IKEA opens its first high street restaurant

Meatball fans rejoice…the Swedish retailer has opened the doors to its first standalone restaurant located on Hammersmith high street, but misses a trick in choosing not to serve alcohol.

IKEA, known for its labyrinthine homeware stores, and wildly popular meatball dishes (not to mention those packs of mini Dime bars), has opened its first autonomous restaurant in Hammersmith.

Instead of being located within the Hammersmith city IKEA store, the restaurant is next door, meaning diners don’t have to get lost among the compact furniture aisles to enjoy a bite.

The space, formerly home to a Wasabi restaurant, opened on 31 October and has been kitted out to seat 75 diners, and serves a wider range of Swedish dishes than is typically available inside IKEA stores, and for very reasonable prices.

Included on the menu is a dish of eight meatballs served with mashed potatoes, peas, cream sauce & lingonberry jam for £5.50. Also featured is salmon with couscous and yogurt for £6.95, and penne pasta with tomato and basil sauce for £2.95. Fish and chips will also be available, along with kids’ options.

Missed opportunity

However, IKEA told db the restaurant does not have a licence to sell alcohol and currently has “no plans” to apply for one, which seems rather a missed opportunity to serve Swedish wines.

According to Swedish wine expert and author Alf Tumble, the country’s wine industry has started to gain momentum “in the last five to seven years” with “long-term investments being made”.

With 200ha of vineyards mostly based in Skåne in the south of the country, Swedish wines benefit from this close location to the coast, which helps to regulate temperatures, with the sea breeze also keeping disease in check. Solaris, a hybrid developed from Riesling and Pinot Gris, is the most planted white grape variety is Sweden, while Rondo is widely planted for reds.

Due to Sweden’s monopoly system, winemakers are currently not permitted to sell their wines at cellar door, though key players have been lobbying the government and there are rumours that the rule may soon change to allow a maximum of four bottles per person to be sold at wineries if accompanied by a tour or tasting.

As db previously reported, Swedish wine is starting to be exported internationally on a broader scale, with US$21.7million worth of wine shipped out in 2020, growing to US$26.3 million in 2021, showing a positive trend.

“We know how much our customers love the IKEA restaurant and we’re excited to celebrate the opening of our very first high street restaurant,” said Matthew Gould, market manager at IKEA London City. “Fans of our delicious dishes can recharge during their shopping trip with our famous Swedish meatballs, pop in for a traditional Swedish ‘fika’ break for coffee and a sweet treat, or find an affordable meal for the kids right on the high street.”

IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943, and first opened its doors in the UK in Warrington in 1987.