The annual Julbord - Christmas smorgasbord - at IKEA has been gone since the start of Covid. This year it has returned and we were there last night! There are, two seatings - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. We were at the second seating at the IKEA in Hicksville on Long Island in New York.
The price has gone up considerably - but so have the restaurant prices at the IKEA restaurant - and even the snack bar. The cost per adult was $19.99 IF you have an IKEA Family Card - which is free to get and there are kiosk machines all over the IKEA store to get one from. Without the card the price was (I believe) $25.99 for adults. The children's price was $10.99 - again with the family card.
Tickets were on sale at the restaurant in advance in November and into December. They also had a "reservation" system which enabled one to reserve tickets online and pay for them when they arrived - BUT the reservation did not guarantee you would get in. It only put you ahead of any possible walk ins that could take a chance that after all ticket holders came in and were seated. According to the IKEA website the second seating - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm was sold out but there were people there with reservations and there were people there looking to walk in. Ticket holders were put in one line. There were two other lines for the other two. It did look like everyone did get in and even during the course of the evening they were selling tickets and seating arrivals. We bought our tickets three weeks in advance.
We arrived at 6:10 pm and there was already a line of ticket holders. We were in the first quarter of the line and the line grew after that. The Hicksville IKEA restaurant was renovated and re-decorated in the past three years. The room was rearranged and there were door enclosed refrigerated cases added to the serving counter where there previously were open cases. We were not really sure how much of the smorgasbord, how it was served, or how seating would be knowing the room now was very different. When we bought the tickets there was a sign that talked about the menu and that some items would be served to you by staff.
We were let in at about 6:50 pm and we quickly looked around the room and headed to one of the tables for four near the center of the room. While I had not noticed the band set up in a different place this year from previous years, it turned out that we had a great view of the band that entertains throughout the night. We were glad to see that the same Food Service Manager was still there. He has always been very friendly and very nice. He announced that the buffet table would not be open yet but to be seated and if you wish go up to the soda and coffee machines and help yourself while waiting. The tables were each set with a red or white large paper napkin, with a knife and fork on top, and a glass with another napkin of the opposite color at each seat.
The biggest change was that there was only one buffet serving table. In the past there had been two - both with the same foods and set up to walk down one side and have reach of what was on both sides - so that they could sent a line down each side of the table for people to serve themselves from the many dishes of Swedish foods. At first we wondered if this was going to result in a longer wait when you got on line to go to the single buffet table but it really did not slow anything down.
When the announcement was made that the buffet table was now open, tables started emptying with hungry diners heading for the buffet. The line moved fairly quickly - yet no one was rushed. There was a dish cart with an employee who was handing each diner a dish - which is what they always have done. She was very friendly an smiled with a "I hope you are hungry! Enjoy!" as you were handed your plate. Then you were directed to go down either side of the buffet table. At the very start of where the line formed which was at the usual restaurant counter, there was a man with bottles of Glogg and Sparkling Apple Cider (both non-alcoholic) pouring and handing you a cup of your choice. This led you to the lady with the plates and the food. To the side of the buffet table was a small table with two servers. We wil get back to that later!
On the buffet - at the start of the table there were three different types of Swedish meatballs - one the regular meat meatball in cream gravy, another a plant ball with a chili sauce on them, and the third was a vegetable ball in cream sauce. Following that there was a large bowl of Potatoes Gratin. This is potatoes made hash style and baked with a brown crust on top. Following that were bowls of boiled red potatoes. Two platters of thick sliced baked ham follow followed. Beyond that one on each side of the table were platters of herring - one in mustard sauce and the other dill. Following there were two large bowls of chopped smoked salmon. There was also a large bowl of a cream sauce with what seemed to be potato salad - or it might have been a sauce to pour over the smoked salmon (I did not take any so I do not know for certain). The best in my opinion followed- two large platters of very large slices of gravlax - cured smoked salmon - like lox but more seasoned with a very pleasant seasoning (not spicy - not "hot"). Last on the table was a tray of smoked salmon in a lime sauce. There was a basket of round hard "bread".
From past years, was anything missing. The only thing that they have had intermittently in the past were small "pinsky" sausages. There were none at this buffet. There was also no green salad which had been in past years - though, why fill up on salad with all of these great dishes to try and enjoy!
There was a constant stream of kitchen staff replacing platters on the table. It was not until much later in the evening that I noticed anything not being out any longer and that was the chopped smoked salmon.
Had this been one of the Julbord tables of the past - and this being a very new approach to the buffet set up- and not having the ablility to walk past to see everything on the table before I started taking anything - which I do at any buffet. I took more than I would normally take on the first plate. I took two meat meatballs, a large scoop of the Potato Gratin, a smaller sized red potato, a slice of ham - which I took from the plate at the other side of the table as the pieces in the plate in front of me were very large, two pieces each of the two herring, a lot of the gravlax, a large spoonful of the chopped salmon, and a piece of the smoked salmon in lime sauce and headed back to our table.
I tried a little of everything on my plate first. It was all delicious. I then proceed to eat it all! (It has been three years since the last IKEA buffet we had been to and I love the food served at these.) Between the mustard herring and the dill herring I liked the dill herring best - but the mustard was good too - and the sauce was not overly mustard in taste. The gravlax was exceptional and I did not regret taking as much of it as I did. The ham was good. The meatballs were good. The ham was good - and nice piece of ham with a crust on the outside that was not sweet. The Potato Gratin was excellent! The red potato was a plain boiled red potato - tasty in itself - and a nice taste! We took our time and enjoyed what we were eating while listening to the band made up of an electric organ, an accordion, and a drummer. With other instruments picked up and played as the songs called for them. The music was a combination of classic Christmas songs, songs from Sweden, and Swedish Christmas songs. The woman at the organ/piano had a lot of humorous patter between songs - and they even set up a camera put their performance live on YouTube. They also started calling children to come up and join in dancing, and toward the end of the evening they dressed children up to do the Swedish custom of Santa Lucia - with (electric) candles on one little girls head who was Santa Lucia while the two of the band played the song Santa Luci and the woman marched the children around the room. The kids loved it - as did everyone watching.
Of course, first dish now empty, it was time to go back up. For me it was more of some of what I took first - and at this point the chopped smoked salmon was gone. I took gravlax, of course! I took the salmon in lime sauce. I took meatballs, Potato Gratin, another red potato, more dill herring, and with a full plate headed back to the table.
My picky eater wife who is still a picky eater decided she would try one of the vegetable meatballs - she had taken the usual meat meatballs first - and she said she really could not taste any difference from the all meat meatballs.
I did go back for a third dish - dill herring, gravlax, Potato Gratin, and now there was out a soft flat bread that I took a piece of. As I ate it occured to me that were I to go down to the food section where IKEA sells all of these Swedish foods - were I to buy a small jar of the herring and a package of the gravlax it would have cost more than the $19.99 I paid for the smorgasbord. And other than at a buffet, they are well out of my ability to afford them (even in a supermarket or restaurant)
By then Santa came out to greet all of the children - carrying a yellow IKEA shopping bag full of small stuffed toys which he handed out to the children. Sometimes at these Julbord dinners it is hard to tell who is in the Santa suit but we were pretty sure this was the Food Service Manager.
Oh yes, that small table next to the buffet table with two servers at it - this was one of the best changes this IKEA made this year. This was the dessert table. On the table was a large bowl of Swedish rice pudding, chocolate and coconut covered balls (with a mocha filling), almond/chocolate/caramel cake - a crunchy cake, and there were a stick of cake that was green with each end dipped in chocolate (possibly marzipan???). I had to have some dessert and asked for a scoop of rice pudding and the chocolate/coconut covered ball with mocha inside. Each served to a plate and handed to me - and that is what was so good as opposed to other smorgasbord dinner here in the past. In the past the desserts were served buffet style from a small buffet server. Before most were even finished with the main course, diners would go lto the deserts and pretty much empty it all out. More would be brought out and again it would be emptied in no time. This was the first time at one of these dinners - and not just the Julbord Christmas one - I had a choice of all the desserts because they were all remaining. The rice pudding was excellent.The chocolate ball was good but a little too sweet for me.
From what was said - by the band at the end of the night. There will be a summer smorgasbord coming in 2024. There used to be three - one at Easter, one in the summer, and this one. This past summer there was one at this IKEA but when read the sign about what would be served it talked about meatballs but did not talk about the various fish dishes - and we decided we would not go and hope for the Julbord to come back - which it did and here it was!
I understand that not all IKEAs serve the same way for the smorgasbords - some have no music - and some have you go up to the counter and be served. The IKEA near us is just as I have described in this article. As we were leaving, my wife said to me "Yes!". I asked yes what? She said - yes about the music when we were coming here you asked me "do you think there will be the music and that band again?". So the answer now was - YES!
