Grand Central Baking Company

I want to give this location a good review, I love grand centrals products. But this is the second time in a few short weeks I’ve gone in around 845 am to get a breakfast sandwich. This is the second time I was told «I just sold the last biscuit, it’ll be at least 20 minutes before we have more ready.» Come on! You are a bakery, that sells breakfast sandwiches, on biscuits, in the morning. This is poor planning!!! I just want a yummy sausage egg biscuit! Once I went there for lunch and while what I ended up ordering was delicious, I was also not able to order my first choice because they were out of a component. What a bummer. Not sure I’ll make the trek again just to be disappointed.

So happy when they moved into the neighborhood, halving the distance i had to travel for real bread We get most of our bread there, though I recently started baking – have to figure out how to make a Campagnola. But there’s more to Grand Central then bread. The pastries are delicious but a little spendy. The sandwiches and such look pretty medium. Biggest improvement needed here is more staff. Eight people in line and only one of the registers occupied. Some of the staff here are very nice; some look right through me.

Got an olive loaf. It was delicious. Price is very reasonable. Friendly atmosphere. Great location with many different business in walking distance. I got it to go and they asked if I wanted it sliced or not. I opted for sliced. They also have a punch card that gets you a free loaf of bread after so many are purchased. I took one although I dont live in Portland. I was happy with my purchase/​experience.

We stopped in to get a rustic baguette.
They were awesome and sliced it for us.
We also tried a «dunker» pastry which was delicious.
I wish they had a slightly bigger variety of baked goods, but it does seem to be a smaller location than some of the other ones

No longer a favorite!
After several years of buying bread at the Sellwood location, I decided to try lunch here, and bring my parents. Suffice to say, I was rather embarrassed to have done so after telling them what a great place this was.
First of all, I cannot say a bad thing about their bread, it is still a very well produced product, and I still believe it’s some of the best in Portland. Their lunch menu leaves a lot to be desired for this reviewer however. My Dad ordered a curried chicken salad and a bowl of soup. Even not being a curry fan, he enjoyed the food, but charging $ 14 for a bowl of soup and a scoop of salad over greens is terrible. You could have a nice meal in a restaurant for that. Sorry, but that is complete price gouging and I don’t appreciate it.
For myself I opted for the Mediterranean Melt sandwich, which was the real letdown. Just the sandwich alone was $ 7.75, and it was small. A few pieces of cheese, basil, and tomato relish should not be that much. I’m willing to pay good money for good food, but this is silly. Worst of all, the sandwich was completely soggy on the bottom side after it was grilled and put on my plate. How does that happen? Normally when you toast or grill bread it holds up well with condiments or spreads. My guess it this would be easily avoided if there was at least cheese on both sides and the relish in the middle. Sadly, it spoiled the lovely taste and texture of the kalamata olive bread which I usually buy a loaf of.
I realize it’s difficult to maintain quality control and keep prices reasonable when you’re an expanding business. Having worked 8 years at a bakery myself, I can appreciate the amount of labor that goes into everything. However, I just cannot abide by this.
Don’t get me wrong, this is still a great place to grab a nice loaf of bread and I will continue to do so, but as for lunch forget about it. I know they work hard here, and despite how busy it gets, it’s very clean, and very welcoming. Just a shame not everything is up to standard.

We have been to the new Grand Central location on Woodstock several times since it opened… The food is always well prepared and delicious. The staff are usually friendly and courteous. BUT the music is EAR BLASTING, which makes it impossible to sit down for a meal. Every time I have repeatedly asked them to PLEASE TURN DOWN THE MUSIC and I am getting really tired of trying to explain the obvious (it is ear damaging loud!). My family and I may not return, in spite of the excellent food & service. It’s one of several places in Portland which uses LOUD often obnoxious music to encourage customers to order, eat and leave as fast as possible. If developing long term ear damage is not an issue for you, this is the place to go.

It’s amazing how you can walk in and not be greeted.
Stare at a few menus to see what they have and then stand at the counter and the skinny manager guy and the big chick (who apparently has working for grand central for 10 years and once worked at Denny’s) don’t even acknowledge your existence as you wait for service.
And as they kept looking at me, carrying on their conversation, and organizing the 5 pastries available I gave up.
As I headed out the door they told me to have a good day.
Glad I wasted a pit spot on the way home to Oak Grove to try the new grand central. What a joke!
Management shouldn’t be this dumb in customer service!
As I drove home I am so mad I didn’t turn around and say something. I question if this was racial provoked or something.
I am huge on customer service and the lack there of was disappointing.
I may have been in a tank top and yoga pants but it’s Woodstock for 1 and for 2 you know nothing about me and that I went in there wanting to spend a good chunk of money.
Maybe they didn’t like me being Asian or maybe they were just too into their own conversation to care about being paid for providing service.

I had the blueberry muffin and it was definitely yummy. The service wasn’t super friendly but it was rather early when my toddler and I rolled in.

Came in and got breakfast the other day and it was perfect! The young woman who made it communicates with me about what I wanted and was very pleasant and delivered a delicious product quickly. I don’t know her name but she had blonde hair. Awesome you guys I will be back for sure!!!

Excellent pastries (not in love with the biscuits though), good coffee with free refills (yay!). Bright and cheery though the lovely wood floors ensure that any noise carries throughout the place. A little pricy for some things but free coffee refills kinda makes up for that.
Unfortunately for those of us that were hoping for a nice quiet place to work remotely, this isn’t it. It is better suited as a place to meet up with friends and have a delicious pastry and a chat. Like the lovely coffee shop across the street there are lots of families with kids here. Sunday morning is the worst. Fortunately, most of the kids are well-​behaved with parents that are attentive and quick to address any rowdiness. This neighborhood is filled with families with young children so most of the businesses seem to cater a bit to that. And rightly so.
The service can be a bit slow but that is likely more due to the popularity of the place than any inefficiencies of the staff or setup.

I make a side trip to Grand Central Baking Company for a loaf of the Como when I am out grocery shopping or running errands. I can’t eat the pre-​packaged, processed bread options at the grocery store. Yeah, I am kind of a bread snob.

When you think of the word «BAKERY»…what comes to your mind first???
My mind thinks of pastries and sweet treats… NOT just bread and cannonball-​like muffins.
Sadly, I think you should refer to yourself as BREAD company NOT baking company. While I get that you actually BAKE the bread… Again, bread is NOT WHAT I THINK OF when I think of BAKERY.
The blueberry muffin was so dense, it required 2 mugs of coffee during consumption. It was tasty — just really dry and heavy.

Unilocal, I have done it again
I have sinned here many times before
Toast, myself again today
And the epicure is Grand Central pastry
Feed my friends
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am soft and kneady
Warm me up
And bread me
Ouch, I have hunger pangs again
Whole grain train Peasant Levain
Yeah, I think Rustic rescuing
Lost for words and I feel European
Feed my friends
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am soft and kneady
Warm me up
And bread me
Sia soon

A bit overpriced but the almond croissants are to die for. I have also found to coffee to be better than any of the neighboring coffee shops. This place is a short walk from our home and has definitely become a regular stop for us!

Love GC! So glad to see another location!
Pro tips: order bread or roll you enjoy with any sandwich — don’t like a bolo or rye — ask for something else. For a nominal $ 1.25 more they’ll put any sandwich on a croissant — breakfast or lunch. Killer good!
I greatly appreciate the locally sourced, sustainable ingredients and ethical business model. Sure you can get a cheaper sandwich at a fast food place — but at what cost to your health or the environment?
Coffee — also excellent! I appreciate a properly made wet cappuccino and GC gets it right each time.

So grateful we have a great spot in the Woodstock neighborhood. After a few visits, I can tell they have worked out a few kinks and now have smooth and friendly service. The space is always super clean and well stocked. You can order ahead so you don’t have to wait so long or possibly go without what you wanted.
My personal favorite is their tomato jam they put on my breakfast sandwich. I could eat a jar of that stuff alone.
I’m always able to find street parking and can get quite a few other errands done since it’s so conveniently located next to a bunch of great shops.
Our neighborhood really needed a new spot to grab a bite and that is family friendly.
Our family really loves their Challah bread and always order ahead before Holidays or Sabbath.
Next time you’re in the area, give them a shot. Coffee, lunch, pastries, breads, soups… plenty of options.

I was awaiting this location to open for a while, a perfect stop on the daily commute– grab coffee, grab a breakfast sandwich and grab bread on the commute home.
I’ve been there three times and haven’t been impressed, which is unfortunate– Woodstock needs more options.
My opinion– It’s too expensive for what you get. Breakfast sandwich is way too expensive and isn’t exceptionally good. Coffee is good, though I prefer a larger cup size option for some days!
Final verdict, good for bread– need to step up their game on breakfast sandwich value (value=price+what you get for said price)

Really good coffee.
WAY overpriced breakfast sandwich that was just ok. Apparently a «bolo» roll is just ciabatta which I’m not a huge fan of (but that’s my own personal hangup so not reflecting that in the score). Sandwich was under-​seasoned, even with the relish, but the ingredients were high quality.
Killer monkey bread croissant.
Overall decent, but way too expensive for what it is.

Did not think it possible, but they have duplicated the irritatingly slow service of the Sellwood store.
The baked goods are great, but the atmosphere of slow servers begrudgingly serving a long impatient line of customers will keep me from coming back.

Carbs. Caffeine. Children. Yup, you’re safely within the Grand Central Bakery wheelhouse.
The newest location is on Woodstock across from the Safeway and within walking distance to the nail salon and liquor store, so super convenient for running errands and taking care of business. This Grand Central’s best features are the beautiful Salim behind the counter and the counter itself — long blond wood panels all across that contrast the weathered brick wall that runs perpendicular. Size is on the small side, though it’s not as crowded as the one in Sellwood. Yeah, I’m a regular. Just pour the carbs and Americanos down my throat. But no wifi. So much data. Sadness.
No big game changers for the menu. There’s your seasonal sandwiches and salads, pastries, and tons of bread. If you like the other Grand Central bakeries, you will probably like this one. I do, but you knew that. Also, first!