IKEA Burlington - Restaurant — Restaurant in Burlington

We recently visited the IKEA and decided to try the restaurant. To be honest, it felt less like a restaurant and more like a cafeteria. The atmosphere reminded me of something very basic and functional, but unfortunately, the overall cleanliness was a big disappointment. Almost every table we saw was dirty, and the cutlery was in such poor condition that we ended up washing it ourselves before using it. Even then, it was clear from the stains and overall appearance that the utensils weren’t properly maintained.

The food itself was a mixed experience. I avoided ordering the mashed potatoes because the ingredients were not listed anywhere. The only way to know was to ask the server directly, but since the line was already long, it felt uncomfortable to hold everyone up by asking for details. Instead, I went for something simple like French fries. We also tried their famous meatballs—both the vegan and the traditional ones. The flavor was actually good, but later in the evening I experienced heartburn and stomach discomfort, which left me questioning the overall quality.

On the positive side, I did enjoy the potato and broccoli casserole, which was flavorful, though again the ingredients were not listed. For dessert, the cinnamon bun was decent, though quite soggy, and the carrot cake had a nice sponge base with hints of coconut and nuts. However, I found the cream on top overly heavy and not very pleasant.

Overall, while some of the dishes tasted fine, the hygiene and lack of transparency around ingredients made the experience far from enjoyable. Next time, I would rather bring my own food or eat somewhere else after...

I don't know why I was so excited to try IKEA food or why I would have expected much from a furniture store, but I was disappointed overall. The place was busy and noisy. We ordered from the kiosk and waited about fifteen minutes for our number to be called. They have these weird carts with trays on them that you can use if you've got a lot of plates to bring around. The servers were friendly and efficient. We got the meatball plate and the vegetarian meatball plate. They didn't have the sauce or pumpkin seeds that were supposed to come with the vegetarian plate but we didn't find that out until we got our food. We got the gravy instead. The food was comparable to hospital food (the tray carts don't help with that comparison); the peas and veggie blend (peppers and other veggies) were unseasoned and were just boiled or steamed frozen veggies and the meatballs were alright but the gravy was flavorless. The pear sparkling juice was lukewarm from the machine and was lacking sugar (I know they advertise low sugar, but at what cost?) The best thing on the plate was the mashed potatoes. If it wasn't for the mashed potatoes and friendly servers, this would be a...

We hadn’t been to the IKEA restaurant in a while, but unfortunately, today’s experience was incredibly disappointing. We arrived around 6:00 PM on a Sunday and were met with a long line—a stark contrast to our smoother visits in prior years.

When we finally reached the counter, we were told there were no fries available, and it would take 20 minutes for a new batch. To make matters worse, we weren’t allowed to substitute macaroni and cheese for the fries with the Halibut. Additionally, there was no Lingonberry jam for the meatballs, which felt like a major letdown. Sure, we could have purchased a jar separately from the store, but it’s not the same as having it included with the meal.

After enduring the drawn-out ordering process, we found there wasn’t even a cashier at the counter to check us out promptly.

IKEA, this was not the efficient and enjoyable dining experience we’ve come to expect from you. In the past, even on busy weekend evenings, the lines moved quickly, and the restaurant seemed far better organized. It’s disappointing to see the ball dropped on so many levels...