I came here only for the dim sum. Arrived on a Sunday around noon, yes it was busy and initially full of old Chinese aunties & uncles, but the table turnaround here seemed pretty fast and within about 30 seconds a customer got up and vacated his table so we were lucky enough to take his spot. The restaurant is of an interesting category of Canto style dim sum plus a bakery section, with seating space - there are a few of these in NYC chinatown but they're becoming so rare. Interestingly I noticed a few younger non-Asian customers ordering take-out, so this place must be well known locally in the overall community. *Rice: We ordered spare ribs over rice, and salt fish & meat over rice. This is an absolute bargain of a take-out rice box in NYC at just $6 each. Each box includes stir fried cabbage and an over-hard fried egg!! The steamed spare ribs weren't the most vibrant & freshly seasoned I've ever had but they were still quite delicious. The salt fish & meat comes in the form of a steamed patty, and I will say that the salt fish flavor is quite strong but seemed to pair well with the rice & cabbage. *Steamed dumpling: We ordered pork dumpling (it's actually shumai) and shrimp dumpling (it's actually har gow). These are some of the fattest steamed dumplings I've had and they were delicious. Juicy, most, with the perfect dough texture. Each dumpling order came in a group of 4, in clear plastic boxes. The service here was quick & efficient. Cash-only which is quite typical but at least they charge no tax on top. I also love how I overheard the owners conversing with each other in Vietnamese and switching to Canto with some customers - meaning they're Chinese Vietnamese!! Having visited a few Chinese eateries that ended up being run by Chinese Vietnamese people, I am fully convinced they just do things better (yes I'm Vietnamese so I'm biased). Come support this place before it inevitably disappears. read more

Good Century Cafe - Menu Mar 2023 - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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What a hidden gem! This place is cash only. I got: - shrimp shu mai - har gow - pork bao bun I was impressed with how generous the portions are! Everything is so inexpensive and delicious. read more

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This cafe offers limited but fantastic options for some dim sum that can be grab and go or for you to sit and enjoy. I particularly love getting their shu mai/pork dumpling here, it's only $3.50 which is so cheap for dim sum! The pieces are plump and well seasoned. They have baked and steamed buns, rice rolls, coffee, etc. You see a lot of locals stopping by to grab a quick bite. It is cash only. There's two lines - first one is for coffee/breads and the one in the back is for their hot foods. read more

Good Century Cafe - Pork shu mai - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

this place was also on my saved for their red bean bun but i couldn't even see it on the menu to order it so i didn't. mainly i went here because we needed seats to eat and obviously i'm not gonna be weird af and eat inside without buying anything. so i got this raisin bread thing and something else i forgot. but they were both awesome and filled my studying when i brought it back later. read more

Good Century Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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This is a bakery in Chinatown serving pastries, breads, drinks, simple bentos, and dim sum (not the kind with carts). Like most places in Chinatown - cash only! We came here to grab some dim sum dishes -- siu mai and shrimp dumplings. Both were reasonable prices (in fact all their prices look pretty fair), and everything comes out on disposable wear. There are quite a few tables to sit at to eat, or you can just take it to go. They don't have the best dim sum in the world, but this is a very easy to way to grab a couple items you might be craving :) Both the siu mai and shrimp dumpling were tasty and filling. There were lots of people coming and going, so definitely a popular spot! read more

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Stumbled upon this low key bakery and loved it! The staff was really nice and helpful. Only got one thing this time - an Amazing Black Bean Filled Pastry. I've never had it before, so was curious to try it. So glad I did - I was very pleasantly surprised by both the flavor and the texture! The skin is kinda like Mochi and Bread Dough had a baby - chewy and fluffy at the same time! The one aspect that could be improved upon is that the skin/bun part is slightly more oily/heavier than I would've preferred. It's filled with black bean paste which I always love! read more

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During my 2 week vacation of New York City which was back in June 2019... After taking a nice relaxing walk around Manhattan Chinatown... And from there it was getting close to lunch time as... I was exploring every Chinese restaurant through out the Manhattan Chinatown area and didn't really know which Chinese restaurant to eat at!!! Until I came across to the Good Century Café which makes really good Chicken Rice Plate... So from there it was clear that... I wanted to eat here and all I wanted to eat was a Chicken Rice Plate !!! And the that I have chosen from menu of Good Century Cafe was the Chicken Rice Plate... Which was my very 1st eating it, and when I was done with the Chicken Rice Plate After when I was done eating the Chicken Rice Plate... Now that I ate here for the very 1st time!!! All I can say is that my Chicken Rice Plate wasn't that bad at all... And I really liked it!!! read more

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Looks like a bakery plain coconut taro corn rasin black bean . Just a place to pick up and go read more

Good Century Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Cash only, no frills, value bakery/dim sum hybrid in Chinatown. They had some seating inside, but I suggest ordering to go. I stopped in to grab some dim sum to go at the back of the store. They have a lot of your core, traditional dim sum offerings (I.e. shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, etc.) and rice plates for around ~$2 per serving. I think it was good bang for your buck. The food is very good, but not the best dim sum in Chinatown. They also had a bakery at the front of the store that I'll come back for. They had some prepackaged baked breads and buns packed up for sale. The employees were really helpful and sweet! read more

Good Century Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Great shumai, just fine har gow and combo steamed buns. The shumai quality and price alone make this place one to go to. Would definitely return to try lotus leaf sticky rice, rice roll, meat in tofu, and egg tarts. read more

I've been coming here for years and they've continuously made good(not great, don't get it twisted) dim sum. Everything is packed and ready to go in warmers behind the counter and all you have to do is just tell them what you want and they'll grab it for you. When I used to work in manhattan, I would always come here for their rice dishes. It's inexpensive and delicious! read more

Oops...the food was so good that I forgot to take photos before we finished them all! Simple dim sum but good. We always get the shrimp dumplings and shrimp rice noodle. They have some rice dishes too. If you are Toisanese, you would love their salty fish with pork. My family packed four boxes to go last weekend. Their egg tarts are fresh and crispy especially if they just come out of the oven! read more

I bough sticky rice, coconut bun, moon cake! *Sticky rice so so flavor not bad. 3/5 *Coconut bread not enough coconut like other place i had in brooklyn! 3/5 *Moon cake lotus is ok 4/5 Service is nice Someone said their bun is good! So i will try next time! read more

September 20, 2021 around 3ish. Today's purchase was a bag of 5 refrigerated Dai Boas and 1 hot steamed Dai Bao. The hot steamed Dai Bao is bigger than the palm of your hand and filled with a lot of savory stuffing. Pillowy dough encased around delicious filling. The refrigerated ones, steam up just as nicely at home. Other items I purchased here in the past were just as delicious. Their baked buns are a nice size and good bun to filling ratio. Try... Lemon Bun Red Bean Bun Roast Bun Ham and Egg Bun Hot Dog Bun. Coconut Cream Bun When they have the Fish Bun and Chicken Bun...they are amazing and almost a meal. Service is courteous and the food is fresh. Also, some delicious coffee. read more

The dim sum is typical as any in Chinatown. I don't mind so much that the cleanliness is subpar considering it's Chinatown. But then I noticed aluminum foil debris on a bread slice. Eat at your own risk. read more

Good Century Cafe - Bread with aluminum foil debris - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Your DaiBao's skin is good. I and others would love to have the filling with fatty roast pork+lumps of chopped pork+eggs + generous piece of sausage. Like Back home (Hop Shing) For $3.88? A meal by itself that no where in CT can offer. read more

These little bakery/dim sum coffee shops are making a big comeback in Chinatown, serving early morning breakfast and lunch. There's a large selection of cakes, baked buns (bao) as you enter with a dedicated service person to help you make your selection of sweet and savory buns. I find that the buns here are generally larger (and cheaper) than at bakeries like Tai Pan or Fay Da but not as tasty. You can order hot and cold beverages as you go to pay at the register. You can also get frozen buns from the freezer case to steam at home. Try the Dai Bao (giant bun), it's got everything in it. Towards the back are the steamer cabinets where the fogged up glass doors hide all the goodies. The take-out dim sum selection is great with the standard har gow, shiu mai and cheong fun (beef or shrimp) available all day, but they will start to run out of things towards the end of the day. My other favorite is the naw mai gai, sticky rice with chicken, pork & sausage wrapped & steamed in a giant lotus leaf. You can even get steamed pork ribs or chicken over rice in an aluminum tin complete with veggies and a fried egg for a satisfying lunch. Either get your food and drink to go or see if you can grab a table before one of the Chinese grandmas beat you to it. They are deceptively wicked fast when they need to be! It's like taking the grasshopper from your kung fu master's hand. If you're not fast enough, you don't graduate or get to sit down and eat! read more

I love this spot. Tom is absolutely amazing. I come in for the shrimp rice rolls, and black bean grilled mochi with hot coffee. Can't wait to be back! read more

This new Asian cafe (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. read more

Good Century Cafe - New bakery/cafe on Grand St. in Chinatown. - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

Good food and reasonable price, just like most of the restaurants now a days "cash only"

With all the bakeries and dim sum shops in and around Chinatown, it's hard to decide which one to buy from. If I am not mistaken, this is the same Good Century Cafe that was on Bowery (just around the corner). I can only comment on the Banh Bao/Dai Bao (大包). Contrary to others, I actually find these a bit smaller than others I've had--obvious from the fact that they use quail eggs instead of chicken eggs. The slice of Chinese sausage there was fairly large, while the pork and mushroom filling in general was generous. It's a simple addition, but I love how they include sliced bamboo shoots to the filling for an extra crunch. For around $2/ea, they're pretty good. While mine were freshly steamed, they also have frozen banh bao among other items available. I'm still in search of good cheong fun, so I'll probably try theirs and maybe the lunch sets next time I'm in the area. read more

Good Century Cafe - Banh Bao (大包) - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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I come here for moon cakes and steamed buns! Cheap and delicious! The moon called flavors are plenty so ask questions if you're not sure what to get. read more

Good Century Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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. read more

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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. read more

Good Century Cafe - 3 beef rice noodles, 2 "shark fin" dumplings and spare ribs over white rice=$10 (after late nite discount) - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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 read more

All I can say is Good Century Cafe 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. read more

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This place has great customer service. The lady behind the counter is super welcoming and she greats you with a very warm smile. The place seemed moderately busy during the time I went in (around 5 pm) but wasn't overly crowded. The prices are great for the portions you get. Now the reason I'm giving this place a 3 star is mainly because of what I got. I ordered two tiramisu from this place but all I ended up getting was a block of creme. The tiramisu had little to no flavor at all. 95% of the whole dessert was just the creme. At the bottom there was some crepe (I think) but it was very dry and not good. The cake visually looked very delicious but I can't say the same about its taste. I do plan on return to this place though in order to taste the other things they have there. But if you're looking for an actual place to eat cake, I don't really recommend this place. read more

Excellent sweet red roast pork buns and only $1. Go to the back for the English menu.

I was really upset when I found out Century Cafe closed down. I use to come here all the time with my mom. I remember it, like it happen yesterday, my mom use to allow me to buy the cute little cakes for lunch. It brings back so much memories. So you can tell how happy I was when I found out it reopen. Yea!!! I came here to buy some dim sum for dinner. They are running 10% off since they just opened. I ordered two shrimp noodle, one shrimp dumpling, one shu mai, and one rice wrapped in leaf for about 8 dollars. It is rather cheap. They also have drinks and buns here. The taste of the food didn't blow me away. The rice wrapped in leaf had too much chucks of fat, which wasn't so good. The ladies who work there are really nice though. read more

This is my childhood cafe; 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 Cafe 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 cafe 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 decor 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! read more

I recently came in for a small hot lemon tea. It was pretty good. They had a 90% discount when I arrived last Thursday. Not sure if they still have discount. This is all due to their grand opening. I thought the people were pretty nice. I saw a ton of delicious pastries and yumminess. I eyed their ham and cheese danish strongly. I am so coming back for that particular one. read more

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. read more

Great place to grab a fast breakfast. Their decor 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. read more

My friend inspired me to find the Chinese bakery where you get the most bang for your buck. I think this place comes pretty close! Compared to the buns that I've gotten at other bakeries, the ones here have the best size to cost ratio and are pretty tasty as well! The cha siu baos are comparable to the ones at Mei Li Wah really...In fact, I think I might actually prefer the ones here because they're not as sweet. They also have some unconventional buns like blueberry rolls and bacon and cheese. As usual, they have their own take on non-Chinese desserts as well but I would recommend skipping those. I also see that their dim sum is pretty well received too so I look forward to trying those. Conveniently located footsteps away from the D train station and very nice service. Old Asian people hog the seats, slowly sipping their drinks and reading newspapers but hey nothing new. I'll be back :) read more

Good Century Cafe - Ham and egg bun - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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. read more

Good Century Cafe - Steamed pork buns. - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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. read more

Love this bakery spot. They have different variety. Count bread is very tasty. My daughter loves their deserts. Very cozy and welcoming place. Staff is very friendly. Perfect place to grab a quick bite. read more

Can't get better then this for very early dimsum. Hahgal, suimei, cheong fun, nor mei guy etc. All good and the ladies very friendly. Excellent place close to Grand subway station. read more

$4 rice box that fills you up and $2 dim sum. However the pork ribs was mostly fat and inedible.

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. read more

Good Century Cafe - Bakeries Near Me - New York, New York

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