Brick Valley had been open a few weeks before we finally went. The reviews online were already split down the middle, and with two Lego-obsessed kids at home, we were never not going to find out for ourselves.
The Lego Theme Isn’t Just for Show
We heard it before we saw it properly — both boys let out that involuntary “whoa” the second we walked through the door, and if I’m honest, so did I. A few sets in a display case is one thing. This place has Lego worked into the light fixtures, the fake flowers on the tables, a full Lego City build near the entrance, small details you only clock once you’ve sat down and looked around a bit. Less “themed restaurant” and more like someone let a Lego-obsessed adult loose on the fit-out. It felt closer to Legoland than to dinner.
The Duplo Room Bought Us a Whole Meal
Off to the side there’s a small glass-walled room stocked with Duplo, and that room did more work than anything on the menu. Our son barely wanted to come back out to eat. It’s not big though — get more than a couple of families in there at once and it turns into a scrum. We happened to go at a quiet time and had it mostly to ourselves.
The Food Won’t Change Your Life, and That’s Fine
This is where the online reviews start pulling in different directions, and eating there I could see why. Nothing we had was bad. Nothing made us stop mid-bite either. Two adults and two kids came to $147, which felt steep for food that was just okay — we took a couple of things home rather than finish them at the table. Given what everything costs in Melbourne right now, we tried not to hold that against them too much.
A few dishes keep coming up in other people’s reviews if you’re wondering what to order. People rave about the crispy taro dumplings more than anything else on the menu. The char siu bao apparently has real barbecue pork flavour instead of tasting like plain steamed bread, and the salt-water dumplings get described as golden and a little crunchy on the outside. There’s also beef offal in a rich broth, a chicken feet rice bowl, and pork ribs with a smoky edge that a few people compare to Korean barbecue. We can’t personally vouch for every one of those — some we didn’t order — but they’re worth knowing about before you sit down with the menu.
Getting a Table
It isn’t trolley-style yum cha. You order off a sheet and dishes come out as they’re cooked, which at least means nothing sits around going cold under a heat lamp. Bookings seem to run on a time limit at busier periods — we’ve seen 90 minutes mentioned for some sittings — so it’s not somewhere to plan on lingering for a slow three-hour lunch. On a quiet Sunday we didn’t get charged a public holiday surcharge, though that’s the kind of thing worth confirming when you book rather than assuming.
On the way out there’s a small photo spot where you can grab a free Lego sticker set, which is a nice touch if you’ve got kids who collect things.
Address and Hours
Brick Valley is on the upper level of The Glen, Glen Waverley, near Wagyu Ya Teppanyaki — Shop 1-001, 235 Springvale Rd. Opening hours have shifted a bit since launch, so it’s worth checking Brick Valley’s own site or calling ahead (03 9968 0088) rather than trusting an old listing, including ours.
Is It Worth It for the School Holidays?
Probably, but not often, and mostly for the kids’ room rather than the food. If you’re filling in a wet-weather afternoon during the Victorian school holidays and your kids are old enough to sit through an ordered meal, it’s a genuinely fun hour or two. If you’re closer to Knox, you could easily pair it with a stop at Gumnuts Playland and make a full day of it. For families chasing the same kind of hands-on, kid-driven fun without the price tag of a sit-down meal, our post on the Melbourne museum where kids get to drive the tram is worth a look too.