Grand Central Baking Company

We went here looking for bakery-​fresh rye bread for home-​made reuben sandwiches, but had to sample the coffee and pastries as well. If you are tired of the thin, bitter coffee and surly service we have come to expect at Starbucks, you will love this bakery and coffee bar. The pastries are fresh and tasty, and my cappucino was perfectly made. We bought a whole bag of pastries and the coffee for less than $ 30. There is plenty of in– and outdoor seating, and the big indoor space is light and airy. We didn’t try the sandwiches, but the menu looked appealing. And the reubens we made with the sourdough rye were excellent.

Great bakery for breakfast or lunch especially if you want something quick but delicious! The only downside is they have no dairy-​free pastries or gluten-​free options.
My favorites =
1. Egg salad sandwich — great twist on classic made with olive bread and sundried tomato aioli
2. Tuna salad sandwich
3. Rotating soups are always very good

Tried the donut muffin as I’m curious about all hybrids — it was decent! It had more of a muffin texture with a donut exterior.
Big airy space, and plenty of free parking in the garage — great spot to go for some baked goods and coffee.

Good size place with outdoor seating and free two hour parking in the structure. Grabbed a coffee and pastry while I was there and it was good. People were very friendly and it wasn’t that crowded on a weekday afternoon. If your are in the area then check It out

I live right next to Grand Central, and I’ve only been maybe three or four times over the past two years. For me the food is consistently good and delicious, however, you pay a price that you do not want to be paying on a daily basis. I believe that is because the ingredients are pretty high quality, so I’m okay doing that every now and then. I also only go if I really want something (breakfast sandwich, normal sandwich, pastry) in a pinch since it is so close. If I have the time I’ll go elsewhere in Seattle for a really good breakfast or breakfast sandwich at a more reasonable price. If you are interested in those places feel free to message me!
All in all Grand Central makes good, high quality food. Nothing that will blow your socks off, and a bit pricey. Their bread, in my opinion, is really good, and I always buy a loaf from the local supermarket.

Oh so good. The turkey and chutney sandwich is probably my favorite sandwich on the face of the earth (although a long, long time ago, it used to be the chicken and chutney sandwich, and i liked that even better). Add a triple chocolate cookie and you are in heaven. Some of the other pastries are really good too – I really like the bread pudding muffin and chocolate croissant.
The only thing I don’t like about this location is the ambience. In Portland, all the Grand Centrals I’ve been to are in super cute, standalone buildings. This one’s strip mall location makes it feel a little soulless, more like a Panera to me. Although I do appreciate the easy parking and the loads of space.

After a two more visits, I have to upgrade to a 3.5÷4 star. Coffee tasted great on both occasions. Staff was friendly as always. I didn’t try any pastries, but split something (quiche I think) and it was pretty solid.

The service and the quality are all second to none as far as we’re concerned. My husband is super picky with bread (German family used to make all their own bread). When I told the staff person (terrific young red-​haired girl named Rachael?) that we’re looking for artisan bread that doesn’t have huge air holes in it, she suggested their «Campy» Campagnolo. My husband said it’s the best he’s ever had. Now we either have to drive to Seattle each week or get lucky and find it at an eastside QFC (they’re frequently out of it).
Rachael also shared a fantastic vegan recipe with me. A manager happened to be helping us the next time, and was equally super — very friendly and helpful. Wish I could remember your name, but THANKS! Grand Central’s the best.

This place is great for lunch and bread! I used to work close by and whenever I wanted to treat myself, I would come here. Everything is made from scratch! My dad is a German baker, so I am super picky when it comes to pastries and bread. This is the second bakery I have found where the bread is crunch on the outside and soft on the inside like I am used to. All of the pastries are really good! Their pie crust is by far the best and you can buy frozen ones there if you want to make your own pie. They take orders for thanksgiving which I took advantage of last year and most likely will do again this year. Their souls are also delicious! My favorite is the turkey sandwich.

I frequent this café because of how goof the coffee is and the staff is phenomenal!
The breakfast sandwiches are all delicious and I can’t rave enough about the Grilled Cheese! The best soup hands-​down is the tomato soup. You really have to try it to understand. Lastly, the staff is extremely friendly and the environment is welcoming. I always end up tipping over because they really deserve it!

I had the amazing quiche. It was too good! I cannot wait to go back and try more, and to take goodies from Grand Central Baking company to events.

Being an infrequent visitor to The Grand Bakery Café, I recommend it as a nice pit stop. They serve lots of pastries, breads, sandwiches, in addition to daily specials on soups, salads, etc…
I’ve never been blown away on the quality of food here but the outdoor seating offsets it for me. The workers seem like everyday ordinary people and typically have a gregarious charm.

Well the seasonal BLT returned, and I was greatly disappointed again. Two small sad pieces of bacon that looked like Oscar Meyer made them and a sliver of tomato all for $ 9. Guess it’s all over with them now.
If you want a great sandwich and soup for less money. Than walk over to great northwest soup company nearby.

Idk. I am not feeling this place. It was very basic. It was a free breakfast sandwich for me because I was taken to breakfast, but it was a total waste of calories. I did not like the chai tea and I was not a fan of the rolo bread. I ordered a bacon rolo and without the bread, there was nothing special about the egg or bacon. Given the price, it should have been memorable for something other than the price.
Absent the Unilocal check in offer for a free drip coffee, I see little reason to give this place a try.

Really yummy pastries. I especially recommend the tomato relish with biscuit. Surprisingly delicious — although I was skeptical about the name «relish.»
Also their jam that they leave at the pick up counter, free of charge (!!), is super delicious.
I really like the convenience of this place and I’m sooooo glad they finally got wifi.
Service is great, people are really nice and do their best for you. Great neighborhood bakery where I like to pick up loaves each week!

I think this place is a bit underrated. The space is good for working or for chatting, or catching some sun on the patio. The sandwich I had (turkey chutney) was very good and I like their bread. I think the pastries are also good (not great, but good). I don’t really care about service as much, but the folks at the counter could use some prozac in their cookies!

the café is set up very nicely. everything looks pretty much new. I had a pecan sticky bun and all i can say is: it was really, really, really sticky. and sort of hard. i am not a pecan sticky bun aficionado, so i can’t tell you if it is supposed to be the way they have them. but it tasted good to me.
i do question the refrigeration style of the low, open cooler that has all the cans of drinks and sodas at the front where people line up to order. I got one of the sodas and it wasn’t very cold. seems like a cover should be put on it to keep the cold items cold.
bathroom was nice and clean too. i didn’t use the provided parking, but i think they provide some. i got very lucky with free street parking right in front for a 9am meeting.
i did see one of my companions get a coffee beverage that had a leaf design put into it. it looked nice… it looks like they serve café vita. i know i have had and liked café vita coffee.

Still loving Grand Central. Two of the most unassuming pastries have become my favorites. Typically I’m seduced by the siren song of the chocolate croissant with its buttery, flaky layers and dark chocolate insides. But I recently tried a sampling when purchasing pastries for a family gathering, and grabbed a jammer and a latte dunker. The jammer is a bit homely, like a lumpy scone with jam on top — but it’s delicious! Fruity jam, not too dry and not weirdly moist. The dunker is a real treat — crispy and covered in caramelized sugar glaze!

I’ve had their pastries here many times but because I’m trying to be more health-​conscious I chose the Harissa roasted vegetable salad. It did take a while to prepare but it was during the lunch rush. The place was busy and loud and I couldn’t hear my name when it was called. However, I have to give it up to the woman ringing up the orders because she was very polite even though I saw how people in line were on their phones or busy talking and weren’t acknowledging the person taking their orders. I would. lose. it.
The salad was very good, flavorful and spicy and it didn’t need much of the lemony yogurt dressing that it came with. I did pick up my favorite pastry on the way out – the jammer. A thick biscuit with jam baked in the center. I fall for it every time.

I used to hate this place, but now I am starting to come around.
Let’s start with the cons:
1. They are quite slow. Even when the there is no one else in front of you and there are two people making sandwiches or working the espresso machine, they often seem more involved in talking to each other than getting your food/​drink ready for you. Forget about it or call ahead if it’s during lunch.
2. They are mostly locally sourced and organic, but some of the things they abstain from are just weird. They do not have a microwave to warm up ANYTHING, so if you order the quiche or like your hand pie warm, you better show up when they come out of the oven. Also, if you get a large carafe of coffee to go, they do not have individual packets of sweetener, sugar, or cream, so you will have to hope they decide to give you enough empty coffee cups to fill up from their pourers.
The pros:
1. Their food is decent to exceptional, and this includes the baked goods and sandwiches. Their sas-​squash sandwich is to die for, and I am not even a vegetarian, and their lamb chimichurri is worth the visit alone. Sadly, these were both seasonal sandwiches (gone now) at the same time, so deciding between the two was pure torture.
2. Make sure to check out their twitter feed. For the last several months they have had a ‘tweet treat’ almost every other day that could include a free loaf of bread, a cookie, a coffee drink, or a cinnamon roll.
Overall, I would recommend this place if you are either not in a hurry or just want to pick up something from their baked goods case. Just watch out for the cold quiche!