IKEA Restaurant — Restaurant in Charlotte

The IKEA Restaurant in Charlotte: A Culinary Catastrophe

If there was ever a restaurant experience that deserved less than a single star, it would be the IKEA Restaurant in Charlotte. Typically, one might not expect five-star dining from a furniture store cafeteria, but even the most basic expectations were shattered during my visit. What I had hoped would be a quick, satisfying meal turned into a culinary nightmare that I would not wish on anyone.

The troubles began with the mac and cheese, a dish that is nearly impossible to get wrong. Yet, somehow, IKEA managed to defy the odds. Instead of the creamy, cheesy comfort food I anticipated, I was served a bowl of noodles coated in what can only be described as dosa batter gone horribly wrong. As much as I appreciate the crispy, savory goodness of a well-made dosa, it has no place masquerading as mac and cheese. The tangy, fermented flavor overwhelmed my palate, leaving me questioning whether this was an experimental dish or just a gross mishap.

If I thought things couldn’t get worse, I was sadly mistaken. Next came the chocolate cake—a dessert that should be a reliable ending to any meal. But this cake was no sweet treat. Instead, it tasted alarmingly like mint toothpaste. The texture was passable, but the flavor was as if someone had emptied an entire tube of toothpaste into the batter. Each bite felt like an assault on my taste buds, leaving a lingering medicinal aftertaste that ruined my appetite altogether.

The rest of the dining experience didn’t redeem these culinary disasters. The ambiance was bleak, with cafeteria-style seating that felt more like a high school lunchroom than a restaurant. The service was lackluster at best, with employees looking as though they, too, were questioning their life choices.

IKEA’s tagline may be “Designing for the many,” but if this restaurant is anything to go by, it seems they’ve forgotten about the importance of quality food. While their furniture may have its fans, their food should come with a warning label. If I could give the IKEA Restaurant in Charlotte zero stars, I would—no hesitation, no regret.

For now, I will take solace in knowing that this meal was a lesson learned: next time I visit IKEA, I’ll stick to buying furniture and skip the...

Took my mom shopping for some much needed furniture and thought hey let's get some lunch while we are there. We were here when this Ikea opened and it had great food service and ambience. Today I cannot say the same, the entire dining area was abysmal and void of life, the nice seating areas by the windows were all blocked off and we were told we couldn't sit there. The food was expensive and couldn't even fill us up halfway. I got the breaded fish with mashed potatoes and peas and my mom got the grilled chicken with rice beans and plantains. The food was maybe the most bland food I've ever had in my entire life. Mashed potatoes were worse than boxed mashed potatoes, there was no salt, butter, pepper, or anything that went into it and it was dry and tasted like nothing. The fish was cooked well but honestly the serving size wasn't even a full filet. The fish was also not seasoned in anyway and there was just no kind of flavor. The same applied to my mom's meal. There were only 2 employees in the entire cafeteria and neither seemed like they had any kind of energy or awareness, essentially zombies no offense to them, I'm sure they merely adapted to the environment and culture of Ikea. Lastly the drink machine didn't even work. So I spent 25$ on a lunch with my mom and honestly I should have just gotten a refund. I'm going to take my mom to Culvers or something now but honestly we were really disappointed in what was once a great place. The same level of ambience and employee apathy could be seen in the furniture section of the store and the overall experience was just soulless. I will not be coming here again not for food, not for...

My wife and I have always been loyal IKEA customers, not only for their products but also for their restaurant, which we’ve frequented without issue. However, our recent visit to the IKEA restaurant in Charlotte, NC, was marred by an incredibly disappointing experience that I feel compelled to share.

Upon approaching the counter to place our order, we were met with dismissive and discriminatory behavior from one of the employees. The staff member appeared to judge us based on our appearance, making us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. Despite there being no apparent reason for this behavior, the employee refused to take our order.

At this point, we asked to speak with a manager. Thankfully, Zack, the manager on duty, quickly came to our aid. He handled the situation with professionalism and empathy, apologizing for the employee’s behavior and immediately taking our order. His response reassured us that this type of treatment was not typical of IKEA, and we truly appreciated his efforts to resolve the matter.

It is deeply disappointing to experience such behavior at a company we’ve always admired. Discrimination of any kind has no place in a customer-facing business, and employees like the one we encountered can harm IKEA’s reputation and drive loyal customers away. While Zack’s prompt action helped salvage our experience, it’s unfortunate that we were put in this situation in the first place.

We hope that IKEA takes this feedback seriously and ensures better training and oversight of its staff to prevent others from facing similar...