On Lok Yun is a Thai-style western breakfast place since 1933
Cafes are multiplying like rabbits all over Thailand. While some survive through their sheer uniqueness, many struggle to turn a profit. That’s why a breakfast café that has been around for almost 90 years – On Lok Yun – must be doing something very right.
Here’s the historic café that will take you back in time.
A pre-WW2 breakfast café since 1933
Image credit: everydaywith.tt
While Charoen Krung, the first road in Thailand built with modern methods, is home to numerous historic eateries, not many of them can boast the longevity of On Lok Yun.
Image credit: pthjeep
Sitting inside a shophouse next to the Old Siam Shopping Plaza, the nondescript café can hardly be noticed by passersby if not for the huge lines of people waiting for their turn for breakfast.
Image credit: bbg.inthehood
The café retains its classic façade and interior, but what has kept customers coming back for generations since 1933 is their food and coffee.
Thai-style Western breakfast
Image credit: lamlammlee
Unlike other historic eateries in the area, this café serves a Thai-style Western breakfast. Their menu is small, so you can be sure that the few items on offer are expertly made.
For ฿55, you get a plate of 1 egg, fried or scrambled, as well as two toppings of your choice. The toppings include your classic choices of breakfast processed meats – sausages, ham, and bacon. What might surprise you is that you can also pick Chinese sausages as well.
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Then there are plenty of choices for toast as well. You can get the tried and true combo of butter and jam. Or you can try their signature French toast which looks a lot more like a Thai omelette at first glance.
Image credit: geathanika
Finally, you can finish off your meal with a nice cup of their signature coffee. This coffee is made using traditional methods.
But if that’s not your cup of tea, you could get something more modern such as milk tea or Milo as well.
A hip spot even now
On Lok Yun was the place to be back in the 50s to the 70s. Being next to a theatre and shopping plaza, it was the spot for youngsters to try to get scouted for movies. The western breakfast was also quite a novelty for the time which set it apart from the crowd.
But even now, despite the abundance of western food and modern theatres, On Lok Yun is still a trendy spot. Now known for its storied past, On Lok Yun still draws in both seniors looking to relive their youth or young Thais looking for a piece of history.
On Lok Yun
Address: 72 Charoen Krung Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Opening hours: 6am – 2.30pm, Daily
Contact: +66 8 5809 0835 | On Lok Yun’s Facebook | Google Maps
Other interesting cafés in Bangkok:
- VIBRANT BKK is an industrial-style minimalist cafe
- Ittha Boutique: Bangkok cafe with a Narnia-like entrance
- Tangible: a metallic dystopian cafe
Cover image adapted from (clockwise from top left):everydaywith.tt, pthjeep, lamlammlee