buying any furniture. Just walking through the showrooms and perusing the colourful furniture and furnishings can be a fun activity in itself!

A trip here always includes a meal at the in-store restaurant. The range is good and the prices are inexpensive, from the $1 coffees and teas, the $5.50 daily specials, to the $3 desserts.

Dining here is a self-service, no-frills affair, although finding a seat can be a chore when the restaurant is packed. You wait in line and get your tray, cups and cutlery, then push your tray along a metal railing to get your food. The fun part is when you get to select your food from the coolers and freezers (salmon salads, desserts, etc) and order the hot dishes like meatballs!

Swedish meatballs from IKEA restaurant

Swedish meatballs
S$2.90 for 5 (kid’s meal), S$6.50 for 10
Rating:

Thanks to the ambassadorship of IKEA, Swedish meatballs are perhaps the most famous Swedish dish in the world today. These are made with ground beef and pork and served alongside freshly boiled potatoes, cream sauce, and lingonberry jam. The jam tastes very much like cranberry sauce. I would never imagine that jam can go well with meat, but in the case of the Swedish meatballs, it somehow works!

How many meatballs do you usually go for? A quick look around the tables show that people generally order the default 10-piece, which seems quite hefty especially with those potatoes. The kid’s meal of 5 meatballs may be just nice if you also want to have a taste of other dishes and desserts.

Chicken wings from IKEA restaurant

Chicken wings
S$2.80 for 2; S$7.50 for 6
Rating:

My friend highly recommends the chicken wings. Man, these are finger-licking good! The seasoning is quite tasty, and the thin crispy skin is to die for. My only gripe is that there is little meat on the bones. Something fleshier would be perfect! Next time round we’re so going for that 6-piece (each)!

Chocolate mousse from IKEA restaurant

Chocolate mousse
S$2.50
Rating:

The chocolate mousse is a favourite dessert of mine. I remember falling in love with this years ago when IKEA first came to our sunny shores. Since then, I would have it every single meal at the restaurant. The chocolate is very rich and has just the right degree of sweetness. It is even topped with a dollop of whipped cream!

Daim cake from IKEA restaurant

Daim cake
S$3.20
Rating:

The Daim cake is another popular must-try dessert. It is covered in chopped Daim candy and milk chocolate. Sweet, rich and extremely satisfying!

Have Your Say!

What are your favourite dishes and desserts at IKEA? Is it the ever popular Swedish meatballs? What other dishes would you recommend? Share with us in the comments!

IKEA Alexandra
317 Alexandra Road Singapore 159965
Tel: +65 6786 6868

Opening hours: 10am – 10pm daily

IKEA Tampines
60 Tampines North Drive 2 Singapore 528764
Tel: +65 6786 6868

Opening hours: 10am – 11pm daily

Tags: Alexandra, café/bistro, casual, dessert, dinner, lunch, Swedish, Tampines, western

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

Edmund Ng
72 comments

Some additional info if you become an IKEA Friends member (spend more than $300 in a single receipt).
Every new and existing friends member will automatically be entitled to redeem 10 complimentary drinks/discounted meals coupons at the coupon machine.
Each coupon entitles you to 2 free cups of coffee/tea or dispensed soft drinks and 2 discounted members’ meals.
Reply
Posted July 8, 2010 at 12:41 am
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Thanks Edmund!
  Looks like the IKEA friends VISA card offers the same perks as the regular membership card, without the need for $300 minimum spending (it seems) too.
  Reply
  Posted July 8, 2010 at 3:03 pm
natalie
22 comments

i love swedish meatballs! it’s a must have when i head to ikea for shopping… haha…. but sometimes i go there just for the swedish meatballs :D you should try the poached salmon.. it’s not too bad… :)
fyi, you can buy the swedish meatballs from the food store opposite the check-out area home to cook. They sell the jam, the meatballs and the sauce :)
Reply
Posted July 8, 2010 at 10:40 am
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Poached salmon sounds yummy! I wonder if the cold prawns are as good? They keep advertising that these days.
  Would be great to stock some of those ingredients at home. We can have meatballs at home anytime!
  Reply
  Posted July 8, 2010 at 3:05 pm
  - natalie
    22 comments
    
    Yah! They keep advertising that on their website too… never tried the cold prawns before though… not sure how they’d taste like… raw ebi maybe? haha
    Reply
    Posted July 9, 2010 at 9:12 am
annonymous
1 comment

The swedish meatballs are made in Malaysia, not sweden. As reported in Sunday Times some years ago.
Reply
Posted July 8, 2010 at 1:52 pm
- natalie
  22 comments
  
  haha.. as usual.. sg imports mainly from m’sia…
  Reply
  Posted July 8, 2010 at 2:08 pm
  - Veron
    3439 comments
    
    Hehe China, too!
    Reply
    Posted July 8, 2010 at 3:07 pm
resor
1 comment

Hi Veron! Considering those are authentic Swedish Meatballs, I can go for 10-12 pieces. The photos are superb, it really made me way too hungry. And as you said, Dining is self-service.. Well those look like gourmet delicacies, very impressive. I’ll keep this in mind. IKEA. Cheers!
Reply
Posted July 8, 2010 at 8:07 pm
tony.ng
9 comments

For as long as I have been frequenting the place, I never knew there was Daim cake!
Reply
Posted July 8, 2010 at 11:18 pm
- natalie
  22 comments
  
  there’s a princess cake too… :D
  Reply
  Posted July 9, 2010 at 9:13 am
  - Veron
    3439 comments
    
    They seem to advertise the princess cake way more than the Daim cake!
    Reply
    Posted July 10, 2010 at 2:37 pm
    - tony.ng
      9 comments
      
      What is the princess cake???!
      Reply
      Posted July 11, 2010 at 11:19 am
      - Veron
        3439 comments
        
        Here it is:
        “Originally a traditional birthday cake for Swedes, made of sponge cake, raspberry jam, whipped cream and green marzipan.”
        Reply
        Posted July 11, 2010 at 10:01 pm
        
        Nan
        1 comment
        
        The Swedish version of a nonya kuih, perhaps? Looks simply dilish.
        Reply
        Posted August 13, 2010 at 12:06 pm
        
        Veron
        3439 comments
        
        Looks cute too!
        Reply
        Posted August 13, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Bryan
3 comments

I agree Ikea can be one great place for dining but minus the time wasted on waiting and finding empty seats :D
Reply
Posted July 12, 2010 at 11:58 am
Berg
7 comments

Yeah, The Swedish meatballs are made in Malaysia. Nonetheless, they’re still awesome.
Reply
Posted August 13, 2010 at 12:01 pm
mumusings
12 comments

I can never resist the Ikea chicken wings! And the ice-cream cone is a delight to have after walking through the place.
Reply
Posted August 22, 2010 at 8:07 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Is that the $1 cone at the level one bistro?
  Reply
  Posted August 23, 2010 at 3:43 pm
  - mumusings
    12 comments
    
    Yes, and the hot dog / drink set too:)
    Reply
    Posted August 25, 2010 at 9:47 am
- natalie
  22 comments
  
  and the hot dog bun too after the long shopping trip :D
  Reply
  Posted August 23, 2010 at 4:02 pm