On 6/26 we went to their midsummer buffet. We did have to buy the tickets in advance for $19.99. Non member cost was $24.99. I really liked trying all the different dishes. We went to the 4pm buffet and the lines weren't too bad. Really liked everything I tried especially marinated herring in mustard sauce and smoked salmon. Also enjoyed a bowl of different desserts either wife. I really liked that the desserts are much lighter and less sweeter than the typical American desserts. It was a great value at $19.99 snd will probably ably return for their Christmas buffet I learned about from another person in line. read more

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We went to IKEA's annual Swedish Midsummer Buffet held at their restaurant on the second floor. It's a special seasonal in store restaurant event and offers dishes not on their typical menu. They still had their meatballs and salmon but offered fish balls and roasted vegetables that I really enjoyed. My favorite was their seafood sampler which consisted of smoked salmon, marinated herring in mustard sauce and cucumber salad. It was quite tasty and I ended up buying a couples jars of the herring after the buffet. Their shrimp salad and potato salad was pretty good too. For drinks, they had sparkling pear and apple ciders along with all the usual sodas and coffee. I was happy to see they had the strawberry shortcake which is my fave as it's so light and airy and not too sweet. We also enjoyed the cookies with decaf coffee. It was a nice ending to a very satisfying meal. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this buffet and it was very well priced at only $19.99/person. The event also had a singer/guitarist for entertainment which was a very nice touch. read more

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I love the space and the lighting. I enjoy the chatter and noise of a dining room. Families communing, couples in conversation , kids playing, others studying or on their laptops. I've always enjoyed the food. It seems like a "home cooked" meal which I appreciate as it reminds me of yesteryear circa 1970's/80's Hardy Dr. growing up with dinner on the table at 5pm. Today I ordered the falafel plate, slice of garlic toast and cured salmon/lox. The food line looked as if it could use a touch up as the peas kind of looked not as perky as they could be. The couscous situation as well, though it was tasty on my plate. The picture showed the pearl couscous which I prefer, but was serving the smaller Moroccan type couscous. The falafel almost had a dense "meaty" texture. I even doubted for a minute if I got the Swedish balls instead! I enjoyed, but might stick to the veggie or regular Swedish meatballs next time. But I appreciate the option. Served with garlic aioli. I had to look up sauce on website as I thought it was hummus, but tasted different. As I was looking at the IKEA webpage I saw that they also serve breakfast! The soda was a little too sweet for me as I mixed sparkling lemon lime and lingonberry but an easy fix- I created a new mix which was perfect- really delightful- 3/4's plain sparkling and 1/4 sparkling pear. A good meal and visit. read more

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Always a hit, I love the veggie balls and veggie dog. Tons of vegan options and very affordable! read more

IKEA Restaurant - veggie balls - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

IKEA restaurant hits in the way the Costco food court does: it's cheap, filling, and is the perfect way to finish off a big shopping trip. On this visit, we were a little disappointed there was no marinara penne and it wasn't clear if there were sold out or they just hadn't made it yet since it was pretty early. Instead of that, we got mac and cheese with the Swedish meatballs and a diet cola. The diet cola is actually super interesting, they make it in house and it tastes different than Coke products, it's a little sweeter. We topped it all off with the seasonal(?) rainbow cake. This was a little dry sadly. I think it had probably been sitting in the case overnight. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Pride cake - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

The chocolate cake is amazing. Highly recommend it, especially for the price too. The meatballs were good but the gravy made them better. Veggies were unsalted which was lame. The mashed potatoes were delicious however. And the chocolate oak ball thingies were so good. Cheap and tasty, I'd definitely come back. read more

I've been wanting to try IKEA's restaurant for a while now, but they have been a little hit or miss with when they have vegetarian options available. On this visit, they had their plant balls, so I ordered a kids meal to try. It was $4.99 and came with four "plant balls" which are made out of pea protein, mashed potatoes, vegetarian gravy, green peas, and lingonberry sauce. The combination was actually really yummy and though I don't usually enjoy peas, they worked on this plate. The size was plenty for a light meal, and affordable when shopping at IKEA. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to eat here if I wasn't shopping, but it's a nice option to have if you want a bite to eat or to take a little break during the IKEA extravaganza read more

IKEA Restaurant - Kid's Plant Ball meal - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I've always loved IKEA, and I stopped in for lunch while visiting Phoenix. I was so hungry and the Swedish meatballs definitely hit the spot. The salad was nice and fresh too. I also tried the lingonberry juice with some carbonated water. read more

IKEA Restaurant - IKEA meatballs with salad - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My wife and I have known about the IKEA Swedish meatballs for nearly 30 years... and yet, we had never tried them. Finally, yesterday, at long-last, we stopped at the Tempe, AZ location and sampled their food. In what I can only call, "an almost unbelievable parallel", or at the very least, a "super-strange and eerie coincidence"...what I have to say about my experience at the IKEA restaurant is almost exactly the same as what girls who dated me in my youth would say. Some of the comments that closely resemble each other include: 1. Hmmm... that was not horrible, but it was not that great. 2. The portion of meat was a little smaller than I thought it would be. 3. Nope...Didn't quite hit the spot. 4. Wait...That's it?! It seems like it should have taken longer. 5. I liked it, but I didn't "like-like!" it. We can be friends, but there just wasn't a spark. 6. (awkward silence) 7. (A phone call being made shortly after it finished to speak to a close friend about how it was kinda bad.) Okay, I think I will put aside the stupid "bad date comments" comparisons and just keep it simple by sharing that although I am glad to have finally gotten to experience the IKEA restaurant, it ultimately was just okay. This one, metaphorically speaking, turned out to be a little like when one kisses a frog. We have heard people rave about the meatballs for years, so my wife ordered the 12 meatball plate. She did this instead of getting the more size-appropriate, 8 meatball option, so that I could snag a few from her and see how they tasted. I, myself, went for the fried chicken finger plate... not because when I go out to eat, I like to order as if I am a 9 year old, but rather to diversify our order and sample at least one of their other offerings. In IKEA's defense, we got there around 4:20 in the afternoon, (the twilight-zone time period between lunch and dinner). I suspect that much of what we were served had sat under heat lamps for an extended period... for so long, that I am guessing, the offerings we were given were rapidly approaching the outer limit for how long the FDA allows food to sit before it get's tossed. My chicken was on the far-end of the spectrum for food that is dry and tastes bland. It was almost "beef-jerkian" in texture. Due to the amount of time that I suspect that my chicken had sat under the lamp, it had a similar consistency and color to the skin as a 78-year-old Floridian sun-worshiper who, back in the 1970's was a "sweet patootie", but is now long past her prime ,and probably should no longer be wearing a thong bikini. One would not be wrong if they were to describe my chicken fingerlings as "weathered, with a slightly orange tinge to them. At least, in the glow of the heat lamp, they appeared a bit orange-y. IKEA had run out of mashed potatoes, so I went with the mixed beans and peas option. The nicest thing I can say about them is that they were, "unmemorable", and even though I mercifully was given a relatively small portion, they were a bit hard to finish. The wax beans that were part of the dish were exceptionally tough to swallow... and were as dry as a girl under an unbroken umbrella. (Coincidentally, "Unbroken umbrella" could have been my nickname in college as I had the same effect on women). But at least now, I know how wax beans got their name (*Because they tasted like, and had the consistency of eating a birthday candle). Our server was a bit "attitudinal" and "salty" with me. I am guessing that she was rapidly approaching the end of the legal time limits for shift work. My life-partner said that she very much liked the meatballs--and I kinda have to agree with her. I eventually would sample 4 or 5 of the little guys off her plate. In keeping with the expected protocol, I dabbed them first, into the lingonberry sauce, then into the mashed potatoes, then finally into the brown gravy before bringing them in for a bite. Not bad...not bad at all. Their taste stirred memories of the old-school lunches that were served in my middle school days. (*about the same time that I was perfecting my lame and lady-disappointing dating skills). As you read this next part, if you have an empathetic heart you're going to think to yourself, "No! Don't do it! There are so many other restaurants out there. Have you no self respect!?" or, " Did you not see the red flags!?" But, I think I'm gonna give IKEA another chance. I conclude now by sharing that if you have never been to the IKEA store for a lunch or dinner, I would (despite this less than stellar review) suggest that you give it a try. I will also share that I would venture a guess that many of the patrons who surrounded us were not first-timers and have come there knowing that they were not going to get a fabulous meal, but that it was going to okay. And sometimes in life, that is good enough. Just as my wife resolved to do, some 30-plus years ago, it's okay to settle. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Simple fare. I forgot to mention the dessert in my review (*that dark brown thing on my plate...at 11 o'clock...yummy!) - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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When shopping at IKEA they offer a limited cafeteria service. It's good for what it is... I say that because it is a cafeteria geared at selling the limited food items offered. The Swedish meatballs are good and it's a nice healthy meal option while you were shopping. The tables were not well kept most of them hadn't been wiped down in between customers at all. As long as you eat on your tray, you're fine... read more

IKEA Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Had to come to IKEA which means had to come to the IKEA restaurant. The $2.99 swedish meatballs lunch is the perfect size. It comes with five swedish meatballs in gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas. I'm kind of picky about peas I can't stand if they're mushy, but these peas are really good - - they taste like fresh peas. Finished it all off by sharing a piece of chocolate cake with hubby. It's funny that dessert was $2 more than lunch. This food isn't gourmet food, but it's decent (I really like the meatballs) and I feel like it's some kind of a tradition stop and eat here if you got some shopping to do at IKEA. read more

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CASH ONLY for the cafeteria now. I don't know if it'll be temporary. Sign looks quite official and here to stay. The food isn't bad, I definitely like their swedish meatballs paired with the sweet lingon berry. The cafeteria is setup nicely with variety tables of groups of any size. It depends on the time of day you go for food quality, most food is kept warm if it needs it. You do bus your tray to one of the racks, no need to separate bowls/plates/trash. The menu does get a little complicated with items seemingly different prices without explicitly stating on the monitor it's kid size, add-on or a meal. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Great place to grab some lunch or dinner or just a snack while shopping. You can also order to go and a lot of their restaurant items are available for purchase downstairs in the food market. Grab a strawberry cup before you leave. I enjoy the salmon and their meatballs and the kids love the Mac and cheese fries and chicken strips. read more

I've always heard people talk highly of the Swedish meatballs here so I finally tried them for myself and I agree! For about $8.50 you get a plate of the meatballs, peas, mashed potatoes, and the berry jam - not bad at all. The chocolate cake was pretty mid though so I'd probably skip it next time. It's cafeteria style so you grab a tray, pick what food you want, check out and find a seat. The line moved quickly. The seating areas are modern and lots of plants create a nice ambience. Trying to leave after eating here is annoying though as you have to walk through the market hall to exit. read more

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I haven't eaten at Ikea in so long and completely forgot about how good the food actually is. The price is so good as well, dinner was around $13 for me. I got the Potato Cheddar Cod, Meatballs, & Garlic Toast. We came on a weekday dinner and it was busy, but a lot of the food wasn't prepared and we had to wait for it. The dining area is a little messy and can use more attention. ig: @cravingswithcat read more

IKEA Restaurant - Potato Cheddar Cod & Meatballs (ig: @cravingswithcat) - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

We always stop at the Ikea cafeteria when we come to shop. Certain food is good (meatballs and mashed potato's) but some of the other is bland and gives off a school cafeteria vibe. Sadly the macaroni and cheese was off (tasted like chicken noodles instead). The peas with the meatball meal were meh at best. Also the ice machine was out so we all had warm drinks with our meal. The chocolate dessert was good. read more

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Cafeteria style food. It's not bad. It's what IKEA is known for. Their Swedish meatballs. Comes with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and peas. I got mixed veggies. Not too sure about why there is cranberry sauce on the side. But that's okay. $30 for 2 plates and 2 drinks. I got a coffee. It was good. Swedish meatballs would not be what it is without the gravy. Mash was pretty good and no was the mac and cheese. There is no service here. As it is cafeteria style. Wish they would sell them frozen to take them home. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Swedish Meatballs - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We have always been a big fan of Ikea Swedish meatballs and anytime we are shopping there stopping at the restaurant is a given for us. The restaurant is a great value you can get a Swedish meatball entree for $4.29 which is served with peas and mashed potatoes. The restaurant is cafeteria style serving delicious Swedish inspired dishes, and at that price we decided to take home a couple of entrees enjoy later. read more

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I ate here with a group of ladies on 2-4-25. Located on upper level - not very handicapped friendly for those using a walker. The majority got Swedish meatballs meal. For dessert, 2 ladies split strawberry shortcake, almond cake & oat ball. They agreed all good but crunchy almond cake was best. It's cafeteria style - but they have wheeled tray carts. Tips- 1) Use the bathroom to the left of the entrance on the main floor before eating. The bathroom upstairs is a trek, down a long hall behind the kitchen. 2) For a smaller portion & cheaper option, order the kids meal with 4 balls for $4.29. read more

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tried the restaurant for the first time. After following the arrows and leaving the wife behind, me and the kids found the restaurant, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...lol. I liked the cafeteria style line and the digital menu options. Of course I tried the Swedish meatballs with the mashed potatoes and peas. The kids had Mac n cheese and bbq pork sandwich. It was a healthy serving of delicious meatballs. Plate was good and filling, enough to give me more energy to continue my trek right into kitchenware. What a treat to have experienced it. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Swedish meatballs plate - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Yes... it doesn't take much to get lost in IKEA. But they make the restaurant easy to find. IKEA Restaurant is a sit-down cafeteria right next to the entrance area to the furniture store. The Swedish meatballs of course are their top seller. They have other Swedish inspired plates to choose from like salmon, salads, wraps, a kid's menu and dessert. Lingonberry Jam is a staple of Northern European cuisine and comes on the side. Back in the day I would come here frequently for their $1 breakfast with free coffee before they open. They also have a bistro downstairs that has more grab-n-items and a grocery store by the exit. I don't come here as much, but I at times will grab a quick bite before I stroll around and get lost in the furniture area. IKEA Restaurant does a Julbord feast during the holidays. Julbord is a traditional Swedish Christmas buffet that includes gravlax salmon, marinated herring, meatballs and "glögg". read more

IKEA Restaurant - Medium Breakfast - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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"Um, I need a new picture frame and I have a hankering for Swedish meatballs. Who wants to spend the day with me at IKEA?" - Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory Did you even go to IKEA if you didn't get some Swedish meatballs? Ah, IKEA. We all love to loathe it. Home of puzzling furniture instructions, the owner of IKEA really got into the minds of consumers by building a cafeteria in their own showrooms. Eat some food and then shopping? Yes please! That's how they get you to linger longer and buy more goods. But honestly, I'm just here for the Swedish meatballs and princess cake. It is said that more than 11.6 billion Swedish meatballs are sold in the UK alone. I think in America, 1B of those Swedish meatballs are in my tummy. Yummy! read more

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Always reliable, affordable and tasty! If I'm shopping at IKEA I just have to get their food. It's always so light and refreshing with not too many spices and overpowering flavors. In this economy, this is the best value meal you can get. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Togo meals - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Rating is for vegan hot dogs only. Are these the best vegan hot dogs you'll ever have? The answer is probably not. Are they the best vegan hot dogs you'll ever have for $0.98? The answer is 100% yes. Even better, they have a combo for two dogs and a drink at $2.50. I normally dread any visit to a mega store like this but I'll happily push through crowds of shoppers for two hours if I'm rewarded with one of these treats! read more

IKEA Restaurant - Plant-Based Hotdog - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Affordable quality meal. I make better Swedish meatballs, but always enjoy coming to Ikea and eating theirs. For the price and the convenience, I love the cafe. I like how the restaurant also overlooks the outside with big windows--excellent and quick service. The mac and cheese was very watery. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Swedish meatballs, mac and cheese, gooey chocolate cake - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

A much needed snack after getting lost inside of IKEA for a few 100 thousand steps. The meatball meal was delicious and about the right amount. The staff were friendly, the dining area was clean and the prices were fair. read more

Ok so I am a total foodie. It's what I love. My husband and I were out run errands all day and I tell him I'm hANGRY. I run to YELP to find the best reviewed restaurants in our current location...... and he takes me to IKEA. Lame I was really disappointed that my husband was taking me out for a "Costco" experience lunch at IKEA. (I didn't even know ikea restaurant existed) I'm blown away. It was SOOOOO GOOD. I mean I've definitely had higher quality food and nicer dining experiences (wine, etc) but for the cost We tried everything pretty much (except anything fried, we are trying to eat better....... I eat fried when he isn't around ) $30!!!! We had 2 salads, added meat, 2 desserts, soup, and of course the meatballs- both meat and plant based. Everything we had was good but not like overly fantastic. Except my Salmon nova lux salad. Probably one of the best salads I've had........ for $7.99 the honey mustard was so delicious. The salmon was perfection. The tomato feta soup was good but every time I eat tomato soup I think about the soup at the medieval times show in Scottsdale...... which is addicting good. The Oat balls were also fabulous! And the Almond cake/pie whatever My husband had a green salad with a side of chicken. Good but mine was better The meatballs were also good. Both the meat and plant based tasted almost the same read more

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Always known for their Swedish meatballs and salmon dishes. Haven't been here in a while so figure why not eat something since I needed to grab a few things. I'm glad to see other meatball options, like veggie balls with a pumpkin sauce I really wanted to try but just opted for the normal Swedish. I think chicken or turkey was the other option. 12 meatballs is the standard or opt for a cheaper lighter 8 meatball option like I did. Still the same, they do temp checks periodically to ensure proper Temps. Mashed and green peas as well. Had a bit of a wait in line as the party in front was ordering for an army so kept looking at the desserts and decided to try a almond cake slice as well. Even more so since it said slightly sweet, ok I don't like too sweet. The cake was kinda sweet but different so I ate a bite and sipped some of my coffee (free with ikea card) to melt it down, perfect read more

IKEA Restaurant - Smaller 8 meatball option and slice almond cake - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Somehow always out of meatballs. Staff are rude about when they'll be back despite being a flagship item.

My family came to this country from Sweden. On every Swedish and every Swedish Cook book spicy gravy is not made, where are they getting the recipe? . Also the meatballs can't compare to any swedish restaurant in Andersonville, Illinois.. Washington state also has real authentic Swedish food that you can try. I have lots of Swedish cook books as well at my home. read more

AVOID COLLECT AND CLICK AT ALL COSTS. this was a nightmare. I only had a few household items I needed and thought this would be fast, easy, and affordable. WRONG. My pick up time was for 9-10 and I never got a confirmation email. Finally, called their customer service and they said the order was ready for pickup and to just go inside. read more

I used to love IKEA when I was younger, then I became an adult and had to assemble their furniture and stopped liking it lol. However the restaurant is worth a visit. I love the meatballs. I also tried a shrimp croissant which was okay. The soft serve looked good too but I didn't try. read more

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Recently ate at IKEA due to timing as much as anything else, but we were pleasantly surprised. The food was a good value and they had more options than I first thought. Drawback was the flavor was rather bland, minus the kids meals, and the beverage station was only partially working. I will say $10 for a salmon plate is hard to beat... even if it is slightly lacking on the flavor. My wife had the plant-based meatball plate and it was decent, but again a tremendous value at $7. Overall, good option when shopping and certainly a good healthy value. read more

IKEA Restaurant - Kids Chicken Tenders and Kids Macaroni and Cheese (both with cake of course) - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Horrible customer service. I will never do business with them again. I'll be taking them to court regarding this issue. They offered me a 50% refund nine days ago in which I never received and I called back and requested 100% refund for not fulfilling their guidelines and policies. Now they're not even acknowledging any of those request. They're offering me a small gift card instead now as compensation. I had already opened the case with IKEA on 1/21 and I have it all on recorded lines on my own information. I have proof that they are lying and that they offered me that 50% first and then 100% Refund a week later as they never honored their word. I'm so glad I recorded everything and wrote down all the facts and information. Horrible business ethics. I highly recommend never doing business with them. Stay away!!! See you in court IKEA. read more

We've been to IKEA's store many times, and gotten food from the snack bar before. This is the first time we actually tried the restaurant. They needed to "cook" more meatballs, so they were telling everyone to wait in the corner after placing their order and paying, to come back and get their meatballs. The food tasted fine when we finally got it. However, my husband ended up with the worst food poisoning of his life that night. Thankfully I ordered the plant balls, not the meat ones, so I was just fine. So gross to think of everyone waiting around for their meat to be microwaved or whatever, and then getting food poisoning from it. Will never get food from here again, and honestly it's gonna be a long time before we even want to return to an ikea due to the association we now have with it. Yuck. read more

Two hours in this place and I have a whole new appreciation for Amazon! I couldn't believe how packed full of people it was and everyone seems to move at a snails pace. Decent place for lunch but furniture shopping was horribly slow and tedious. Too many people to close together. read more

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I love the food at IKEA. The majority of the meals have no soy or fructose corn syrup. It's so hard to find food local food without preservatives. read more

Our visit to IKEA yesterday was the first after 3.5 years. We were shopping for some small furniture/storage items and decided to go there mid day yesterday. It wasn't very busy so that was a plus but we were surprised that a big portion of the top floor of the store was closed off. We saw some people being confused coming out of one of the corridors, we ended up doing the same when we realized the showroom was almost cut in half. There are many items that we were hoping to see yesterday. We don't know if we just accidentally missed a couple of items but we were slightly disappointed when we left the store without finding them. When we finished walking through the second floor, we decided to stop at the cafe and eat. Food as always is good and priced well. We continued to the marketplace section after eating and picked up a few small items. We will probably be ordering a couple of items online and hope that they can be delivered to our area. The app was very helpful when the items were on display because you could easily scan the code which brings up the item on the app to add to your cart. One thing would be useful. Product measurements should be on the tag to make it easier to decide whether this item fits the space you want or not. Supply chain issues are definitely impacting the store. I have been online multiple times looking for items but a lot have been out of stock. They do have them every once in a while and you are able to sign up for text notifications when the items are back in the store. I hope those issues will resolve soon and we will be able to find all their items whether online or at the store. read more

If you ever find yourself hungry at ikea after walking miles and miles through their showroom and marketplace .. head to the cafe upstairs for some Swedish meatballs and chocolate cake .. you won't be disappointed My kids and I have been enjoying the basic Swedish meatball combo for years.. Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy and lingonberries (tastes like cranberry sauce and maybe strawberry jam combined) .. so good!! It's the same, every time . Tried a side order of salmon balls and was not impressed.. they were dry, the breading was falling off, curry sauce was thick (not a fan).. Grab a tray cart and make it easy on yourself read more

IKEA Restaurant - Meatball dinner - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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New menu options in late 2019 are pretty appealing. More veggie and choose-your-own protein combos are a welcome addition. Our toddlers are sad that Mac 'n Cheese is no longer on the menu, but it's good for them to experience devastating disappointment at a young age. It builds character, right? They might actually have to eat something with fiber or protein *gasp* read more

IKEA Restaurant - 2019 menu - Scandinavian Near Me - Tempe, Arizona