Grand Central Baking Company

Amazing almond croissants. Sinfully Delicious. Just made lunch time dessert time. Yes, please. Thanks for the coffee bonus with check-​in. Saved me a few bucks and gave me a caffeine perk. Tried a sample of the pecan Blondie. Also very tasty. Why don’t I come here more often?

Pleasing local bakery. Good quiches. It has a relaxed feel. Plenty of seating for its usual flow. Time to rad the paper over your coffee. You know boring grownup weekend stuff.

Very, very good food. Love the BLT when tomatoes are in season.
But … they can be so painfully sloooowwwww. This is a problem at both the Sellwood and Hawthorne locations. Counter staff needs to up their game. I have walked out more than once.

The scones are too dry and not very flavorful. I. bought a few scones and was really surprised that all of them were just not up to par. Now at first I was thinking that maybe it was me but I had friends who I shared them with and they thought the same. I was very disappointed because they looked very appealing.
I will try them again back in Seattle!

As a bakery — they have a good bread from what I’ve tried so far
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The como rolls have a hearty crust, not quiet like the sourdough hard rolls, but something else different and deliciously affordable at 60 cents.
the cinnamon rolls are good, unique, with a crusty shell.
the cookies are pretty good — this is not my fav, but the wife was pleased with her cookie as it were.
just a nice little place in a sweet little part of town.

We stayed in an Airbnb in the Sellwood neighborhood of PDX last week and happened to stumble upon Grand Central Baking Co. by walking the streets looking for a quick lunch. Upon walking in, there was a line that reached the door and all of the tables were full — it must be good. However, the bakery and equally sized dining room is not a large by any means. This place actually reminded me of Sqirl in L.A. which is a great breakfast/​lunch spot similar in size also with a pastry case in your face to peruse while waiting in line. They also had outdoor tables that were open, but it was an extremely hot day in Portland when we visited.
The line did take longer than expected and the wait for our food was just as long as the wait in line which can be good or bad. Tasty and freshly made sandwiches are worth the wait. Because of the wait in line, we just missed the breakfast sandwiches by 1 minute but it also narrowed down our options. I asked the super friendly cashier what to get and he recommended the BLT so I went with his recommendation while my friend ordered the turkey sandwich. Being in the Pacific Northwest in August should make for some damn good tomatoes so I was happy with my choice. There was a sign on the door that proclaimed that they had tomatoes available — another good sign (no pun intended) that the ingredients are fresh and in season.
The BLT was good and the bread that went along with it was great, but they were a little heavy-​handed with the mayo. Also, the BLT was cut thicker to my liking therefore was not as crispy. The problem with thick cut bacon is that it’s quite chewy and as a result, the sandwich falls apart when trying to bite through the bacon. It made for a messy BLT where BLTs are normally uniform and very easy to eat, this one required many napkins and constant reshuffling of the sandwich to it’s original figure. The individual ingredients were top-​notch though.
I can tell that Grand Central really takes pride in their sourcing of ingredients and the quality of their bread — I will definitely try another one of their sandwiches when back in the PNW.

Delicious, delicious, delicious! Jammer is fabulous — enough to share. Perfect with a cup of tea and some clotted cream! Bread is rustic and divine.

I moved to Portland a year ago and made a commitment that I would try every soup Grand Central Bakery offered until I found one I didn’t like.
It hasn’t happened. I have LOVED, ADORED, THOROUGHLY ENJOYED every soup they make.
I love most of their menu (I haven’t tried everything) but this place is where we bring out of town guests and where we ride our bikes to (Woodstock).
Its my happy place.

First time buyer, I am a fan. They have great breads and awesome sandwiches. The young lady that assisted us was super patient and kind. We had two different sandwiches. I chose the veggie sandwich. Holy crap it was so delicious. I cannot wait to go back and try more items. I would buy bread here if I was having a small gathering at the house.
I want to also try their salads. Portland this place rocks!

Great breakfast + bakery place in Portland, awesome veggie sandwich! So yummy I can eat it all day. Highly recommend to anyone traveling to Portland. I would definitely come again if I am in the neighborhood. A must have for vegetarian if you are nearby!!!

First off, the staff is usually very cool. Never had a problem with them not being friendly or attentive.
The food — hit and miss (hence the 3 stars). While I do enjoy most of their breads quite a bit, in particular they seem to be one of the few folks in town to make a «sour» sour dough bread.
The pastries and treats are usually pretty great. Cookies and whatever sweet concoction are quite often very, very good. Occasional miss like the Rhubarb Yummy — seriously the rhubarb looked like celery and had no taste whatsoever.
Breakfast — not a fan. Biscuits that are more rock like than the bread family. If folks from the South tried these biscuits… they would rise again. Then slap in one of the worst sausages I have ever eaten with egg and cheese you have a breakfast sammy that you put down and toss out. Tried it twice a year apart and both times I went «not good».
Lunch/​Dinner sandwiches — very good. Good quality. Each has a little something unique which you might like or if you are picky will have a hard time choosing what to eat.
Coffee — good as well.
Not a home run for me but A-​Ok like the 3 stars suggests.

Good quality espresso. Great bread. Variety of pastries. Love their sandwich options, but too pricey for such a casual atmosphere.

I’d like to update my experience at Grand Central Baking Company: I’ve been back several times and have had a much better experience each time. I love getting Stumptown coffee and one of their cinnamon rolls and sitting in their outdoor seating at their Sellwood location. I have taken home various breads and been delighted at the quality. I also have been to the new Woodstock location, where the seating is much more generous than inside the Sellwood location.

I had an amazing sandwich there. My son also had a great sandwich. I only gave it 3 stars because I felt like we were rushed out the door at 6 when they closed. I’ve been in restaurants near closing time and they lock the door and let people finish. I don’t feel like that was an option. It’s not like my 11 year old and I were lounging. We were trying to eat our sandwiches. The fact it felt like we inconvenienced the staff tarnished what I felt was one of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time.

A local Portlander recommended we stop by this bakery on our way back from a pedicure. We stopped for a monkey muffin, but the check-​in offer got us a free coffee as well. We also picked up a side kale & quinoa salad as well as an apple tart.
The monkey muffin was sticky and just the right balance between sweet and bready. The apple tart was okay; it really needed more sweetness (I think it could be helped by apple butter instead of applesauce in the middle).
The kale & quinoa salad was brought home to my boyfriend. We had a minor mishap with the salad involving an unintended party (a fly). We called the restaurant and they apologized profusely and offered a free lunch on them.
I won’t hesitate to recommend this bakery in the future given their delicious food and excellent customer service.

Grand Central became my go-​to place while in Portland. They got everything right!
Their workers are so jovial it’s infectious. I was given a free-​sandwich card and honest apologies for getting my sandwich 10 minutes late. I didn’t mind, but the way they handled this really spoke of the place. The pastries, sandwiches and mochas, (oooh their mochas) are really some of the best I’ve had.
With the influx of coffee shops, few get it just right. Grand Central is one of those that does. If I’m ever around Portland again, I will be very sure to swing by this place again.

I am updating a prior review that praised their baked goods but wasn’t as thrilled with the coffee. I learned that they have recently gone with a new coffee vendor and after having stopped by a few times for coffee I am happy to say the coffee has really improved! Additionally they have been making little bran shortbread cookies that are to die for – like English tea biscuits or hobnobs, but better! I will literally buy half a dozen at a time and spread them out over the week…(if they last that long!) and as usual, the croissants are the best in Portland! Excellent work, Grand Central!!!

I’d pulled into Sellwood after a bike ride from downtown, and I was starving. And since I had the toddler, I didn’t really want to risk a boiling phở shower. So I opted for Grand Central, hoping that it had some decent sandwiches. Yes. Yes it does.
I was recommended the BLT by someone that was manning the counter, and it was the best decision I’d made that day. Because I dislike BLTs. Really. I’m not particular about bacon, and I prefer my breaded items to be weightier.
Grand Central changed how I think about BLTs, in part because once again, in what is apparently a very Pacific Northwest thing, the ingredients matter. They only used the crispiest lettuce and the most farm-​fresh tomato slices. The bacon was perfectly crisp and thin enough to break into pieces in your mouth. The mayo… didn’t suck! (I’m not a big mayo fan.)
The chocolate croissant was also great. The chocolate ganache was just the right texture to bite into without being too hard. There were lots of flaky, buttery layers. I’m glad I got it.
And, of course, the coffee was excellent. This place is making me a coffee snob.
Grand Central deserves to be your first stop for great neighborhood sandwiches and pastries.

Very good breakfast choices, but the food comes with premium pricing.
I wouldn’t go all of the time (or I’d be broke), but it is nice for a hearty breakfast to go on the way to work or a loungy spot to bring your laptop to get some blogging or [insert work that requires a laptop here] done.

Ever heard of a Simit? Nope, neither had I until a couple of weeks ago when I was on vacation and popped in this Grand Central for a monkeymuffin (the gooey, nutty pull apart that is my ultimate fav here) and saw the blackboard special sign «Simit with cream cheese». That’s when I learned Grand Central may be the only bakery in the NW making these delectable, sesame seed coated, «bagel-​esque» rolls that are rooted in ancient times and Turkish in origin.
Applying the theory that calories don’t count when on vacation (my scale reminded me of the folly of that theory when I got home) I bought the monkeymuffin and a simit. Simit is now on my Grand Central favs list too. Great by itself, my modality, or I imagine also with cream cheese or hummus, to make a sandwich, to… Seems to me the opportunities to enjoy a simit are endless.
Damnit for my bad fortune that the Simit from Grand Central is tree hour plus hour drive from my front door. If your home is in Portland, what are you waiting for? Buy a Simit. Or several. But don’t forget the monkeymuffins and a loaf of artisan bread.
THIS N THAT:
1) SEATING TO EAT IN: The name here indicates bakery AND café. As for the café part, this is housed in an old building (1905 ish former grocery store perhaps), the inside is small and seating is very limited so I took all to go. Just saying for planning purposes if you’re coming from out of town.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: Looks like folks using wheelchairs could get inside given double doors and place counter order. Although may be tight otherwise to sit a spell at tables. Just a note for planning purposes.
3) PARKING: On street in the neighborhood is a bear, but so it goes in Portland.