Review: 42691 Garden Restaurant
Posted by MeganL,
It seems that every year the Friends team comes out with a set that can rival the modulars with respect to interesting design and build techniques (remembering fondly 2025's 42670 Heartlake City Apartments and Stores).
This year's entry, which caused quite a stir when it was revealed, is 42691 Garden Restaurant. The architecture looks stunning, and makes great use of the new warm pink colour. You can almost feel the North African breeze while building...
Summary
42691 Garden Restaurant, 1,465 pieces.
£119.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 | 8.2p / 8.9c / 8.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An absolutely beautiful building with modular worthy building techniques
- Excellent use of the new warm pink colour
- Welcome addition of north African architecture to Heartlake City
- Introduction of tagines
- Lovely finishes throughout the build
- Fabulous printed tiles
- Is it really a restaurant?
- Where are the dogs?
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the perfect box there are nine numbered bags, two 8x16 plates, and an instruction package with a large instruction book and a sticker sheet. I was surprised to see that for a set this size, there were only seven stickers! Note that three of the stickers have something indicating that this is a restaurant, as there is little else in the build that suggests that's what the building is.
I'll note that the focus on my review will be the build experience and details. While I know there will be considerable interest in the pieces that are available in the new warm pink colour, I think that analysis is best left to our friends at New Elementary and elsewhere.
Minidolls and animals
There are five minidolls in the set. In a bit of a departure, four of the five minidolls are members of the core Friends crew (though I believe this is the only Olly appearance in this wave). All the minidolls come equipped with an accessory, though Aliya has to make do with only a pair of sunglasses. The printed tile that Autumn is carrying looks to be the same as the invitation to 42666 Cat Birthday Party, so perhaps Churro has taken his party to the next level?
Zahra is introduced in this set, and is dressed in an absolutely gorgeous halter dress in a rich fuchsia with generous gold trim. It looks like she's the proprietor of the establishment, as her accessory is a checklist. Aliya and Autumn are both dressed for a day in a hot climate, and are likely looking forward to some time in the pool that's found at the front of the building. I like Autumn's purple strappy tank top with green belt.
Zac and Olly are also dressed casually. Zac's wearing a shirt with a motorcycle logo, and Olly looks snazzy as always in a patterned blue vest over a blue striped shirt. Love his metallic sneakers!
Not to be left out, there are three cats in this set. If Autumn is holding an invitation to Churro's party, someone forgot to invite Churro, as he's not here!. Instead, we have Peri, Nugget and Poppy. Peri and Nugget we have met before, but if memory serves this is the first time we've met Poppy. They're certainly a striking cat with their bright orange colour!
It seems like there have been a lot of cats in sets lately - which I don't mind, but as a dog person, I wonder when there's going to be equity for my canine friends.
The completed model
This is a beautiful building, with many inviting details to explore.
The back view shows that there's just as much detail from that angle.
A view of the corner shows the welcome station and upper lobby.
The side view shows a seating area upstairs with a breezeway on the ground floor.
Let's take the tour, shall we? We're greeted at the entrance, where two stairs lead to the doorway, that has some weeping willow pieces draped over it. Above the door is a sign saying "Restaurant" leaving no doubt as to what the building is. Which is actually a good thing, because as I was building this I was not at all convinced this was a restaurant, so the sign was helpful.
Crossing through the doorway, the minidolls enter a breezeway that features some lovely printed tiles in the floor. This is a first look at the curtain build with gold accents. I'm in love with the 1x2 printed tile that's used for lamps throughout the build.
At the end of the breezeway is the reception area, where a sticker indicates ithat it ncludes the Point of Service (POS) system. That's the only indication for this area that this is a restaurant, as with the bell on the counter one might think this is a reception desk for a hotel or social club.
Moving around to the front of the building, there's a lush oasis-type scene with a tiled pool and fountain as the focal points. The tiles seen in the floor of the breezeway are the same featured in the fountain and the pool.
The fountain is quite intricate, with the water spilling in the clamshell at the bottom. The faucet and a leaf at the top provide nice golden accents.
One side of the pool features two snowy white loungers with palm fronds. It looks like an idyllic spot to rest.
So idyllic, in fact, that the loungers are popular with visitors.
(Note: lounging sloths are not included in this set.)
A tea set is at the ready at a table next to the pool, so if the Friends happen to get chilled while lounging in the pool, they can warm up with some hot tea on the sofa. Another type of printed tile is featured on the settee; similar to the floor tile in styling.
Overlooking the pool are windows from the upper floor. The windows are framed by curtain builds that are similar to the one downstairs. This picture shows the detail of the roof tiles, as well as the build of one of the taller palm trees.
Passing through one of the doorways by the pool leads to the very cozy study. A large sticker provides some details of books and other items on the shelves. Two pet food dishes are on the floor, assuring the Peri, Poppy, and Nugget will not go hungry.
The main focus point in this room is the hearth with the roaring fire. Two comfortable chairs are positioned around a small floor rug. I won't spoil it for you, but the build techniques used for the fireplace are a highlight of this set.
Moving upstairs (not sure how, as there are no discernible ways to get there), above the breezeway is a secluded table for two set for dinner. The tin hat pieces repurposed as tagines is an inspired choice. An umbrella provides some shade in addition to the nearby palm tree. I like the detail of the carpet in this area, and the build technique for the chair is also another interesting take.
Beside the private dining area is an upstairs lobby. This is another good look at my favourite printed tiles on the lamp. I think this view is a great example of all the fine finishing touches in this set. It would have been easy to just finish this section off with tiles, but instead the designer added some texture by adding the triangle pieces at the top.
In case you were worried that this is a Friends set with no bathroom, you can rest easy! Of course there's a bathroom, and of course it uses two of the stickers for this set. The mosaic above the (rather long) toilet is a very pretty pattern and I like the featured paw prints on it. I do wonder, though why the bathroom doesn't have any doors? There's no way to get to/from the bathroom from other rooms in the set.
The main area of this floor has a buffet. Another tagine is found here, as well as several types of fruit, some greens, and most importantly, some cookies. While this could be a buffet restaurant, the POS system below suggests otherwise. This looks to me to be similar to a breakfast buffet at many hotels.
Finally, we head one more level up (again, not sure how, as there are no stairs) there's another dining area set for two surrounded by greenery. In addition to the palm fronds, there's a lemon tree found up here.
As this area is a little more exposed and doesn't have a nearby palm tree, an arbor provides some shade for the upstairs diners.
Overall thoughts
This is a beautiful set! While all the attention will be on the building in this set, the minidolls are very nice too, especially Zahra in her lovely fuchsia dress. Meeting Poppy is a nice addition to the cat population.
The building, of course, is lovely and makes terrific use of the warm pink colour. While the architecture would certainly give the necessary north African feel, the pink colour really brings the effect home. I think this colour would fit well into any City layout as the warm pink is not quite as bright as other Friends colours. The Friends team continues to lead the way for diversity with the use of the tin hat pieces as tagines.
There are so many lovely details in this set, and the build techniques are stellar. A few times during the build it felt like I was building a modular, especially with the fountain and the fireplace portions. It's easy to have adult expectations of this set, but this is at its heart a play set. My typical quibbles as no stairs between floors (or doors to the bathroom) would definitely be a critique for a set geared to adults, but not so much for one for a younger audience.
I do have questions, though, about whether this is a restaurant. I know it's in the name, and there are detailed stickers that provide additional guidance. However, it doesn't feel like a restaurant to me. Maybe it's the pool in the front, maybe it's because there isn't a kitchen. At the end of the day, this is a beautiful building that happens to have food in it.
Is it worth $130? The build techniques would satisfy any AFOL, and for the price point, may be a lower cost option to a modular.
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21 comments on this article
Welcome back, Prince of Persia!
Just looking at this, it looks like a great parts pack. The Warm Pink fills a gap sourly left by the purge, and I’m happy that it does. Also, where has a Metallic Silver teapot been?
Ahhh, it is gorgeous! Last year I was fiddling with the idea of designing a Moroccan resort hotel, and now Lego Friends has done it for me! Thank you for the great review, MeganL!
When we were kids, my friend Trev used to give me grief for never using the doors and stairs that I would include in my Lego builds; the minifigs would just float from location to location. That being said, it looks pretty easy to reach the bog - you would just need to grip the pillar and (carefully) swing around the wall.
I like the oriental style, something we see not enough from Lego.
Another great set in the lego friends line! I will definitely buy a copy.
They can call this a “restaurant” all they want - but, honestly, it feels more like they really wanted to do a hotel with a specific foreign flair, but worried about ethnic stereotyping accusations etc.
The buffet room being so bare/open besides the table itself makes it feel like that could have originally been a hotel room that got converted over hastily - remove the table and you can easily fit some beds etc in there.
To be clear, I love the design overall. But I also 100% would remove the restaurant sign and adjust that buffet room into a clear hotel room (and probably move the buffet itself down to the study/lobby somehow with some editing). Then it’s just what to call it…the Grand BuddyPet Hotel?
I love everything about this set, I’ll definitely get one if I have the chance. I would also just remove the restaurant themed stickers though, this could pretty much just be used as a house.
Great review, Meghan. Friends knocking it out of the park with great design, inclusivity and business types in Heartlake City- as usual.
2x and you've got yourself an amazing Moroccan riad.
Thanks for the review. It's indeed a beautiful set and it also reminded me of Prince of Persia. The video game, not the Lego sets. ;-)
Ah yes, pink. Truly the most underrepresented in the color palette, it is one which has far too few options
That was sarcasm btw. It looks nice I guess but did we really need another hue? There's already so many to keep track off on Bricklink... And all the while we can't have trans neon colors because they're 'too similar' to the- Okay I'll stop.
Anyway, very nice model. Feels a bit small of 130 euro though, but it also looks more spacious than usual at least.
Paradisa, is that you..? I love the set and its architecture! I look forward to seeing MOCs with it. That being said, I wish it had a bit of a kitchen since that is one of the most important parts of a restaurant.
beautiful set. a heavy mod of this could make a cool extension to 10297 Boutique Hotel
This is actually one of the top sets I would like to get in January. It’s probably a Lego exclusive knowing my luck though.
@Binnekamp said:
"Ah yes, pink. Truly the most underrepresented in the color palette, it is one which has far too few options
That was sarcasm btw. It looks nice I guess but did we really need another hue? There's already so many to keep track off on Bricklink... And all the while we can't have trans neon colors because they're 'too similar' to the- Okay I'll stop.
Anyway, very nice model. Feels a bit small of 130 euro though, but it also looks more spacious than usual at least."
You're looking at it this the wrong way - this shade of pink is pretty damned close to Paradisa-pink. Don't you see? They're bringing the colours back, Binnekamp! The loop is stabilising! We're already seeing such egregious hue-shifts in our greys that they might as well be Nearly Stone Grey, now we've got Kinda Sorta Paradisa Pink - this can ONLY herald the glorious return to the trans-neons.
You hear me, Kristiansens? It can ONLY mean that.
@chrisaw said:
"Welcome back, Prince of Persia!"
My, thoughts exactly.
To me this looks nothing like a Friends set.
It's not bad per se but not a style I would be looking for to buy.
@Librarian1976 said:
"Restaurant? Looks more like an Arabian harem to me."
I think if that's your takeaway from Moroccan architecture I think that says more about you than about the set...
There are plenty of dogs in the other 2026 sets, even a bakery exclusively for dogs with a big "no cats allowed" sticker on the door, which I find more upsetting, and I counted at least 15 dogs in the 2025 line-up. No need to put the lack of them in one set as a con just because of personal bias. There never were more cats in Friends sets, so relax.
@Binnekamp said:
"Ah yes, pink. Truly the most underrepresented in the color palette, it is one which has far too few options
That was sarcasm btw. It looks nice I guess but did we really need another hue? There's already so many to keep track off on Bricklink... And all the while we can't have trans neon colors because they're 'too similar' to the- Okay I'll stop.
Anyway, very nice model. Feels a bit small of 130 euro though, but it also looks more spacious than usual at least."
I concur and I'm wondering every year about new fresh colors, but there is never a very light grey, which would be super helpful for everything Sci-Fi / Space / SW.
It's a very nice set and thank you, for the review, MeganL. I like it but I think it cannot compete with 42638 .
Does Autumn have back printing? From product images it looks that way, so wondering if her torso been updated to the newer mould that allows full printing
Great review! I think I might modify it to have a kitchen instead of a study, and more dining area where the pool is. It's such a lovely set; I love the printed tiles.