I paid $20 for a ticket to IKEA's all-you-can-eat annual Swedish Christmas feast — here's what it was like to attend 'Julbord' in NYC

Kylie Kirschner Jan 15, 2024, 13:32 IST

IKEA hosts an annual Swedish Christmas feast called JulbordKylie Kirschner

IKEA stores host an annual Swedish Christmas feast in their restaurants called "Julbord."
The feast is served buffet style and includes a huge spread of traditional Swedish Christmas dishes.

IKEA is best known for its wide array of furniture and home goods, but its ever-famous meatballs have to be a close second — lingonberry jam optional.

Though the meatballs are delicious all year round, they're also a popular holiday dish. As it turns out, IKEA actually hosts an entire Swedish Christmas feast each year at every one of its stores, and the meatballs are only a small part of the festivities.

The feast is called Julbord, which translates to "Christmas table" in English, and consists of multiple courses of traditional Swedish specialties. IKEA, a Swedish company, has been running Julbord celebrations in its stores since 2009, a company representative told Business Insider. IKEA's Julbord feast is served as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I recently went to IKEA for the very first time (I'm not sure how that's possible either, don't worry), and through pure serendipity I happened to go on the very day my local IKEA in Brooklyn was hosting its annual Julbord — so of course I had to attend.

Here's what it was like.

First I had to get to IKEA.

I went to the IKEA in Brooklyn, NYC.Kylie Kirschner

We went straight to the food court.

The restaurant was closed when I got there around 2:30.Kylie Kirschner

Tickets cost $20 per person.

Tickets cost about $20 per person.Kylie Kirschner

There was quite the line to get in.

There were many people waiting.Kylie Kirschner

The restaurant's cafeteria was decked out in festive decorations.

The restaurant had festive decorations.IKEA

After claiming a table, I went up and grabbed a tray and silverware.

The tray read "Hej!"Kylie Kirschner

There were five different plates of cold appetizers in the cases.

There were a variety of cold appetizers.Kylie Kirschner

Then I added a plate of hot food to my tray.

This is where I found the famous meatballs.Kylie Kirschner

I grabbed some knäckebröd.

I grabbed some crispbread.Kylie Kirschner

Then finally, I sat down to eat.

I ended up with a lot of food.Kylie Kirschner

My table had a view.

I could see the Manhattan skyline from where I sat.Kylie Kirschner

Then it was time for dessert.

Dessert was self-serve at a long table.Kylie Kirschner

I also grabbed a cup of glögg.

There were bottles of this holiday drink near the desserts.Kylie Kirschner

I tried some of everything.

I tried some of every dessert.Kylie Kirschner

Later on, I saw some familiar items in the store's Swedish food market.

There were frozen meatballs that customers could buy and take home.Kylie Kirschner

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I paid $20 for a ticket to IKEA's all-you-can-eat annual Swedish Christmas feast &mdash; here's what it was like to attend 'Julbord' in NYC