Good Century Cafe

A hidden gem. They have the best pork banh bao (steamed buns) in Chinatown. Ground pork, boiled egg, and Chinese sausage all freshly baked into a soft bun.

Family buys dim sum here a lot. Great dim sum place, with some other nice options. Cheap, delicious, do recommend.

Dim Sum is okay for bakery style. Place is best going a little after lunch time between dinner.

To be fair this is only a review for the shrimp dumplings. They were gross– the fillings where 20% shrimp and 80% who knows what. Disgusting. Don’t get it. If you want shrimp dumplings, better off at Jing Fong or Golden Unicorn. Their shrimp dumplings actually contain shrimp.

This is my childhood café; I came here almost everyday when I was younger. And even now I still come back to eat. This is one of the only cafes that sells dim sum. Rather than waiting in line to get seats, and waiting for carts to circulate to your table at dim sum restaurants, you can buy dim sum at Good Century Café within a couple of minutes.
The dim sum they have is limited but there is still a good selection of well known ones such as ha gao, siu mai, cheung fun, etc. Plus, they sell this all day whereas most dim sum restaurants don’t offer it after 12 PM. The food quality varies. Sometimes it’s not up to par, and other times, it’s spot on. They offer a wide variety of breads and desserts which I suggest anyone to try them all because they are really inexpensive. They also sell rice and noodle lunch sets for only $ 4.
The presentation of this café is definitely lacking a bit. Tourists, teenagers, and young adults definitely would not want to come here. This place looks old and tacky. They do not waste money on enhancing the décor and interior design. All the people who come here to eat besides me are senior citizens and the older generations. The packaging of the food are not as elegant. I’ve had the pai guat rice set and on first glance, all you see is the brown gray colored cabbage on top. It doesn’t look appetizing, but believe me, it tastes amazing.
That said, I would still highly recommend people to try this place out if they are trying to look for cheap food and quick service!

In this humble Chinatown resident’s opinion, GC is the best of all the other bakeries lining this particular section of Grand St. In the front you have the baked goods section, perfect for grabbing that baked char siu bao and a coffee right before that morning B train. In the back you have grab-​n-​go dimsum which is truly next level for a non-​sit down dim sum place.
Great people watching, the stories that some of these Chinese grannies and grandpapas must have…

This is one of the most efficiently run bakeries in Chinatown! Great service and communication.
It’s also my favorite place to buy birthday cakes! They have a comprehensive list in english for all of the kinds of cakes they sell, most of which are less than $ 20. The cakes are large and double-​layered, and most of them have a whipped cream/​diced fruit filling. They have other «flavors» too, like chestnut — which was also great. I just bought a mango-​flavored one, with fresh mango slices wrapped all around the edges. Just beautiful :)
Keep in mind, these are chinatown-​style cakes: the cake part is much fluffier (like a sponge cake) and the frosting is much lighter (like whipped cream), and it’s less sweet and buttery than most American cakes.

Great place to grab a fast breakfast. Their décor may not be fancy and actually look a little cheesy and old but their food is awesome. They got a little bit of everything from cakes and bread to dim sum and rice. They got a small seating area but it is always crowded.
On this visit, i had their sticky rice and my wife had their steamed beef rice roll with milk tea. The sticky rice is as good as the ones you could get at the dim sum restaurant. The steamed beef rice roll is soft and had a generous amount of beef inside. The milk tea was good but just a little too much cream.
This is the go to place for take out dim sum. Got a lot of selections. Great breakfast location.

They’re friendly here and everything is cheap and good. Nothing much else to ask for.

I am a Malaysian Chinese. I Love the egg tarts, roasted pork bun, shrimp and pork dumplings there.
All their pastries looked fresh from the oven.

I came here several weeks ago. They have very tasty steam bao buns, moon cakes, and other deserts. You must try their steam bun… the bun/​bread-​like is soft. People come here for this bun. I saw 2 people bought 100 buns. The owner was extremely nice.

When you’re desperately craving dim sum and don’t want to wait for a table but instead want to grab some to go, this is the place. They have your most standard dim sum items such as… ha gow, shiu mai, chicken feet, spare ribs, roast pork bun and the list goes on. Typical dim sum items are only 2 $!!
They also have a bakery right next to them as the dim sum is located more towards the back. They also sell rice dishes as many of the patrons go for breakfast and lunch. This is my new go to take out dim sum place along grand st when I am desperately craving some.
Cash only, and everything will leave you full and satisfied.

— Crowded most of the times but there’s almost no wait time.
— It’s Chinatown. Cash only.
Food:
— Like: Steamed pork bun, Sticky rice and lotus leaf, Chicken feet, Egg custard tart.

One of the best all-​around bakeries in Chinatown. Most of their buns are traditional staples such as char siu, pineapple, cocktail, etc. They are huge and filled generously and given the competitive price points, they are definitely one of the best I could find to get my dollars worth. They have drinks, which I have yet to try. But the highlight is their dim sums! They are cheaper — even in chinatown standard — than many bakeries that sell similar items and more importantly, they taste decent. Rice dishes are served too; my favorite is their pork knuckle with rice. Service is quick and the person who appears to be the owner is courteous and nice. Overall, a good, affordable place to hit in Chinatown.

Situated next to one of the busiest subway station in Chinatown and in the vicinity of nearby grocery shops and restaurants could meant a few things — competitive prices, lousy customer service, and high turnover of goods. The prices won’t be as cheap as old-​schooled bakeries that you’d find hidden in narrow blocks, but it is still at the marketplace price. The buns and savory dishes are always fresh and when the dim sum/​noodles/​rice dishes are sold out, then you’re mostly resorted to the breads only. The rice boxes are very economic at around $ 4, which includes a fried egg on top. They are all prepped up, warmed up in the enclosed steamer behind the register, so it’s ready for you as you order. If you aim for freshness and prep to order, then this is not the place for you, but when you need food hurriedly or just too ‘hangry’ to wait around (like me on most days), then this is a good choice.
So why the three stars? Customer service, which is my pet peeve. I understand that you pay what you get, but sometimes, I guess I’m pampered by Western idea that the customers come first. Case in point. Today, I had anesthesia for my dental procedure, so for the next hour or so after the ‘painless’ session, half my face was still numb, like on Botox. My words perhaps sounded funny or not pronounced correctly, so when I asked for ‘lemon tea’, the female staff heard ‘milk tea’ instead. Out came the milk tea and I lamented that’s the wrong drink. After my dentist visit, I was dehydrated (after a 3 hour waiting as well) and all I wanted was a cold beverage. Since I don’t drink dairy, I couldn’t even consume this drink. Of course, the staff didn’t care. So, I had to pay $ 2 for a drink I couldn’t even use. Western bakeries might remake the drink for me, but wishful thinking on my part. Perhaps it was my mistake, but if in my hand, I would make a new beverage for the customer.
While I might still go back for the savory items, when it comes to ordering drinks, I’m staying away, at least due to this ominous experience I just had.

A solid Chinatown bakery with a very wide range of offerings. Not just a variety of buns, some semi-​Americanized. But Century also other dishes reminiscent of the old school style bakeries (but not quite), including some dim sum and rice dishes.
This place is often crowded, and will seem absolutely chaotic to someone who isn’t used to it. It’s not fancy, and the old lady’s who look so kind and innocent will cut you in line, so be vigilant.

All I can say is Good Century Café is very Good!!! (with a Canton accent) I think they have one of the best cup of Joe on Grand street. My friend Marie recommended me to go there for the coffee and I was immediately addicted and can’t stop going back for lunch. I always get their steam rice with spare rib tips. I do recommend any of the steam rice plates along with their coffee just compliments the serving. There is a very robust cultural vibe inside but don’t be fret. The staff is very friendly and will and can accommodate all patrons. They also serve a variety of flavored bubble tea but that is not their specialty.

Let me qualify my 4-​star review. It’s not fancy, actually it’s pretty much a dive. So why 4 stars? The dim sum here is pretty decent and is tasty if you need a quick fix. I’ve come here many times already. Dim sum is sold in takeout containers for a quick exit.
No dim sum push carts here because its a bakery. Order your dim sum at the counter, you pay and take it to any empty table then enjoy! It’s no fuss, fast, inexpensive dim sum.
It’s typical Chinatown counter service, very brusque. Menu also is displayed in English. Don’t take too long deciding because old ladies are totally going to get annoyed at you. Little old ladies in Chinatown are mean and the nastiest so don’t mess with them! Yeah, I have gotten into arguments with them because they will cut the line, on purpose. Don’t let them fool you. They know what they are doing!
They serve dim sum mad early in the morning until 6pm-​ish but the variety will dwindle as it gets later in the day. The selection is at its best during breakfast and early lunch hours. Open early enough to purchase on the way to work. located next to train station.
They even have ready-​made steamed pork ribs over white rice and steamed chicken, sausage and black mushrooms over white rice. Remember to ask for soy sauce.
In the evenings, the buns, dim sum and steamed rice dishes are discounted to get rid of inventory at the end of the day.
They used to be located around the corner at 123 Bowery same place but much smaller.

If you opened a bakery on Grand Street between the Bowery and Chrystie St, would you have to be better than the other two or three already on the block? Apparently not because Good Century has stayed busy even after they discontinued their 20% off Grand Opening Sale!
The food here is the standard cheap dim sum and buns. Some will be full of gristle and others will be a bit better. The service likewise varies. The man in charge and some of the women working here are friendly and a few are more abrupt. The coffee is okay and the prices are average for the area — $ 1 for coffee and .90 and up for bau (steamed buns) and pastries.
Update 6÷1÷14: I went yesterday and ordered a lemon-​honey ice tea. $ 2.75 seemed reasonable but the drink was 80% ice. When I complained, I was told that honey is expensive… it was such a stupid answer I sat back down and vowed never to order ice tea at this place again! On the other hand, the lo bor ko (fried turnip) is quite good and reasonably priced at 1.50 for a good size (2-​ps) portion

This new Asian café (bakery and snack food combo) replaces the greasy Lunch Box Buffet business that was at this location.
It is a typical Asian bakery with some hot food service in the back.
Serve yourself. There is a worker that will help you pick the bakery items on to a tray. Pay for the items and found an open table & chair if you want to eat in.
I tried their custard-​filled buns; typical bakery bun. Rated ³⁄₅.
Tip: Right now they are having a grand opening special of 20% off on everything.