IKEA Yearly Midsummer Buffet 2024 Review

Every year around June, IKEA hosts a Midsummer Buffet full of fish, meatballs, salad, and more. You have to be an IKEA Family member (which is free) and buy a $25 ticket in person on a previous day. I attended the Calgary buffet, and here is my full review!

Venue

The buffet is hosted on the second floor in the Swedish Restaurant area where you can normally buy their classic meatball dishes, among other things. The centerpiece was a large table of appetizers and desserts:

Appetizer Table

The rest of the food was located at the regular serving area and included salmon fillet, meatballs, peas, potatoes, marinated herring, and salads. I didn't get pictures of this area since you have to line up and I didn't want to slow the line down, but it looks pretty much the same as usual just with the additional self-serve salads and herring.

The appetizer table looked very nice, but overall I was a little underwhelmed with the setup. I expected there to be more than one table, and it generally felt like the same IKEA restaurant as always. Then again, they clearly made an effort and this is a one-time event at a pretty reasonable price, so I can't complain.

Line and Serving

There was a bit of a line to get in at opening time (5pm) but if you get there a bit earlier you should be near the front of the line.

You could just walk up to the appetizer table at any time and get the items you want. Although there was only one table, there was never really a line. The table had two mirrored sides of the same appetizers.

At the regular serving area, the salmon fillet, meatballs, peas, and potatoes were all served by people. Personally, I would've preferred if they were self-serve because I wanted a bit of peas and potatoes, but when I asked for them I got a large amount (which is not ideal for a buffet). The salads and marinated herring were self-serve from small metal bowls.

The drink stations (water, sparkling water, soda, and coffee) are included.

I'm glad that I didn't have to wait long to get anything, however, there were a few times when things began to ran out and were not refilled quickly. For example, the strawberries on the cake platter were a hit, but I don't think they were planning on refilling those until the cake itself ran out.

I would recommend arriving near the beginning, around 5pm when all the food is full and fresh. The buffet runs until 8pm so if you really want to, it seems like you can stick around for 3 hours!

Food

Now for the important part!

First, the appetizers:

All the appetizers were quite good! My favourite was definitely the salmon rolls (miam miam!) as they had a nice smoky flavour as well as some freshness. The slices of bread with herring or shrimp were also enjoyable, but I felt that they needed proportionally more seafood because the bread was overpowering (and filling).

It may be location-specific, but looking at this 2019 blog post, there used to be smoked salmon and shrimp salad available without the filling carbs.

Next, the food from the main serving area:

The potatoes and peas were nicely cooked; the salmon fillet looked delicious but unfortunately, I felt like it was overcooked and a bit bland.

The salads were good, and the marinated fish were a standout. They had a good texture and flavour (which could be an acquired taste for some). I did feel like they were a little too sour after a few pieces so I had to eat something else in-between.

Marinated Herring (maybe it was the amount of mustard sauce near the bottom making it sour)

I didn't personally have any meatballs, but I was told that they were "yummy, 6.5/10, a bit plain and rubbery but still cooked well and good with gravy". 

Last but not least, dessert:

Although there weren't many options for dessert (pretty much just this cake, croissants, and cookies), the strawberry shortcake was delicious and moist. The strawberries were all ripe and juicy as well.

Conclusion

$25 for a buffet is pretty cheap here, however considering IKEA's restaurant is usually quite cheap, I was expecting more variety and/or fancier items like smoked salmon and shrimp without the carbs.

It's possible that they did this because many people stay for 3 hours to eat more; personally, I would rather they reduced the length of the buffet and focused on quality.

I had a fun experience and am glad I tried it out (I'd give it 3/5 miams), but I probably won't go again next year unless they improve the food selection or lower the price.

Hope this was a helpful review, see you next time!

Ana