IKEA is more than just a place to shop; it’s an experience for everyone who has been there. You could spend hours browsing IKEA’s nearly infinite assortment of home goods and décor, as well as its numerous furniture displays, and still have half of the store to explore. Fortunately, you can simply stop by the store’s food court to satisfy your hunger if it strikes while you’re exploring.
Even though food courts aren’t particularly novel or distinctive, IKEA’s is an impressive example of a store with one. After all, the food at its restaurant is reasonably priced, and there are many options available. The Swedish meatballs from the chain are unquestionably the highlight (and main attraction) of any IKEA food court, but there are also a lot of other food options, such as hot plates, wraps, salads, and desserts.
Since I frequently shop at IKEA and have tried a number of its dishes, I knew I could rank some of the store’s best-selling food court fare. To be fair, I only included dishes that belonged to the main course or entree category in this ranking. I carefully considered the food’s flavors, the harmony of a dish’s ingredients, and whether a dish had a standout feature when deciding my ranking order. These 5 IKEA food court menu items are ranked in light of that.
Caesar Salad
I would even say that my favorite kind of salad is a good Caesar salad. Furthermore, I’m quite understanding of variations on the salad, whether it’s changing the ingredients or the Caesar dressing itself. In contrast to the original, a modern Caesar salad should ideally consist of romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheese, and an incredibly creamy, tangy, and savory dressing. Currently, IKEA’s Caesar salad largely meets those expectations. Although IKEA’s version of a Caesar salad technically satisfies all the requirements to be considered such, it lacked any unique qualities.
The romaine lacked a fresh crispness, the Parmesan wasn’t particularly flavorful, and the croutons were merely fine. Also, the dressing for the salad just comes in a packet. However, the dressing isn’t nearly as good as it could be, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing or entirely unexpected for something you buy from a food court. Overall, this Caesar salad ranks last on this list because it simply cannot compete with other, much more impressive dishes.
Potato pancakes
When prepared properly, potato pancakes are a savory breakfast food masterpiece. Although there are many different toppings you can add to potato pancakes (my personal favorite is good ol’ sour cream), the spuddy stacks are delicious on their own. After seeing potato pancakes on IKEA’s menu, I was initially quite thrilled, but my enthusiasm was short-lived.
Although these potato pancakes weren’t particularly bad, they were incredibly boring, strangely flat, and a little stiff. In summary, they were generally rather dull. Overall, the dish was unimpressive because the sour cream did little to save the pancakes. The pancakes’ texture was a major problem; they appeared almost stale, and their lack of robust flavors made it difficult to compensate for their unsavory texture. These were disappointing and not a menu item I would go back to in the future, even though I wouldn’t exactly expect potato pancakes from an IKEA food court to be extremely fresh and hot.
Egg salad sandwich
IKEA’s egg salad sandwich was so impressively presented that I was eager to try it just for that reason. Despite the fact that egg salad can be somewhat divisive, I personally enjoy almost every variation of the creamy, mustardy egg dish. IKEA’s version of the sandwich looked like it would be a hit with me before tasting because I also like really plain egg salad rather than some kind of fancy one. But that was not the case.
The egg salad sandwich from IKEA wasn’t particularly flawed, to be fair. On the other hand, it tasted so bland that it was hard to ignore. Unfortunately, this egg salad was what it was and wasn’t particularly creamy either. Even a small pinch of salt would have made a huge difference in adding more flavor. Although I do appreciate that it prevented the bread from becoming overly soggy, the lettuce accompaniment was adequate. That comes close to the bottom, though, because it was generally uninteresting.
Salmon fillet
Salmon is a very adaptable fish that can be used in both intricate recipes and simpler displays. Although I would argue that the salmon fillet plate from IKEA belongs in the category of simpler presentations, I didn’t mind that. The fillet was served with a scoop of mashed potatoes and a mixture of green beans and peas, but the sauce and seasoning seemed to be very basic.
However, I could be a little lenient toward a dish that is straightforward and a little dull as long as it was prepared properly and tasted good. Even though I didn’t dislike anything on this plate in the end, I also didn’t love anything, so it falls somewhere in the middle.
Although the salmon wasn’t the freshest, it was still passable. Actually, all of the fat had kind of solidified, making some taste better than others. I also thought the mashed potatoes and vegetables were really boring; I wish there had been some gravy or something to liven up the dish a bit. This item isn’t the worst on IKEA’s menu, but it’s by no means the best, which explains why it’s there.
Garlic lemon cod
IKEA’s garlic lemon cod plate was amazing, but their salmon fillet plate didn’t really impress me. I don’t dislike cod; in fact, I really like it, so I wasn’t expecting much from this dish. What I do know, though, is that the neutral white fish tends to taste either bland or extremely fishy, and it’s difficult to describe it in any middle ground. However, IKEA’s garlic lemon cod ended up being really tasty in spite of my reservations. Despite the fact that a lot of the dishes on this list were bland, this cod was anything but.
Every bite brought out the flavors of the lemon and garlic, which went wonderfully with the delicate, flaky fish. Additionally, I liked that the cod didn’t taste particularly fishy but rather was a valuable vehicle for some really good flavor elements. While the mashed potatoes and peas were admittedly a bit monotonous, they eventually complemented the tasty cod.
Overall, I thought this plate was really well-balanced, and it’s a fishy favorite that I’d definitely go back to the next time I’m at an IKEA. Consequently, it ranks third among these IKEA food court offerings.
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