Grand Central Bakery – Cedar Mill

Came here for the first time today, and it was wonderful! It’s a quaint little place. Perfect to enjoy some coffee with friends and relax and catch up. I was there with my husband and son and we enjoyed a couple of sandwiches and both were tasty. The coffee is yummy and there pastries are delicious! We will definitely be returning!

I have been eyeing Grand Central for a while but I have been wary of the crowds and some previously reviewing Unilocalers (whom I trust) haven’t found it to be awesome.
Today there was some parking out front and the line was a little shorter. Placed an order with the counter person who wasn’t super friendly (till I tipped the tip jar) and put the food in a bag without asking me if we were staying in (which we were). Had to go back and request plates. Sigh.
So, I already know I like their bread. We have been eating it for years. Especially the como bread. Every time I make soup pretty much. I buy it at Whole Foods. Today I shared the seasonal berry coffee cake which had odd lumps of cream cheese in it (I think it was intentional but my companion thought they weren’t blended in properly– either way weird) and the chocolate croissant, which was just a little too dark. Overbaked. They were both just ok.
The mochas were ordered half sweet and they were, with a chocolate slick on the bottom that wasn’t stirred in. I think $ 4.85 for a 16 ounce double mocha is a lot. At Black Rock they’re $ 3.50 and have three shots. Ok so Grand Central is hipstery and a tad fancier… maybe $ 4 – 4.25 would be ok but not almost $ 5. I mean, there is no table service. It’s a counter pick up, bus your own table place.
Also it’s just freaking loud in there and it wasn’t even at full capacity. Music, concrete floors, windows, bare walls and ceilings and counter people bellowing customer’s names to get them to the counter. That space needs some sound buffering. A kid at the table next to me had big cushy earphones on and I almost swiped them off her head I was so jealous. J/​k. Sort of.
I was in hoping for a quiet talk with my companion. It was not going to happen. I couldn’t even think straight.
To sum up, I’d go in to take out bread and pizza dough and try some of their other pastries maybe… but I like a couple other places a bit better for pastries and coffee. This is not a good hangout place for me. It is not chill. My usual companions are super noise sensitive, they’d never make it in the wild that is Grand Central.
That como bread is good though, I have to admit.

I was super stoked to hear that there’s finally a Grand Central Bakery in Beaverton. Let’s be real, having to drive into Portland to have some good breakfast stinks.
Sadly, I was super let down by this GCB location. The parking is AWFUL but I guess that’s something that customers just have to deal with. There are maybe 8 spots for GCB customers.
The service was great when I visited this location. They were clearly busy and overwhelmed but the staff was super nice. Sadly though I spent 1.5 hours of my morning trying to get my order fixed TWICE.
The first time I was still at the bakery and had my sandwich on the wrong type of bread. Ok no biggy, they immediately fixed it although I was slightly annoyed by having waited 20 minutes the first time around (I had two little kids with me) and then having to wait another 15 minutes for my sandwich to get remade.
I drove all the way home just to find out that my sandwich had ROTTEN avocado on it. YUCK. I called them four times before someone finally answered and got the excuse «sorry we have a bad batch of Avocados» I’ll issue you a refund (that I never received fyi)
That is just great that they had a bad batch of Avocados but why would they still serve nasty Avocado??? Just take it off the menu for the time being instead of charging people $ 2 for spoiled Avocado.
I went back AGAIN to pick up a re-​made sandwich — no refund for something nasty though or raincheck.
I got to talk to the manager who was to her defense very apologetic but I did feel like I got nothing but excuses instead of owning up to knowingly having served bad Avocado…

Must try the Jammerrrrrrrrrr. Unique n tasty. Goes best with a hot cup of coffee or tea. The mushroom pastry was pretty good too.

Locals, Please give Grand Central Baking Company a Chance!
Before this location opened up, you had to go @least 7miles out to the nearest GCBC. We had frequented the Multnomah location until now.
I admit the parking situation can be tricky, but have you seen the Multanomah location? 8 spots, I think.
So I don’t get my delicious pear frangipane every time I come in & Challah bread is only available on Fri. I’m hoping with time, they will be on spot with their quantity control issues.
I do say, this location is truly bustling with customers, the staff does their best to accommodate you & the food is always fresh & tasty!

Finally! A little reprieve from the typical suburban café/​bakery! Luv all the food, sweets, and their frozen bake at home pies are delicious! I have been waiting for GC to come to this neighborhood, thank you!
I was there during the holiday rush and everyone was still super helpful with my huge order, finding me 10 pies, etc. In regards to some reviews complaining about out of stock foods, I wish there were 2 types of ratings for restaurants: 1 for the actual FOOD, and 1 for issues such as service, etc. I was happy with both!

*Update…
I have to give it to GCB for being so prompt in addressing this particular issue. Thanks!
I’m glad to have a place like this in the neighborhood! The service is friendly and typically very prompt. The coffee is always good but for what they are charging ($ 2+ for maybe a 10 ouncer), it darn well better be. The food is good compared to other nearby options but nothing special next to other Portland French bakeries. The prices are slightly inflated. Basically, if Panera were a 2 out of 10 and St. Honore is a 9, then this place is a solid 6.5.
I would love to give this place more than two stars… I really want to and probably will one day.
I guess what really sticks in my craw is the almond croissant situation.
I have been to this place at least 10 times… at all different times of day… on different days of the week. On ONE of those visits they had Almond Croissant in stock. Every other time, be it 9 am or 3 pm, they are out… Just an empty space in an otherwise full display.
It’s not just myself– I have been in line several times when other customers have asked for them and commented on how they are always out. Maybe I am oversimplifying it but it’s just a regular croissant cut open and smeared with an almond paste. If they are so popular, why not just smother a few more while they are at it and give the customers what they want? And don’t read this as they have a stellar version or something. It’s good but it’s the same standard one you find at any French bakery.
I have asked a few times about it. First I am given the «is he really questioning us?» look. You know the one… it conveys that slight disdain for the paying customer that is all too typical in Portland eateries. Let’s call it the «entitled transplant yuppie Portlander passive-​aggressive soup nazi attitude.» This is usually followed by some comment about how they just run out early because they are so popular.
If you spend any amount of time in a larger city you will realize there is so much competition they need to not only make a good product, but provide it at a reasonable price and actually have the popular items that customers like most in stock. Throwing your hands up and unapologetically saying «oh well!» would just result in the customer going across the street. It’s too bad but I guess when the other option is the Bale’s Thriftway, they have a bit of a captive audience and they are relying on that to some extent.

Lovely baked products and nice servers, but 20′ wait for a couple sandwiches when there is only a few people in line??? They need to work out some logistics here, can’t believe it takes that long.
Be prepared to WAIT

Prior to trying new Grand Central Bakery, I knew parking would be an issue but we drove anyways to see if we got lucky with a parking space. After 1 round of driving there was 1 space but my car wouldn’t fit. We needed up parking else where and walked over. Parking will always be an issue for any business in the complex going forward. 7 – 11 was in the space prior and parking wasn’t an issue because it was a convenient store and not a restaurant.
I wonder often why didn’t Grand Central Bakery be located in the shopping complex of Market of Choice (up the road). There’s ample parking in that area. I also been to the Lloyd location and its in a tight spot with street parking. Perhaps, these trendy bakeries enjoy tight spaces and limited parking.
On to the review on food and service now. As we walked in, the place smelled great. I love the smell of bakeries. The display of breads and pastries were beautiful. I wanted to try them all but today wasn’t the day. The customer in front of us decided to order a box of pastries and bread. While we waited I drooled and finally a employee asked if we wanted any pastries. Since we said no, she told us to walk in front of the line passing the customer who was getting a box.
We ended up ordering 2 sausage biscuit sandwiches, 16oz soy mocha and 12oz soy latte. Grand Central Bakery serves local Nossa Familia coffee which is a added bonus only if it’s made right. To add soy it’s $.65 which is really expensive. I’ve never paid so much before for soy — ridiculous. I guess sometimes you have to pay the price for dietary needs. After paying we sat by the window on bar stool seats which isn’t my preference but it was better than standing like sardines in a can. Mind you the restaurant is very tight in terms of space. Moments later though, a table opened up towards the restrooms and we snagged it. I was surprise to see such a packed place on a mid Monday morning and maybe it’s because it’s a holiday.
Between ordering and looking for a table the employees yelled out orders by customer’s name which is very loud (similar to a Chinese restaurant). From a customer standpoint, the set-​up should be organized differently by calling out order numbers instead of names. Order numbers should be printed on the receipt to make it easier on picking up the food. At one point, I saw a customer go up to the at area thinking her Chai was ready but wasn’t sure if her name was called. Maybe her name was called but at the same time there could if been a another customer with the same name (confusing). Never the less, the ordering system/​picking up the order is a little wacky to me. The space is really tight which makes it a unpleasant experience overall.
It was a good 15 – 20 minutes before our coffee and sandwiches were done. We both took a sip of the coffee and it was bland. The original Nossa Familia location in NW is so much better. I rather drive to NW than order the coffee again. The coffee wasn’t awful but there wasn’t anything great about it.
On the other hand, the sausage biscuit sandwich was quite tasty. The biscuits are made in house and it came with a thick sausage patty and egg. Due to the biscuit being so thick it was hard to eat the sandwich as a whole so I ate each piece of the biscuit, egg, sausage separately. I also dipped part of my biscuit in the jam which was also good.
Overall, the experience was unpleasantly decent and there’s a lot of improvements to be made. I’m aware that it’s a new location but it’s not a new business. Despite the parking issue, tight space and loud atmosphere I would only return for pastries but not anytime soon. For those who are new to this place, beware of the parking issue. In the long run though, some customers maybe deterred from going due to the parking.

Hooray for finally having a place like this in our neck of the woods. As you can tell by this place’s popularity, we really needed a neighborhood café like this! I met up with some friends for a late breakfast during the week. We tried to beat the morning rush and went a little over 9:30. The parking lot was still packed, but there were only a couple of people in line. From what I hear, this isn’t usually the case. I had a latte (yes, soy and almond milks are available) and a ham & cheese croissant cup. The other people in my party also had some coffees, tea, mushroom croissants and a quiche. We were all pleased with our choices. There was enough room for our group to sit and chat for a while. I fully intend on coming back to try some pastries or some of the bake at home options. This review is sure to be updated soon…

I’ve been to Grand Central in Multnomah Village and enjoyed it so I was excited when they opened on up right down the street from me! I’m a bakery aficionado in that I love them and have been to many. My favorite remains Baker and Spice in Hillsdale but that’s beside the point.
Depending on what you get, the food is really good. I have LOVED my veggie grinder sandwich and the bread is good value and delicious. On the flip side I find that most everything, aside from the bread and coffee, is overpriced. They were smart to open here simply because there isn’t anything like it in the neighborhood so I’m sure that’s how they get away with charging as much as they do but the pastries aren’t that great. I’ve tried several including the monkey bread, cookies and tarts and found them to be over done (way too crispy). Maybe that’s just my taste but I like a flaky pastry, not crunchy.
To sum it up: go for coffee and your weekly loaf of bread. I’ll save my sandwich as a treat once in awhile.

Big Smiles. This is one of my favorite bakeries so I was thrilled to find them opening up a bakery in my neighborhood.
They are experiencing minor glitches from the new building and grand opening crowds, I’m confident that they will work those out.
Parking is atrocious and I’m not sure they will ever get that worked out. Lot is too small for the strip mall.
Food is good, staff is friendly.

It was good to see a run down strip mall 7 – 11 store turn into a GCB.
On the positive note:
very nice interior: modern with nice big (double glass) windows.
Good menu — although this time we only sampled some pastries (my daughter’s comment: where are the macrons?).
People who complain about parking should park around the corner — plenty of place.
My only negative note would be the price and the brand of coffee (Nossa Familia) it’s too bitter for me.

I bought a cup of split pea and ham soup which is posted at $ 3.50 and when the young lady rang it up she asked for 3.50 then said sorry she made a mistake. I said did you ring the wrong item she said no it is a dollar more because it contains meat. I asked why doesn’t the menu board reflect that and of course she just shrugged her shoulders. I paid it in amazement at myself for going along with it. For my extra dollar I received a small chunk of fat. I really am not willing to spend my money there again.
Ok I went back, with a free lunch ticket, and my experience was better, the staff I interacted with was sharp, and very helpful, I placed my order, then gave him the pass and he rang it up. The food was good and the service was much improved. so I am upgrading my review. Thanks for getting me to try again.

I was very happy when I saw this was going in. I used to work near the one in the Lloyd Center area and used to love going their for lunch. Then there was their seasonal specials.
Any way, now it is open and I visited, The day I visited (at the end of the lunch rush) they were out of, Turkey, bagels, rolls, and more, The space is rather smallish and staff members yelled back and forth and were in general very loud. In such a tight space it made it an unpleasant experience.
For soft drinks they have fountain drinks, they have the Boylan brand rather then one of the bigger brands, I first tried the cola and did not like it at all. The root beer was better though still I am not a fan.
They do have a frozen case with Items you can bake at home. That is a plus. But it is holiday time and I was sad to see that they didn’t have the quick breads that the one in LLoyd Center area used to carry. The desert case did have several empty spaces…
There are defiantly cheeper places around to eat. Grand Central has gone for quality and taste. I have my problems with my visit, But my third choice sandwich tasted good! The staff were also happy to let me change the bread, to sliced Como, my favorite. This bodes well for a future when I can give them more stars.
I was there just a few days after opening, so hopefully they will get the bugs worked out soon. In the mean time I am giving them a weak three stars, while my memories of the other one were strong four stars at least.

I was so looking forward to a new restaurant option in Cedar Mill, Grand Central Bakery. I’m disappointed. The sandwich menu is boring and expensive for what you get. And the parking situation is awful.

Grand Central Bakery — Cedar Mill has been open for almost two weeks now. Ever since opening day the parking lot has been full and the line has been long at the counter. On this my second visit I see smiles everywhere at Grand Central Bakery. The happiness begins with the employees and transfers to the customers.
After writing a less than favorable review I was invited back by Grand Central member Leslie C. So glad I came back! On this visit I sampled a scrumptious latte and a coffee cake. The counter person even let me chose my coffee cake slice! My coffee cake was scrumptious and the coffee in my humble opinion is the tastiest in Cedar Mill.
When Grand Central contacted me they did a great job of explaining their price structure. However, this time I’m giving Grand Central Bakery — Cedar Mill four stars. I still feel that $ 7 plus for a grilled cheese sandwich is high. Tasty but high priced.
My parting comment in my last review was that Grand Central Bakery «needs to amp up their service.» Well, that’s exactly what they did. Grand Central demonstrated to me that they’re a business that truly cares about their customers. Grand Central Bakery — Cedar Mill is a great addition to a community that is becoming more and more sophisticated.

It’s about time we had a nice bakery and coffee shop at this corner. We got two pastries for five bucks. My croissant was a little overdone for my taste, but the smell and atmosphere were warm and chatty.
It’s only been open a week, but it’s full like it’s been around forever. Of course free wifi and wood accents remind you that you’re in the Northwest. Proximity to the Cedar Mill Library ensures this spot will be good for years to come. If it only had a bike rack and a few couches it’d perfect, or at least more Portland and less Beaverton.

I don’t know WhAT or WHO you think you are!
Coming so far out on the west side like this!
We don’t have good restaurants or bakeries out here! Are you mad?
The audacity bringing your fabulous coffee cake, monkey muffins and other bits of deliciousness.
Yah, you think you are SOMETHING and you just keep thinking that! Cause you are.
My head about spun off my shoulders as I went by and realized you are now inhabiting the old 7 – 11 at Cornell/​Saltzman. You’ll need a bigger parking lot!!!
Great service, lots of customers and they moved folks along best they could :)
This is great news. No more driving x town for me!
THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU we will repay you in boo koo bucks!
(if you go in the following week or so– cut em a break. A new location, things in different spots, new help and loads of excited customers happy to see a good vittle joint open– let em get their groove on– don’t bash)
HA! and I just read the review about Grand Central needing to amp up service ‘to compete’. UH– compete with who? Where exactly is it that one goes to have this level of goods ANNNYWHERE around the Cedar Mill area? There IS NO competition thus the glee in seeing them throw a shingle out in this area and open the doors. Frankly– this business has already thrown down they are a leader in the baked goods. Compete. ha

Saw the bakery open on chance, it’s only been open a few hours! They have pre-​made pastry dough, pie shells, and pizza crusts. Neat! They have Campagnolo bread, which is hard to find around here. We tried the cookies (4 types) and they were all moist and chewy. Ginger molasses and peanut butter were fantastic. Also, coffees, real sugar sodas, and a variety of sandwiches. I would love to give them 5 stars, but the prices are intimidating. However, it’s a nice upgrade from the old 7 eleven space.