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Grand Central is a solid bakery; delicious breads and cookies. Their sandwiches, too, are solid, though they do leave something to be desired in the creativity and variety departments. They have your basics: turkey, tuna, egg-salad. And they do those well. But nothing real innovative. I'd especially like to see more in the hot-sandwich department.
That being said, they do the basics terrifically well. I had an egg-bacon breakfast sandwich that was fab: crisp, peppery bacon, an egg that exploded on impact and ran yellow goo all over my plate only to be sopped up by their delicious, perfectly-toasted roll. Their toasted tuna sandwich is moist and caper-y. Mr. T liked his egg-salad, which I didn't try; egg salad gives me the willies.
13th ave location is really nice; it's a beautifully painted, airy old Victorian type building that manages to be both cozy and open.
You know it's good stuff when you hold up the line to discuss with the dude working behind the counter (who also happens to be wearing a Japanese Rising Sun bandanna) how often you were both dropped on your heads as babies and how that just makes you happier today.
I'm not kidding.
And you also know it's good stuff when you order the gigantic fresh-fruit coffee cake, only to have said dude tell you what a marvelous choice you just made, and how it's the most pastry for your buck. SCORE.
And it might not be good stuff--the latte ART, that is--but they didn't screw up the flavor of my triple STUMPTOWN latte. That's where it's at. Okay, so the top looked like poo, and that'd never pass AT Stumptown, but considering we're NOT there, I'll let it slide.
Delish. A little on the high-end of reasonably priced, but still fair. And comfy.
Yes, I dig this place.
I love me a good bakery! We stopped here for a mid-afternoon snack and rest on a hot afternoon, and it hit the spot. They made me a lovely iced americano to go along with my chocolate croissant. The boy ordered an almond croissant, which I stole a bite of and which was quite delicious. I love that they have pies, including the famed marionberry, that customers can take home to bake themselves. And they have sandwiches and lunch sack deals. A lovely little spot indeed.
As for lunch, ... Meh. Too chain-ish. Boring sandwiches. Across the street is Petisco- go there for a sando or salad.
Coffee is great, croissants are fantastic and the Jammers are the best things ever!!! I love jammers!! Probably not too good for me but, I want to live a happy life.
Also, the campagnolo bread is the excellent. Buy a loaf and try it - you'll love it. The bread is sold in other places around town but in my opinion, get it here - it is fresher and tastes better.
Just a quick update (as promised). I've since tried a few pastries and one of the sandwiches. All were very tasty. I definitely recommend "The Meltdown" - probably one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've had! Add some Kettle chips and a tasty cookie and it made for a great lunch at just over $6. I'll be doing lunch again here soon! Care to join me?
I went in for a simple loaf of bread, and I walked out a changed man. Ok, so it's not quite that… Read more »
Walking around sellwood is like being in a museum. Antique shops on every corner and vintage looking buildings. All that walking built up an appetite for a snack which brought me to the bakery. Seems like a really awesome place to hang out for awhile even all day. They sell baked goods and sandwiches all look very tasty. I went for the baked good which turned out to be very good. They had so many choices i liked that it took me a while to choose. The prices were very reasonable which means another trip back or to one of their other locations.
More 3.5 but I'll err on the side of 4 stars.. mostly because I luhuhv the bread pudding. I can't claim to know how bread pudding should taste/be, but I could eat that stuff all night. Day too. I often get the egg and bacon bolo, and I'll be damned if you can cut those things in half without arm wrestling it into a gooey mess. Bacon all splurted out the side and egg ooze on the plate. And I'm one of 'those' people that don't like tomatoes, and that relish stuff is kinda weird. So yeah. It's very nice that they serve Stumptown. It's very nice that they have Columbia Gorge juices.
My mom this morning: Hm, a lot of yuppies come here.
Me: Uhnono. These are what I like to call Veggy SE'stys.
Mom: Ohh.
Best croissant I've ever had. I don't even like croissants!
I wish Stumptown was available on the East Coast.
So far my favorite meal in Portland! I got the basil egg salad sandwich which was so good! At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, it is made with a sun dried tomato mayo which really changes the taste of it! After my first couple bites though I was in love! The calamata olive bread that it was served on was delicious, so fresh and the olive flavor was a nice addition to the egg salad.
Paul got the chicken salad sandwich and he really liked it. It was funny, I have never seen him order a chicken salad before and wasn't sure if he would like it but surprisingly he did. He mentioned that he really liked the bread, it had a bit of a sourdough taste to it but not too strong so that it overwhelmed everything else.
I really liked how they didn't stuff the sandwiches so full of the egg salad and the chicken salad. I hate when you are trying to eat a sandwich and the insides are falling all out onto you and the table.
They had a nice selection of breads but I noticed that a lot of them were sold out by lunchtime. I bet you have to get there pretty early to get the really great choices, it was so crowded in there! It did take a while for our food to come but again, it was pretty crowded so we understood.
We will totally be returning!
This is one of Portland's early Artisan Bakeries, with several locations, also Downtown and mid-Hawthorne. I give their shops 5 Stars partly for the powdery open-kitchen's abilty to launch astral travel.
My Gramma Lottie had unusual upper body strength
and was a powerful hand-kneader. (and yes, my grampa John
was a very happy man - never saw so many smiles
from a human of the Euro-male species)
Lottie gave birth to my dad in a big white house
down the street. She took NO guff
and boy was she in charge of their household.
So Lottie (Paulson Ericksen Mikalson) raised a passle of strong-minded Norwegian kids
and ran a Bakery from her home kitchen in Eureka, Montana.
The Ghost of Lottie hates my Bread Machine.
She destroys every loaf.
Dang if she doesn't cross the boundary
to re-establish a presence to bake with me
if ever I start the yeast, and prepare to double rise
and hand-knead just as she taught;
or properly roll and edge-press a crust,
as my mom Edna Wollan Mikalson taught big sis Brenda,
Jennie and me.
Now, my kitchen is as spacious as theirs combined.
Needs to be, to entertain the spirits of multiple,
invisible cooks who like to visit.
Mom is there holidays, called present by my humming,
every time I do cookies or pie.
My dead dad, Gordon who was a brilliant, fun, hearty soul and dandy breakfast Chef, and who politely claimed to love my Venison cookery,
inisisted that I acknowledge his miraculous presence in the kitchen too, for nearly a week once,
first by blowing light bulbs when I thought about him,
then dangit, by cracking the well-seasoned CAST IRON PAN
he'd left me, right down the middle.
Shoot, Gordon, find another method, can't you -
I'm open-minded already, and that Pan was a good one.
Hey, maybe he can use it now on the Other Side!
(Have you EVER heard of a seasoned Iron Pan doing this? I cook a hot breakfast nearly every mornign as he did, and now must do it on an anonymous cook's seasoned iron pan. Gordon does NOT have permission to bust this one. We Norwegians know when to set appropriate limits, dammit.)
About every time I enter one of these scenic Bakeries, I'm suddenly worthless. I go completely into space. A hazy, eerie fog takes over my consciousness. I'm in grade school again, and hovering in trance, as part of me waits for a laugh and the flash of Gramma Lottie's Polka-dot dress and flour-covered apron swooping toward me. I wait helplessly, like a Toddler, because soon, with gusto, she'll scoop me up for a big Nordic hug. Being loved by this silver-haired adonis of a woman was really an experience, so I'm in limbo here in the Bakery waiting ...
But behind the bar another part of me sees a young Bread-ista, instead, patiently waiting for my order. Working at Dough-Heaven, I know for sure they've seen that glazed over look before, as women reconnect right before their eyes with the spirits of long-passed relatives.
The experience is so intoxicating, I sometimes apologize and step outside to re-ground myself in the cool misty air of Portland. (Did I mention I am a twin and sometimes clairvoyant? I think the fog is like what migrane people feel before a Big One. Wish they simply had visions instead - maybe they could be hypnotized to shift to that outcome?) Anyway it's strange to live in the part of life where most of the people you have loved are already on the Other Side. And really weird that plain old bread has the power to bring them back.
Well, this isn't your mom's Wonder Bread, nor plain.
It's simple happiness with a crisp crust,
whose crunch reminds you that your still alive..
and really still on This Side.
Thank goodness my always grounded and really alive buddy Loyd Hubbard put up some money and won a Worthy Community Organization Raffle years ago - for a monthly loaf Olive Bread from Grand Central. I happily ate some with him all that year ( from the downtown location)
It was a good way for them to advertise.
Because Loyd is quite a socialite - and HOSTS WINE DINNERS. Loyd's A-List friends are now total addicts for The Olive Bread...
and we've purchased and shared plenty with others, too.
Get a big Whole Wheat loaf, loaded with Olives,
( then invite friends to bring wine & food to share )
and dredge hunks in extra-virgin oil.
Really, Who needs more for dinner?
Keep on Bakin (and distributing) that bread!
People: Accept No Substitutes.
This is a LOCAL Bakery, and a good one.
Feeding healthy fantasies for so many years.
The #14 Bus stops right outside,
and all Portland Buses carry Bikes.
This place has great baked good, and plenty of them Their food is top notch, and the coffee is not bad at all - my only complaint is that this location is really busy - it's a place to stop and get your loaf of bread or grab a snack or lunch, not a place to linger. It's usually packed.
Granted, I am judging on the bakery counter alone - and I want to give them more stars - I really do. The pastries look great, I've been told they taste great, but the experience of ordering has not been very great.
Something about the way this particular Grand Central is set up makes you feel very crowded and uncomfortable as soon as you walk through the in-swinging door. And while the counter people aren't rude or anything, they don't seem terribly happy to be there, which rubs off.
I will continue stopping in to pick up the product everyone seems to love, but the environment and service leave me a little underwhelmed.
This Grand Central deserves 5 stars for a bakery. If you are in the mood for a sandwich or a treat this is the place to go - always delicious and a huge selection. They have seasonal menus, great salads, and can even accommodate little special requests despite being busy. They appear to use the highest quality ingredients and the presentation is attractive. You can watch them make your sandwich, very clean! Vegetarian friendly. The treats and breads are outstanding. Good coffee too. The service is wonderful, the employees friendly no matter how crazy the place gets. I would wish for more seating and shorter waits - won't work if you are in a hurry for a sandwich, only because this place is so popular. I easily got my mother in here in a wheelchair. Stay out of here if you are dieting.
While always crowded, if you really have a hankering for buttery croissant, and crunchy bagette filled with beef and peppers, or just need to pick up a great loaf of Como...this is the place for you. They have a little kid's play area in the back, but it is usually always taken. Their coffee is great (Stumptown, I think...???).
Included in my Last Meal on Earth. The savory: Grand Central Bakery ham-and-cheese croissant. Have you ever tasted this masterpiece? It's a work of art. The sweet: Grand Central Bakery jammer. A biscuit with jam, that's all, but it's the flakiest, yummiest biscuit you will ever have - not too salty, not too buttery, and NOT a gut bomb. Damn it, I wish they were open. right. now.
After having Grand Central's yummy breads, cookies and sandwiches I have decided that I want to be a baker. I want one of those tall hats and a white uniform and a dust of flour on my cheeks and nose so I can declare I am a baker. And I will only bake for Grand Central...because their stuff is Holy Shit good...and who doesn't love the baker who makes that kind of stuff!
Amazing pastry, breads and breakfast sandwiches. Great service. If only there was a bit more dining space.
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Pearl District
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Bakeries
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