I've never eaten in the cafe here - that just feels unnatural in a home furnishings store for some reason. But there's no denying that the IKEA experience has transformed the way we equip our homes. Yet it is an experience shopping here, and you either love it or hate it. If you have no idea what you're getting into or what you're looking for, go upstairs to the showroom section and browse around until you have achieved the necessary zombie-like trance state to descend into the main store. Then wander mindlessly through the maze of stuff until you (hopefully) find what you were looking for. If it's larger items you want, you then have to locate them in the warehouse section, which resembles that scene at the end of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' with its endless rows of high shelves. Then finally, the tills, after which you will be more inclined to enter the cafe area for some sustenance after your endurance trial. Savvy shoppers like myself pre-shop on the website, which handily will print out a list of your items and tell you where they are located, including the exact shelf number in the warehouse for the bulky items. Then, avoiding the upper floor, head straight for the small door behind the main staircase and go straight into the store. Pay careful attention to the layout of the 'short-cut' doors that connect the different areas; these will help you to avoid trolling round the whole maze. read more

I really love Ikea. A lot. It is a pretty magical place - it's different every time you visit, and you can pick up something weird and usual every time you visit. I visited on Sunday and while it can be a nightmare on the weekend, thankfully this store is big enough that you might not notice. The line for food was ridiculous though, and it was at least a 10 minute wait. They've also changed the meatball portion sizing so it's small, medium large whereas I'm convinced you used to order by number of meatballs. You also can't have both chips AND mash, you need to get a separate portion of chips. No one stands between me and double carbs, ok?! Apart from these small grizzles, I generally really like going to Ikea and will always overspend and bring home things I don't need. This time it was a fish shaped ice cube tray. Do I need it? probably not. But it was only 90p! Hot tip: if you're holding a gallery exhibition, this is a great place to get the frames. The frames come in boxes of 10 and you can take the whole box for easy transportation. read more

IKEA - Self serve area - Furniture Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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If someone asks me to go to IKEA it had better be for food first and furniture second because that's how I roll! For me IKEA is an amazing restaurant that just happens to sell furniture. I promise, that one day I will order something other than the meatballs and chips, but not today! And maybe not tomorrow... ever... If you've ever had them you'll know exactly what I mean. I love the fact they ask you if you want 10, 15 or 20 meatballs but it was my super clever boyfriend that noticed that the Swedish flag is given to those who choose the 15 meatball option so as to differentiate between the 15 and 20 options (he notices minutiae like that). We also opted for puddings for the first time because I usually just slip into a meatball-induced coma and have little or no room to manoeuvre afterwards. I don't even know what price it came to as I usually just handover my debit card and ask them to charge me what they think is appropriate. (£4.80 as it turns out). My partner had the strawberry tart and I had the blueberry and raspberry cheesecake, which I really enjoyed! The strawberry tart - of the defrosted variety - was good quality, if a little on the dry side. I'm not one to complain when it comes to dessert, but this could have done with a little bit more strawberry sauce to compensate for the dry pastry! (Just saying!) Overall great value for money and it never fails to disappoint, although my next mission is to get back in early enough to have the breakfasts! read more

IKEA - Swedish meatballs and chips! The food of Gods, Swedish Gods that is! - Furniture Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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They say that when you move in with your other half, you learn new things about them, and this was certainly the case when I moved in with my boyfriend a couple of months ago. To my astonishment, he told me he had never been to IKEA before. I mean, never. How he made it through 4 years of student life without picking up some bargains in the infamous blue and yellow warehouse, I just don't know. So being the IKEA veteran that I am, I took it upon myself to educate him in IKEA's delights. Having moved house more often than I care to remember over the last few years, IKEA has provided me on many occasions with cheap bed spreads, quirky lamps, funky potato peelers and much needed furniture. I completely understand why some people choose to avoid this place- why buy furniture you have to build yourself, only to have a home looking identical to everyone else's? Right? But in hard pushed times when the purse strings are tight and you need to re-stock your kitchen, IKEA is a fantastic option. Glasgow's store next to Braehead shopping centre is fairly easy to get to by car and there's a bus every hour from Buchannan St. read more

IKEA - from website - Furniture Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I really do love this store! I don't make it out here quite as much as I probably would want to (do I really need to go to IKEA on a daily basis....the answer is yes), but when I do go to IKEA, it's always a great time and the end prize, along with purchases for the flat, is always a hot dog. My boyfriend and I were being lazy this past bank holiday weekend. We woke up, and almost at the same time, wondered if we should go to IKEA for something random to do. I felt his head to make sure he wasn't struck with a fever (it's rare for him to suggest IKEA as something to do) and agreed we should go! After milling about in town for a bit, we made a day of taking our time and finally made it out to IKEA where everyone and their mothers seemed to have taken refuge. No bother, we grabbed a yellow bag and started in. My boyfriend randomly visited a while back to buy some new sheets and various things for the flat with his mate, and apparently, they didn't take the full tour of IKEA. He wasn't even sure he'd ever really been all the way around. HA! Doesn't surprise me though- when it comes to home decoration, I'm usually the instigator. Anyway, he tried fooling me in to starting from the bottom floor of the store, but there was no way I wasn't going to walk around the whole place. "Where do we go?" he so naively asked. "Just follow the arrows", I said, and like Dorothy in the land of Oz, we followed the arrows around and around! I was quite surprised how in to it he turned out being. New couches, a new mattress, new spare room bedding, etc. are all on the cards, so it was nice to shop around for things together to get some ideas. We ended up buying a table top ironing board, some frames, a few jars, some candles, etc. Just a few basics we were without and it made for two happy shoppers. What we were really there for were (well, the frames, really) the hot dogs at the end. I've always been a fan of hot dogs, and in the states, you can get full beef hot dogs at grocery shops, no fillers. Here, unfortunately, every hot dog available is canned and that's just gross. (Sophie K. did introduce me to some German dogs at Whole Foods though!!). Anyway, I'm not sure where IKEA gets their hot dogs from, but I don't see them coming out of a can, so they're alright with me! They're so cheap too! It's only £1.25 for a hot dog and a refillable fountain drink. We ended up getting three hot dogs total and two drinks. I could have easily eaten two hot dogs. Anyway, this trip was a success and even though there are loads of people in there for the same reasons, it all seems to flow with the maze like set up with only a few minor congestions here and there. We will be back, soon, for sure! read more

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Really disappointed. I travelled 50 miles to buy an item shown in stock. I was in the store for an hour and it was still showing in stock. I spoke to customer services and got the brush off. Advice if it shows the item is in stock check by phone and see if a member of staff can check the shelf. 100 mile round trip for nothing. Thanks Ikea - for nothing! read more

Although it may be massive, with well-priced, fashionable wares and a cafe selling cheap hotdogs, every time I've been in here I feel a bit like I'm being brainwashed. A friend of mine used to work here and echoed this sentiment, citing the incessent attempts at mind control as being a key factor in his decision to leave, along with having to clean tables and shovel up meatball detritus all day in the cafe, and getting caught with his fingers in the till. He even showed me the induction book that all new staff got, with employee testimonials such as "IKEA is my life" and other comments more akin to a satanic religious cult than a furniture store. As well as the company's sinister agenda, in all honesty I think IKEA's main achievement has been to suck out any semblence of individuality and character out of people's homes, and I don't like the way that you have to walk past every single item on sale before reaching the checkouts. That said, the fact that I'm not the type to lose sleep over interior design issues in my house and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of shopping elsewhere, means that when furniture needs come calling chances are I'll still head here. It's also the only place I know where you can buy a giant plush ant. read more

IKEA - from official website - Furniture Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

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It's hard to argue with Ikea. My excitement for the place centres mostly around getting some really great stuff for in the home at great prices, like salad bowls, cutlery or funky boxes and pillows.. whatever you want. The missus, a genuine Scandiniavian, feels closer to home being in here. Between us, we find reason enough to go often enough. I wasn't in long before I had to leave, with alot of stuff being moved around leading to alot of dust flying around that was killing me. This place is huge, so big, the floor tries its hardest to keep you moving in one direction, as indicated by big arrows. Once inside though, you're unlikely to leave empty handed with alot of really cracking stuff on the go. The mock ups of kitchens and living rooms put B and Q to shame. The place reminds me very much of the Scandinavian countries I have visited, from the no frills presentation of the products to the boxy mannish trousers the staff where right through to the bags they have. They also have a super cheap cafe with so-so food. You could easily kit out an entire house with products solely from this store, and rotate them fully every year, there's just so much stuff. Have a lookie. read more

IKEA - Furniture Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Stop it IKEA, stop it!!!! I don't need 1000 tea light, i don't need 15 disposable toilet brush holders, framed photos of leaves, plastic storage.....etc I don't need it, i don't need it, i don't need it....gawd, it's in my trolley, gawd i'm paying for it, gawd it's in the car, gawd it's in my house.....gawd. Can we fault these guys? When i was growing up, flat pack furniture was cheap nasty and liable to fall apart at the merest mouse fart. This stuff however is good... lets face it. Whack in some meat ball, random swedish grub and a maze that makes you feel really rather drunk when you try to navigate it 'Map sir? Hell no!' read more

How to Hack Ikea Right - I am about to lay down some Ninja Knowledge here. I have been to this place enough that I thought I should pass on the accumulated experience. First - don't go upstairs Unless you show up without knowing what you need, enjoy milling around large crowds that walk in the same direction or need something from the Children's or Kitchen Department Stay on the ground floor. If you find yourself heading upstairs - know what you want to buy and head to that department - floor arrows are your enemy, take shortcuts (there are lots) and cut through displays. If you are smart and have avoided the upstairs crowd, know the second rule The door to the Marketplace is just past the play area and you can go through the exits. There is no rule that you need to go through the entrance. If all you want is to go and pick up the items that you have decided on - head through the exits and pick up the stuff. If you did not find the item's location online before you headed out - look it up on the kiosks Finally, if you are going to venture through the Marketplace - know the shortcuts. About half of them are shown on the blue maps. You can go from the start of the Marketplace to the end in under one hundred yards - cutting out all of the stuff you do not need to see. Do this and you can get it and out of Ikea quickly. Also there are a lot fewer people really early in the morning (first hour after opening) and later in the evening.. read more

Everyone loves IKEA (or hates it, it is a Marmite brand) for its blend of low cost yet good quality, build at home furniture. I used to work at IKEA Nottingham for almost two years, so I could give you a boring background about the company itself and its roots in IKEA, however I'll spare you that. The only thing holding this IKEA back from being 5* is that the selection, quality and price of items in Bargain Corner is way worse than any other IKEA I've been to. Seriously, the savings are really stingy. When I moved house I took a big van down to Nottingham to get some furniture from my folks and stopped in IKEA Nottingham (my old employer). I got a designer shelving unit for £50 down from £400. I got a fold out bed down from £300 to £150. I've bought an armchair for £60 down from £300. The reductions at Glasgow IKEA are either so terrible it's not worth the bother, or there's some sort of stingy deal gang who turn up exactly on opening each day to nab the best deals. Rant over! read more

lets face it. Ikea is a dangerous place. You arrive, go round the showroom and decide what you want then you face the accessories down stairs and end up buying a ridiculous amount of stuff you don't want/need. Through to the warehouse to pick-up your furniture then through the tills and then out to cafe for a dodgy hot dog and drink or ice cream. The only problem is the queues and crowds everywhere. Even after years of being here people will still queue up for their sale or promotional event. I do have to say that I like the cookware selections along with a few other lines. The restaurant is also well priced and you can get a free breakfast if you have a IKEA family card. read more

Ikea is my idea of grand day out. I am perfectly happy to walk around herded through all the departments, wondering why my house never looks as coordinated, chic and pulled together as one of the rooms in Ikea. Opening all the drawers to see the genius organisational things that I need, because obviously my kitchen drawers are as likely to contain loom bands and an open pritt stick as knifes and forks. I stand in the wardrobe section close to tears that we moved out of the flat with the walk in wardrobe of my dreams and moaning that I don't even really like the garden and would have much rather stayed in the flat and kept my lovely wardrobe. Hmm it's typing the paragraph above that has made me realise just why g might not enjoy the trips to Ikea quite as much as I do. Especially given that his role appears to be to reign me in. Explaining, again, that yes those corner bookshelves are beautiful, affordable and would solve our ongoing book storage woes but we don't have any wall on which to put them - all available walls are already book shelved up! Once I've dragged him around the first floor it's only fair to offer the poor man some compensation so I know to time my visits to the morning. £1 buys a really quite good bacon roll and with my Ikea Family card I get free hot drinks so poor put upon g gets to sit pretending to listen to my grand redecorating the entire house schemes. While he has really entered a meditative state and is communing on a deep level with a bacon buttie and a hot chocolate. With my energy levels bolstered by Scandinavian coffee - it really is very good. I'm ready for the market place where I will buy a vegetable peeler, napkins and if I can sneak another one into the trolley a cake stand - no I have no idea why I might need more of these things it's just what you do in Ikea, right! I think though that my very favourite thing about Ikea is the food shop after the tills. If you haven't already tried the frozen cinnamon buns that you heat up at home filling your kitchen with the aroma of nirvana then you are missing out. And if you are going to queue to buy them you really might as well buy some meatballs, a powdery potion to make proper Ikea gravy, lingonberry jam, diam bars, swedish biscuits, gravalax and and and. This might be another reason why g hates Ikea but would never be daft enough to let me go alone. read more

Is it possible to dislike going to Ikea? No, I don't think it is. From infants to the elderly, this place has something for absolutely everyone, be it just popping in for a cup of tea or a nice lunch, to parading around the store for 6 hours with your aim being redecorating your entire home. This ikea has been here for ages; I can remember coming here for the past 12 years or so, and it's fantastic. The free pencils and rulers to take notes on sizes and quantities for furniture, the sheer fact it takes you a good 2 hours to walk the length of the place regardless of what you're buying; I love it all! There must be at least 100 items of furniture in my house that are from there. I most enjoy reading the Swedish words for items, they tend to get quite obscure. Once you're finished all your tiring shopping, the cafe sells a great selection of cafe food and beverages, and I've actually came here before just to go for a bite to eat in the cafe. You'll never struggle to have some sort of fun here. Just go ahead and pretend that one of the Livingroom lots is your own personal Livingroom. I'm not 100% the security will appreciate it, but it'd be a helluva lot of fun! read more

So, it was a rainy Saturday afternoon and fast approaching lunch time. I had a craving for a curry, my wife wasn't going for it though and insisted on a Scandinavian restaurant across town that she likes - Ikea, I hadn't been before but had heard a bit of a buzz about the meatballs so it was decided. The first thing that struck me was that Ikea isn't the fine dining experience I was expecting but a more casual affair. The chefs don't wear those tall white hats in here and the table service is non-existent. I ordered the meatballs and they were okay... In summary, a reasonably affordable place to dine with okay food, unfortunately lacking in atmosphere and the furniture is arranged in a slightly schizophrenic order when trying to get in and out of the place. read more

Best kids kitchen and kids chair (Paong) for a good price. I think as long as you bypass their display sections you can get through Ikea pretty easily. Otherwise it can be a all day event that leaves you exhausted. We come here when we need a few household items but do not want to pay insane prices. It can be quite difficult to find certain things and there are never any Ikea clerks to be found. ps: the carts are so hard to push. read more

I love a trip to IKEA! Nothing much more I can say here - if you don't know what IKEA is like, then where have you been for the last 10 years?! Big blue warehouse, sells modern flat-pack furniture. If you don't need furniture you'll spend your entry salary on tea lights, vases of dried twigs and prints of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. But I love IKEA most for its meatballs. And chocolate cake. And Diam. And those little thin biscuits. Thank you Sweden for making my world a happier and more stylish place! read more

Not to much more I can say about Ikea than has already been said. Huge place, sells loads of flat pack furniture and a multitude of other things. It is good at what it does and is useful for people trying to do up there house and not wanting to go to loads of different places. It is only getting an ok three stars from me for the following reasons. I hate furniture shopping in general. I don't like flat pack furniture and particularly building it. (That wardrobe door always ends up squinty) I think it has got progressively more expensive over the years and no longer provides the good quality and a good price that it used to. Did not go near the restaurant so can't mark that , but also not convinced I would ever want to. read more

My favourite place on earth. Is it just me or does Ikea make you feel so happy and relaxed when your inside?! I came here yesterday after shopping in Braehead, not for anything in particular..I just missed being in it to be honest. I really love their candle selections here - so many lovely scents and the big glasses are usually just over a pound! I also love all the weird and wonderful things they have, I mean how often do you get so excited over some weird shaped eating utensils? I love walking through the showrooms and just get ideas on how to decorate my future home. Ikea is going to make a lot of money from me when I do buy a house! There are also usually plenty of staff around if you ever need help or advice with anything too. All in all, a great day out for the family! (or me!) read more

Whatever did we do for home furnishings before Ikea came along? Ikea flats are instantly recognisable, from their brightly coloured designs and simple and stylish furnishings. This great big shop has everything you could ever want to kit out your home, from the essentials like pots and pans, to the things you never even knew you needed, like star shaped ice trays. Since everything is so incredibly cheap here, it is very tempting to go crazy and fill your trolley with all of the weird and wonderful gadgets and quirky home stuff, however it adds up very quickly, and I often find myself several pounds down after a trip here, with a bag full of stuff I don't even need. What is even better than the cheap homeware is the little food section at the front, selling coffee, cake, hot dogs and ice cream, at ridiculously low prices. 35p for an ice cream cone! I also love the little food shop, selling all sorts of European delights, including Swedish chocolate and fancy bread and crackers. Much more stuff to fill your bag with and part with your pennies. Ikea is great for cheap home stuff and cheap chocolate, providing you go with a plan of purchase in mind, however distracting the big bright maze of a shop may be. read more

I'm an IKEA fan for sure. I love the meatballs,the lingonberries, the fika, the inexpensive home decor. I could browse the marketplace for hours. It can get busy in here and IKEA stress is legendary. I just go mid-week and avoid the crowds and madness. I'm not so keen on lugging flat packs to the till and beyond so if I need anything big I order online. It's a very child friendly place which I think is great. I was impressed that they had an area for breastfeeding in the cafe for those who want some privacy. The cafe is a highlight of most trips and if you sign up for an IKEA family card you get free coffee and various offers. They also do deals in the cafe like £1 meatballs on a Wednesday and coffee and cake for £1.50 Mon-Fri 2-5. Every peice of furniture I've bought from IKEA has been good quality and lasted for many years (my Billy bookcases have survived 3 moves, 10 years and counting) which is pretty impresive considering how cheap the prices are. Assembling furniture is not my favourite thing to do but they make it pretty simple and once it's built I have no complaints! read more

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It's big it's blue and yellow, really you'd have to have been living under a rock not to know what IKEA is. Does furniture and household stuff and meatballs, don't forget the meatballs and hot dogs. Check out the bargain section by the tills... read more

IKEA. What to say? Everyone knows the format - you walk in (past the somewhat intriguing child's play area - a ballpit with glass walls... how cunning..!), and go up the stairs (past the cafe - which is cheap as chips, i.e.12 swedish meatballs for £3?! Win!) and begin your wandering through the somewhat wonderland of displays. Every type of furniture is available here - from kitchen doors to bean bags, it's amazing! They have an extensive collection of scandinavian designers - some with hilarious names - and little pencils and pads of paper that you can take (read: steal) and note down which of the 30 000 bookcases you want. Excellent. Ok, as Catriona points out, yes, you probably will find that the nice plain DVD shelf that you love will also be in the homes of 5 million other people, however, it's popular for a reason. A lot of the furniture is plain, and versatile - you dont have to worry about upkeep or maintenance. Apart from the building it yourself part, which, I know, can make even strong men cry. The instructions are pictures (pictures are a 'universal language' apparently!?), and you often don't have everything you need in the box (always a screw missing), BUT on the whole scale of things, you pay for what you buy. Your £25 CD rack may be missing a screw, but it'll still hold your CDs, if not at an angle. The best part of IKEA? The marketplace. This is where you can stock up on home accessories - kitchenware, bedding, lights, bathroom supplies... everything! It's fantastic. The cheese grater I got from here 5 years ago for £2.99 has lasted, and is the best grater I've ever used. Others have even commented on it, THAT's how good it is. Once you've trawled your way through here, you'll find the warehouse. The place where allll the flatpack furniture lives. Read the labels carefully though - don't do what I did and end up with a birch desk, and an oak shelf for it. Fail. When you've finished your shopping, there's even a wee foodstore for you to sit down and relax in - cheap hotdogs and ice cream for all. Excellent. Apart from your obvious flaws, IKEA, you've done very well indeed. read more

Who doesn't love ikea Tell me Now So I can block you from my life! I love a wander around the place and spend endless cash of Stuff I really don't need .... I love the selection and the smalls you can fill your bag with without realising I love the shop At the end of checkouts The restaurant .... As nice as it looks...... The foods bloody awful, the soft drinks they sell on draft are also terrible Just miss out this part and you Will have fun read more

The Scandinavian aesthetic has taken over the world, and with a cult-like following. If you haven't been living under a rock, you'll be familiar with IKEA's modern style home furnishings and accessories. You can normally spot IKEA's iconic yellow and blue in the suburban landscape. Upon entering their massive labyrinth (a.k.a. the showroom/warehouse), you get lost in the plethora of products. In short, you can find everything here, from bedding, kitchen gear, candles to plants. Either you love or hate IKEA. Either way, you can't really beat the prices, although the quality may vary. It's a great place to furnish on a budget. Most of the furniture is economically flat-packed and DYI. However, beware that the products may not hold up during a move (i.e. dresser coming loose). Don't forget the cheap and cheerful Scandinavian food after you've spent the entire lost in this maze. A girl has got to eat after working those legs! Bottom line: Service is standard, selection is wide, pretty good value for money, and can be extremely busy on weekends (fun if you like people dodging). Happy shopping :-) read more

The Glasgow branch of IKEA just seems much bigger and better than our wee one in Edinburgh. The showroom is a lot bigger, the restaurant area has much more seating and the warehouse is humongous! The only thing that feels slightly smaller than the Edinburgh alternative is the market hall. Maybe it's because the Edinburgh market hall overlaps into the warehouse, but I don't know. It just has the traditional layout for an IKEA store. Market hall and warehouse downstairs, show homes and cafe upstairs. You know the drill. The last time I was here, I remember seeing all the room layouts in the showroom and being like "Hmm. I wish I could decorate our house with this stuff." But then thinking to myself. "No Ben this will not go with our wallpaper and carpet!" This seems to happen to me every single time I visit IKEA and is probably for good reason too. The cafe is pretty much on par with Edinburgh with decor but has a lot more seating and can accommodate a lot of customers at once. Ever since the Edinburgh restaurant got refurbished, it seems like they have taken away loads of seats to add a play area. Stupid decision. At the end is the normal food hall and bistro arrangement where you can get your cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, ice cream and fro-yo. Typical IKEA fare. But in this store the queues always seem to move awfully slowly which is a problem. Anyway, this store is brighter, bigger, more spacious and just better than the Edinburgh counterpart. Even if it isn't much bigger, it still feels like such a different store! read more

When my brother bought his first home, he did the expected - hired a van as we all duly accompanied him to Ikea to kit out his lovely house. Similarly when I needed bits and pieces for my rented student flats off to Ikea I went. It's like an institution and for good reason. No other furniture store really compares in terms of innovation and affordable modern designs. In other stores you may find something that is almost perfect for that awkward corner in the living room or to store all your bits and bobs but in Ikea you will have a choice of shapes, colours, sizes and designs. In fact, merely walking around the maze of a store gets my creative juices flowing wishing I had a millions places to decorate. It is also quirkier than other furniture stores in that it sells absolutely everything you could want in a home including cutlery, glasses, pictures, plants and even christmas decorations! Make sure you set aside plenty of time if visiting - it always takes us much more than you anticipated. Plus no visit would be complete without a trip to the cafe - it is so amazingly cheap and you can dissect the list you created wandering around to decide just what to buy to create that little haven of yours. I'm itching for another visit now. read more

Oh, Ikea, I salute you. This store is a particularly nice one. It has an upstairs and a downstairs, which I don't think I've ever encountered in an Ikea store - but to be honest it does make it easier to cut through to the Cafe or the market place without having to chase all the way through the showroom. The cafe in this Ikea store is really nice as well - it's huge and is surrounded by large windows which makes the whole place really sunny. Nice! read more

Ikea really is just like a big black whole that swallows up hours of my day and most of the pennies in my purse. There's no such thing as a quick trip to IKEA and whenever you visit it's a guarantee that you'll come out with a hundred and one things completely forgetting what you went for in the first place. I remember my brother used to visit here with his friends and for some reason would always come home with hundreds of the little Ikea pencils, simple minds I guess. My last visit here I wasn't actually looking for anything in particular but left with some colourful plastic cups, new cutlery, table mats, a new bedroom rug, a night light shaped like a mushroom and a bamboo cane. I didn't need any of that stuff but it seemed like a great idea at the time. Yep, a trip to Ikea is a great day out - just make sure you've cleared enough room in the boot of your car so you can fit all the items that you're inevitably going to buy. It's so funny as every student flat nowadays looks exactly the same, kitted out with the exact same Ikea furniture. So I guess if your house is a haven of Ikea goodies you're not going to score any point for originality but it will still look pretty good. Oh and the hot dogs are really good, make sure you get extra onions and gherkins! read more

Large, could easly spend good bit of day here if you were planing on moving, doing a place up or just looking for ideas for a future make over. Though it's hotdog bit on the ground floor is somewhat lacking, as the hotdogs lack in flavour (even with mustard/ketchup on). read more

An absolutely vast building, kind of goes beyond the idea of a shop. They have limited windows and cheap food, just like a casino, to keep you inside. Although to be honest the food is one of my favourite parts, there is usually a selection of a couple of main meals but the best thing to go for is the breakfast, which is served until 11.00. The parking is pretty good with plenty of parent and child and disabled spaces, but you are best considering what you'll be buying when parking and how easy it will be to get into the car. I would recommend going early in the day at the weekend or during the week, when you get free coffee in the canteen if you have a loyalty card, as it can get a bit manic the rest of the time. I could spend all day sitting at the window with a coffee watching people trying to cram ridiculous amounts of stuff into the back of their cars, except some of the time I think it's me. read more

I LOVE ikea!!!! The food alone makes it worthwhile - get the meatballs and chips from the cafe with the yummy gravy and jam mmmmm.. Or go to the wee coffee shop bit and get some rocky road and hot choc with marshmallows on top - heaven! They also have a shop that you can buy the food from to make at home and swedish alcohol. Some people say its too easy to get lost in it - I dont understand them - just follow the path and the signs! Its always handy to pick up a big carrier bag when you first go in as there is loads of bits and pieces dotted about that you just have to buy I dont think I've ever come out with just the one thing I went in for. Seriously cheap stuff but very stylish! They can offer home delivery on things but it is quite expensive. If you can find a leaflet join Ikea family as when you present your card you can get discounts in the cafe and free tea/coffee during the week, and you can also get reduced prices on certain items as well so they even cheaper - and membership doesn't cost a thing so win/win!! read more

IKEA is always fun, basically you go there, buy some furniture from a massive selection and pick it up. The fun really starts when you get home and you end up having a giant jigsaw puzzle! Luckily though there is very rarely any pieces missing. Great value from money, furniture lasts a long time. And with their modular system you can customise it how you want it. read more

I love Ikea, it's cheap, not nasty, great choice, good food, fantastic deals, my house is an advert for it. It's very very busy though, so I try and go during the week to avoid the rush. They do different deals all year through so it's worth keeping an eye out for a good bargain. Join Ikea Family and you'll get a discount on meals and items in store, I think you also get vouchers sent out too. Unfortunately they didn't have this card when I furnished most of my house a few years ago. Go to Ikea, then head over to Braehead, you'll be sick of shopping for months and save yourself a fortune lol. read more

I love ikea. I like how it's set up in terms of what room you need furniture for as it gives you some great ideas. I never leave without buying some of their little things as well, the downstairs walk is my pit fall as those 2-5 quid funky things soon add up! The furniture is sturdy, well priced and looks good in any home. I love how customisable everything is. I think the food here though is absolutely dreadfall though. It's over priced and nasty, tends to be over cooked and looks and tastes like a really bad school dinner. Having said that the food store downstairs stocks some really good stuff, just don't eat in! read more

Ikea is a great place to shop if you are looking for cheap furniture and bits and bobs to do up your house. You can't really beat it in terms of quality or value. Like all Ikea stores, its pretty hard to navigate around in a hurry, but there are some shortcuts through to other parts of the store. There is a creche facility and also baby changing and toilets downstaris near the entrance. The cafe is really spacious and excellent value. past the checkouts there are more toilets, a snack area (where you can get incredibly cheap hot dogs!) and the customer service area. read more

Ikea's hell. I have been dragged to Ikea on more occasions than I care to remember always with the same result, I get kranky, claustrophobic, and end up with an overwhelming urge to do unsavoury things with Swedish meatballs to whoever it was that designed the layout of these shops. I've always gone along with the crowd, but always in more of a happy-go-lucky kind of a way rather than an I'm cattle kind of a way which is how Ikea seems intent on treating you. On the plus side they're used to be a ball swamp for the kids to go into in one of the corners of the shop but I think it's gone now. read more

If you are going in this store, BE PREPARED to give you loads of time! As you would find yourself time going past you too quickly As i have been in this store, and about 3 to 4 hours have flow past me too quickly I love going to this store, as it ranges from everything you name it, like kitchen, kitchen equipments, crockery's cutlery's, such as storages etc. Items for the Living room, like television stand, tables, storage's, seats, couches, rugs picture on the wall, etc, even they do the gardening stuffs, ornaments for gardens, even something for the office space, like desk, or filing cabinets, letter racks, etc etc, even the bedroom, they sell mattresses, beds, pillows, duvets curtains, bed covers, even something for the hallway, like a mirror, rugs, picture on the wall, and they practically sell everything. Even lighting / shades Even they have a cafe area on the upper area, while you rest to have a wee break and the foods/drinks are well cheap and very good price, it is like a bargain in there. Also on seasonal events, they do sell xmas lines, like xmas lights and decorations etc. Also I love shopping in their swedish shop which ranges of swedish foods, and I do love their meatballs, with their gravy, and ask for a bit of red lingonberry sauce, and they are so DELICIOUS!!! You should give them a try!!! Kids are great in this store, as they can be able to roam anywhere in the store, even they do provide a creche place for them. But I rather to have them with me, and let them roam the store, they can be able to jump in the display's own bed, and they can pretend to be sleeping, or hiding in the wardrobes, while I play peek for them Or even when we are in the kitchen area, and we sit on the display's kitchen's dining tables, and we sit, and pretend to be eating our breakfast and enjoy making a fool of ourselves, and we do enjoy being entertained They get much more fun than being stuck in the creches!!! Also their toilets area are great always immaculate, and tidy. Even the staff are great to help, but at the busy period, the staff tend to be even more busier! read more

Ikea must be my favourite furniture store. It has so much choice that you can spend so long in that store just picking out a shelf for example as they just have so much - different colours, materials, shapes.. No trip to Ikea is complete without a visit to the cafe. The food is so cheap and really good quality it is just too good to miss. read more

Ikea!!!! The place to go if you want to survive a zombie apocalypse :). Great location next to Braehead shopping centre, you can't miss the trademark yellow and blue :). Something for everyone here, whether it's your first flat or you're updating your home, if you can work an Allen key you are sorted ;). Expect to get lost, expect to find yourself back in the same place more than once, it's the fun of ikea. Have some food, I hear the meatballs are delicious :) read more