In life news, after growing accustomed to the Union Square/St. Marks area of the city the past 4 years, I’ve relocated to be closer to work and moved into a new apartment in the Financial District last week. Luckily this new location also makes the always necessary, post-move-in journey to Ikea that much easier, as the free* water taxi to the Brooklyn Ikea is just a few blocks away. (*weekdays it costs $5 each way, but just give your water taxi receipt at checkout and get $5 merchandise credit on a minimum $10 purchase, so it’s basically free)
Our trip to Ikea ended up being a bit last minute, so having caught the 8PM ferry to Ikea and knowing the last ferry departed at 9PM (which we still ended up missing), we went with a gameplan: Swedish meatballs and shower curtain rings (among other small purchases). Anyone who has ever been to Ikea knows that you can get stuff for CHEAP (our TV stand was $20!). This, of course, includes food. From 99 cent breakfast to 50 cent hot dogs to their ubiquitous Swedish meatball platter (which was $5 for 10 meatballs, mashed potatoes, garden side salad, and a drink), food at Ikea comes at some of the lowest prices you can find (and it’s actually good).
I was actually not starving, so to get my fix while saving a couple bucks, I opted for the Kid’s Combo of 5 Swedish meatballs that comes with either mashed potatoes, fries, or mac and cheese, as well as a drink. Add a side of garlic toast, and you have dinner for a ridiculously cheap $3.
Overall, with non-Swedish food options like salads, pasta, and chicken, all at super low prices, the Brooklyn Ikea is a great dinner option even for non-furniture shoppers, especially for those living near Pier 11 where the free water taxi departs. A boat ride with views of the Manhattan skyline and dinner for $5? Not a bad idea at all.
