IKEA Restaurant

Here is a statistic that tells you everything about the cost of eating in Iceland: the most popular restaurant in the country is an IKEA cafeteria. Not a celebrated chef's table, not a Michelin-starred tasting room, but a self-service canteen in a furniture warehouse in suburban Gardabaer, serving Swedish meatballs to 25,000 people a week. If that sounds depressing, you have not eaten there. And you have not seen the prices everywhere else.

Why It Works

The IKEA restaurant succeeds in Iceland for the same reason it succeeds everywhere — affordable, predictable, filling food in a family-friendly environment — but the effect is amplified in a country where a simple downtown lunch can cost ISK 3,000-5,000 per person. At IKEA, you can feed a family of four for less than a single main course at many Reykjavik restaurants. The maths are unarguable.

The Food

You know IKEA food. The Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce and mashed potatoes are the signature dish, and they are exactly what they are everywhere in the world: comforting, reliable, and unreasonably satisfying for the price. The salmon is decent. The soups are hot and filling. The hot dogs — over 150,000 served annually — are the kind of simple pleasure that requires no justification.

Recent additions include vegan meatballs (the "plant balls") and vegan nuggets, which are competent if not inspiring. The cake selection is better than it needs to be, and the ice cream station churns through 140,000 servings a year.

The Experience

This is a self-service cafeteria. You grab a tray, move along the counter, point at what you want, pay at the till, and find a seat. The dining area is large, bright, and designed for maximum throughput. There is nothing romantic about it. There is also nothing stressful — which, after a few days of navigating Reykjavik's restaurant scene, can feel like a luxury in itself.

Practical Tips

Getting there. IKEA is in Gardabaer, about a 10-minute drive south from central Reykjavik. Free parking for hundreds of cars. Not practical to reach on foot from downtown, but easily accessible by car or bus.

Best time. Weekday mornings are quietest. Lunchtime (12:00-14:00) gets busy, and weekend afternoons can feel like half of Iceland has turned up. The food is the same regardless, but your patience will vary.

Combine with. Smaralind shopping centre is nearby. Some travellers combine an IKEA meal with a shopping stop, which makes the suburban detour more efficient.

Budget strategy. If you are travelling Iceland on a tight budget, IKEA is not a guilty pleasure — it is a survival strategy. One meal here saves enough to fund a nicer dinner elsewhere.

Yes, it is IKEA. No, it is not an authentic Icelandic dining experience. But it is cheap, filling, and honest, and in a country where the cost of food is a genuine concern for budget travellers, that combination deserves recognition rather than snobbery.