There’s certain things you expect from a trip to Ikea. Simple Scandinavian design. Major kitchen envy. Getting so lost in the showroom that you contemplate the pros and cons of living there permanently, and deciding there aren’t any cons. And, of course, the food.

Ikea’s restaurant has long been found to cure both spender’s guilt (sure, you just spent $1200 on a sectional and fifteen pillow shams, but that $1 hot dog kind of evens it out) and group tension (it’s said that 19 percent of all divorces are prevented by Swedish meatballs). For some Vancouverites, sweet thoughts of the Ikea restaurant are what psyches them up for braving the journey to Richmond or Coquitlam.

Richmond is my home Ikea location, and I’ve never seen a reason to venture to the exotic land of Coquitlam to get the shelves I lack (only real Ikea stans will get that brilliant joke). But this week, Coquitlam earned a bit of an edge over my hometown homewares hub: Ikea Foodbox, a food-truck-style outdoor spot for those iconic Ikean eats.

This is the first Ikea Foodbox in all of Canada. Situated on the upper deck of the parking lot, the trailer serves both Ikea staples (think frozen yogurt cones and kid’s menu meatballs) and brand-new menu items, most notably the plant-based VӒXT Burger. The VӒXT Burger is $5 and comes with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and vegan mayo sandwiched in a vegan bun, with an option to add vegan cheese for $0.50. The non-vegan KӦTT burger is also available in a non-vegan bun. Ikea will assemble the burger for you, no Allen keys required.

Though the Foodbox is built to look mobile, Ikea doesn’t anticipate moving it; the burger box is here to stay. A covered outdoor seating area has been built, as well€”let’s face it, Ikea, October in the GVA isn’t exactly known for blue skies. For colder days, a drink menu with cappuccinos and lattes is available, and more seasonal items will be introduced in the future.

Vegan or not, everyone deserves that post-Ikea fuel-up. Even if you have to go to (eyeroll) Coquitlam to get it.

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.