Review: 41426 Heartlake City Park Café

Mia loves waffles -- so this new eatery in the park is perfect for breakfast, or any time, to fuel up for the day's activities!


Box front has the standard BFF heart inset, so we know this is a Heartlake City setting, rather than any sub-theme. The purple flanges have the art doodles that started in 2018.
It shows this new, updated version of a Park Café with doors open wide, ready for customers.


Box back shows Stephanie preparing the waffle batter. It's great that she still has her baking interest after the 2018 reboot.
A few funny insets of Mia :-)


Box top has brick collage and our mini-dolls names -- with Stephanie illustrating the 1:1 part ratio.
The box bottom only has product printing, not worthy of a photo.


One side has another brick collage, and then we have our scene slice side with that silly squirrel riding Mia's skateboard!


Box contents: Instructions book, stickers, 2 tan plates, two numbered bags and a Legoland ticket for kids.


Bag 1 parts: Inner bag holds new for 2020 prints.


Inner bag 1 of Bag 1 has the new Heart-shaped Waffles! Yum! Plus we get some square waffles with strawberries from 2019.


Inner bag 2 of Bag 1 parts.


Up close of both waffle types.


Here is Stephanie in a chef's apron with a swirly pastry over ziggy pink print, which wraps around with cross straps and ties. She first wore the top in 41401 Stephanie's Play Cube and the bottom in Baking Competition 41393.


Mia gets a coin, skateboard and magenta helmet. Her orange, brown and yellow lightning bolt pattern shirt and olive green cargo shorts first appeared in 41395 Friendship Bus.


Sticker sheet -- all cute and fun. I really like the fleur-de-lis pattern in green for seat cushions.


First we build the small grassy spot with stools, table with umbrella -- plus that sneaky squirrel.
We get chocolate and strawberry sauces!


Then we start building the small cafe -- which is more like a kiosk, since there's no inside seating. The French doors are a main focus and feature, so I wanted to show the underside hinge frames that hold them. The grey rounded plates come in handy. I wish we didn't have to use a wood grain sticker, since printed tiles exist.


The bottom door supports are ready, and we've added square waffle maker, batter bowl, some new heart waffles, strawberry sauce, and chocolate sauce to the counter. The start of ice cream machine with the yellow.
So that's everything we build from bag 1 parts -- plus a very nice amount of spares!


Bag 2 parts: Nice to get a 3x3 heart plate in dark pink that debuted in 2019. The 1x4x6 door frames are new in Magenta for 2020.


Inner bag of Bag 2 parts: New 2020 bright yellow color of the 5-petal flowers. Lots of 1x1 round white bricks, plus 1x2 white round plates that are so useful.


We've added all the parts to create this small eating place. The doors open by using the small grey groove plates on the bottoms. The tops use the half round white tiles to "round out" so it carries through with the round bricks, and thanks to those round 1x2 plates. It's very nice and similar to the Friendship Bus doors.
We build the striped rooftop with with Café on a pink coffee cup and a large heart-shaped waffle sign separately. Lots of lovely flora!


Café is done -- and the front is very inviting!
Plus spares.


Inside shows the ice cream machine sign is somewhat obscured by the door. We put the dark pink plate on a shelf under the counter drawer. We have a square waffle iron, bowl of batter, and a whisk at the ready!
The sign that has the hours and a yummy waffle graphic sits up thanks to a white inverted roof slope tile.
The table has chocolate and strawberry sauce containers for customers. The fleur-de-lis stool seat pattern is nice on the yellow, although better on white for me. At least the stools are a good one plate extra height for mini-dolls!
The Menu sign is on the interior wall and we have a batter bottle for making it easier to get onto that iron. The heart-shaped waffle iron must be away on a shelf ;-)


Everything you build for this set. The French doors have lovely pink fleur-de-lis with white floral scroll graphics, and flower boxes as stickers. Honestly, these could be printed, because I think lots of AFOLs would use them in many house, shops, and other "buildings" as MOCs.


Another look at our scene with Mia skating in the park and realizing she's hungry. Good thing the "Open" sign board is set out. Waffle Chef Stephanie comes out to take her order ... as a squirrel takes a seat.
The inside of the doors have floral arrangements across the top -- so they are beautiful open and closed.


Stephanie goes inside the open air kitchen to get the batter ready for the waffle iron. We put the pen and List tile in the drawer. Those heart-shaped waffles sure are delicious looking arranged that way!
There's also an ice cream machine with choices of strawberry, chocolate, and mint (or pistachio?).
That squirrel isn't giving up!


Mia has her waffle on a plate, heading to the table that has a chocolate sauce bottle and strawberry sauce jar.
"Squeak, squeak" -- what's that? I think that squirrel is hoping Stephanie will make another waffle :-)


Stephanie is happy with her new Heartlake City Park Café, and Mia is about the taste waffle love!


Mia decides to try and skate away to avoid sharing with that silly squirrel! Good luck with that -- squirrels are fast in a park!

Summary:

I adore those French doors! I want to have them in all my house and shop creations now! The way they are designed on the hinges, allowing for the inner wood plank, is so very much like real shops and that is inspiring!

For AFOLs who like to build eating places, I recommend this set as a starter, and then expand on it. I might try my own later. Yet, built even as it is now -- a place in a LEGO layout could be found near a park or busy city setting.

In 2012 when Friends launched, I went to TRU specifically for the first version of City Park Cafe 3061 and it was already sold out! This one will most likely be popular too. For a small'ish Friends set, this packs in a lot: Great design, fun to build, 2 mini-dolls, cute animal, and super printed parts!


Disclaimer:
This set was provided by The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer.
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.
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