The $2 Food Court Trick That Makes Your Next Ikea Shopping Trip 10x Better

Some people rhapsodize about the wonders of the Costco food court, but I, who's never been there, feel no FOMO whatsoever since I'm 100% Team Ikea. Who needs membership fees when Ikea's food court, a.k.a. the Swedish Bistro, is actually one of the cheapest places to eat, and its in-store restaurant has many unskippable foods besides meatballs (although they're good, too)? One thing both Ikea's food court and restaurant have in common is that the drink selection is unique to most American restaurants: The soda dispensers feature a unique lineup of both Swedish and American flavors. One way to experience this offering is to make a Swedish-American mashup of cola and lingonberry drink, which will cost $2 (the price for anything from the Ikea soda dispenser).

The lingonberry drink isn't a soda, since it's still, not sparkling, but it is just as sugary. Even if you haven't tried the lingonberry jam that comes on Ikea's meatballs, plant balls, and pancakes, the taste will probably be very familiar: It's a ringer for the same kind of cranberry sauce you've probably eaten every Thanksgiving of your life. The reason is that lingonberries and cranberries are closely related, although the former are somewhat sweeter.

Since Ikea's drink dispensers are self-serve, there's no need to memorize a recipe. Just pour an ounce or so of lingonberry drink into a glass, then add an equal amount of soda. Taste it and decide whether you like the 50/50 mix or whether you'd rather have more of one ingredient or the other. For a more soda-like effect, however, you may want to go heavier on the fizzy cola.

Lingonberry drink and cola aren't the only beverages on the Ikea drink station, of course. The dispensers also feature water, sugar-free cola, and sparkling, sweetened drinks flavored with lemon, pear, and raspberry. All of these can be mixed with cola (either standard or sugar-free), resulting in a beverage that has quite a bit more fizz than the aforementioned lingonberry mashup. You can also mix them with each other — I like a combo of lemon and raspberry.

My favorite Ikea drink hack, however, is one I only do when I'm dining in the restaurant and planning to sit for a spell. I pour half a cup of tea (which is free for Ikea Family members) and allow it to cool as I eat my meal. Once it has cooled off, I combine it with the sparkling lemon drink from the soda dispenser to make a half-sweet sparkling Arnold Palmer.

I've even mixed cooled Ikea coffee (also free for members) with creamer and sparkling raspberry drink for a beverage that goes great with princess cake. Coffee plus creamer and cola could work, too, like that TikTok coke with espresso and cream, or you could mix creamer with any of the flavored drinks for a DIY dirty soda. (Or dirty juice, which is what you'll have if you stick with the lingonberry drink and don't add any extra fizz.)