2 days Ago By [email protected] (Robson McCallister)
Despite being in a furniture store, I had never felt more uncomfortable. Confused? Let me backtrack. I was inside Birmingham IKEA, once voted as the best IKEA store in the world.
Despite its Birmingham name, I was actually in the Black Country, Wednesbury to be more precise. Read More: I visited Birmingham IKEA named 'best in the world' - but there was one problem It had taken 40 minutes to get here and I had lost track of time inside the labyrinth when I decided I might try something. After my eventful first ever IKEA visit , the bistro caught my attention just as I was about to leave the furniture shop.
A turnover pizza at Birmingham IKEA (Image: Robson McCallister/BirminghamLive) On one section was a number of people ordering meals on touch screens, the few that worked anyway. On the other side was a growing section of customers waiting in anticipation, like they were waiting for a ticket to be called at the post office. A pork hot dog at Birmingham IKEA (Image: Robson McCallister/BirminghamLive) Known more for quick snacks than the restaurant, I knew I wasn't going to get meatballs that would have me buying ABBA vinyl and browsing Stockholm flights.
Turns out I wasn't going to get meatballs in general because they weren't on the bistro menu, I went with the pizza (£1.95), pork hot dog (£1.75) and cinnamon bun (£1.
50) A cinnamon bun at Birmingham IKEA (Image: Robson McCallister/BirminghamLive) In less than a minute, I was served by friendly and faultless staff and made my way over to the dining section which is where things began to fall apart. The bistro's atmosphere was uninviting with pop music on speakers interrupted by colleague announcements every forty seconds. Most uncomfortable of all was my seat, I've never wanted to ask for a cushion in Burger King, but here we are.
The three-legged stool was essentially a decapitated chair with any hope of back support nowhere to be found, potentially lost in a separate section of the warehouse. But as I whined about a first-world problem, I found something else to moan about. I was worried the pizza, resembled more like a hot pocket would burn my mouth off, so was pleasantly surprised to escape unscathed.
However, there wasn't much to it in terms of taste with minimal amount of tomato sauce leading to the result of a chewy chunk of dough. As I picked up my hot dog, the sausage jumped out of its bun and onto my napkin, showing a sign it didn't want to be here either. Sending it back home between the bun and adding mustard to bring it back to life, it ended up being fine and serviceable.
The added crunch from the onions was a bonus, but I'd be lying if I said I finished it. Finishing off with the cinnamon bun, it simply smelled like happiness. Although taste didn't match the smell, it was still fine and easily the best of a bad bunch.
I'm not sure I would recommend it but if you were quite hungry, that would be my bistro pick out of the three. With all the moaning out of the way, I can say the prices are still unbeatable and the food wasn't exactly terrible. I think the IKEA bistro is best for people who are hungry and just need something to settle their stomach.
People weren't staying long, and I'm not sure if that was because of the food or the seats, but at least I was right by the exit. Prices: Turnover pizza - £1.95 Hot dog £1.
75 Cinnamon bun - £1.50 Total cost: £5.20 This review was independent, conducted at random and all food and drink was paid for by the reporter.
