IKEA Restaurant — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

So, picture this: the IKEA restaurant, our sanctuary, after endless furniture-shopping expeditions. Believe me, we practically live there with the amount of time we spend browsing through their maze-like aisles. It's like our second home!

Now, imagine walking into the restaurant and feeling like you've stepped into a school canteen. You join the line, grab a tray like you're back in your high school days, and start the adventure. First stop, the salad and dessert section where you can load up on greens and sweet treats. Then, you meet the cheerful chef who happily serves up your desired dish, like a food wizard behind the counter. It's a magical experience, really!

As you make your way through the line, you become a multitasking pro, grabbing garlic bread, soup, cups for drinks, and cutlery as if you're on a mission to conquer all your dining needs in one go. But wait, the adventure doesn't end there! Before you can savor your well-earned meal, you have to pay for everything at the cashier. It's like a final challenge, testing your patience and your ability to balance your tray like a pro. Olympic tray balancing, anyone?

Now, onto the food itself. The Swedish meatballs are a no-brainer choice. They're like little flavor bombs that explode in your mouth with every bite. Trust me, they've perfected the art of meatball magic. However, if you're feeling adventurous like I was, you might be tempted to try something different, like the Havana chicken. Prepare for a disappointment! It's like they took a tiny piece of chicken, sprinkled it with a dash of spices, and called it a day. It left me wondering if I accidentally ordered a chicken nugget from the kid's menu. Lesson learned: stick to the meatballs!

Oh, and speaking of adventures, my wife and I decided to go on a healthy route and got a salad. She, being the chicken tender enthusiast, went for the crispy chicken tenders. I'm happy to report that they actually made her chicken-loving heart sing. Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, they were the heroes of her meal. As for the salad, it added a touch of green goodness to our dining experience, making us feel somewhat virtuous amidst all the furniture shopping indulgence.

In the end, the IKEA restaurant is a quirky and convenient spot to refuel during your shopping escapades. Just remember, when in doubt, go for the meatballs and embrace the canteen-like atmosphere with all its nostalgic charm. Who knew furniture shopping could be so...

Everything was really clean. I’d say the restaurant itself is kinda like a cafeteria style restaurant where you grab a tray and grab the desserts you like. There’s a menu of entrees and as you move down you tell the workers over the counter which one you want. Pay at the cash register and drinks, utensils and clean up is something you have to do yourself. When you’re done with your food, dump the leftovers in the trash and place your tray on the shelf. It’s been about two years since I’ve had their meatballs and it is something I still enjoy eating; especially with their gravy and cranberry sauce. Their peas and mashed potatoes were quite bland so if you could sub it with another side, I’d try that. I also got their Stockholm salad which I LOVED. It came with smoked salmon, a mustardy-dill dressing that was quite strong and a little side of potato salad. As a fan of dill and mustard I didn’t mind how strong the flavor was but if you don’t like it, maybe go...

Don't eat there I got very sick off there food I had to go to the hospital I ended up staying in the hospital for a few days with food poisoning an I'm a vegan an it was cross cataminated an Also the vegan hotdogs were old an the vegan suggestions were very poor and also the regular mate that I've seen on the line I wouldn't touch it and so who's ever vegan don't eat there because you can get food poisoning and it wasn't fun so my advice to anybody don't eat there you can't get sick and I noticed that the grill was never cleaned and the food they run out of food and when you asked what some of the food back they won't do it they're rude inconsiderate and don't...