This is a late post and although I am almost sure that by this time, most all Jakartans (and probably Indonesians) have probably visited this store at least once, let me bring you my two cents about the gigantic IKEA chain, the long-awaited VERY FIRST store in our beloved Indonesia!

IKEA started as an idea in the woods of southern Sweden 70 years ago, and the IKEA concept has been developing ever since. The IKEA store is designed to be family friendly, where people can get new home furnishing ideas and inspiration, touch and try the products, dine in the restaurant or enjoy the store experience.

The first IKEA store in Indonesia is located in the Alam Sutera area of Tangerang. I would say, FINALLY!! Because in some other South East Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand, IKEA already exists for quite sometime. IKEA Alam Sutera has been officially opened since 15 October 2014, and until now, it’s still a popular destination for Indonesians.

I remember I wanted to go there on the opening day and I arrived at 11.30AM to find out that the parking area (capacity of 1000 cars) were totally full, and we had options to park our car in the malls nearby and take shuttle bus to IKEA. I could imagine how packed it was inside, so I decided to leave and come another time. I left for Sydney, Australia for a month afterwards and my first visit to IKEA Indonesia was actually later in January 2015.

It was about 3 months after the opening but I could see people were still into it. I went during weekdays and thank God, I could actually enjoyed the showrooms and did my shopping spree with much freedom. I told myself I definitely don’t wanna go there during weekends! Geez, is IKEA Indonesia the new DuFan (Dunia Fantasi in Ancol, the popular amusement park in Jakarta) or something?!

 

 

 
My favorite unit! 

 

 

 

Here you will find inspiration from over 55 smart room-set solutions and three complete homes, all in a two-level stand alone store. Covering 35,000 sqm, including a 700 seat restaurant and over 1,000 parking spaces, you will find everything you need under one roof to transform your home into the most important place in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After walking around the showroom, of course I stopped by the IKEA restaurant which is famous for its Swedish Meatballs. During my visit, many food from the menu weren’t available but luckily, I could try the meatballs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Swedish Meatballs IDR 40,000 (10 pcs)
The infamous IKEA’s Swedish Meatballs are available in 3 serving options: 10 pcs for IDR 40,000; 15 pcs for IDR 50,000; and 20 pcs for IDR 60,000. The only problem is that the meatballs are usually accompanied with lingonberry jam, which unfortunately is not available in IKEA Indonesia until now. The meatballs are okay, but I think the sizes are quite smaller than the ones served in IKEA abroad?

 

I tried other snacking stuffs such as Butter Croissant (IDR 9,000), Chocolate Brownies (IDR 12,000), Mazarin (IDR 18,000) which is sweet and yummy, Pancake (IDR 6,000) which looks like dorayaki, also the Strawberry & Lemon Mint canned drinks (IDR 16,000 each) which I recommend if you like refreshing fruity drinks!

 

 

Finishing our time in the cafe, we continued walking through the first level until we found the cashiers, and proceeded to the Food Market, where they sell various food and drinks like biscuits, cookies, jams and others.

 

 

Before the exit, we stopped by the small stall buying Hot Dogs, Chicken Bread, and Ice Cream (they are sold separately but I suggest buying the set menu for best deal!). The hot dog is simple and nice, I love the soft buns and the long sausage. If you need condiments like chili, tomato sauce, or mustard, those are available in the dispenser just beside the stall.

 

 

The chicken bread is surprisingly nicer than I expected, served warm and fresh, the bread was crunchy and had a nice texture of dumplings bun. The chicken filling is spicy and savory, it was good for something as simple as this.

 

 

The highlight of this stall is the Ice Cream (IDR 4,000), which is interesting in many ways. When you buy from the stall, the staff will give you the cones and coins, which you’ll need to put inside the ice cream machine by yourself. Actually you only need to put the cone in a slot, insert the coin to the machine, press a button, then just wait and see your ice cream being prepared by the machine. It’s interesting show, and better yet, the ice cream is milky and definitely worth the 4,000 rupiahs spent!

 

 

 

IKEA has the system of “self-service”, which is understandable because it originates from western country, where the people are more independent and capable of doing things themselves. In Indonesia, however, there is no such culture and honestly, it is a bit embarrassing to see that people are ignorant, just to follow a little system. For example, there are so many signs in IKEA cafe stating that we need to take care of our “rubbish”, put the tray back to certain area, etc, but in my visit(s), I always saw some used tables being left just like that. I mean, clearly, the people knew about the system, but they just didn’t bother to follow it. It bothers me. Like, seriously.

Although I told myself not to go during weekends, my second visit was on a Saturday, and as expected, it was fully packed and it was even worse nightmare in the cafe. Well, I guess it was my first and last time going on weekends!

Anyway.

I am happy that IKEA finally opens in Indonesia!

 

 

Visited on: 12 & 24 January 2015
 
 

** The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.
 
  

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IKEA ALAM SUTERA
Jl. Jalur Sutera Boulevard No. 45
Alam Sutera
Serpong, Tangerang 15320
Ph. +6221 2985 3900

Store Opening Hours:
Monday – Sunday 10.00 – 22.00
Restaurant Opening Hours:
Monday – Sunday 09.30 – 21.00


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