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The Early Days of D.K. Bakery

Warm, freshly baked bread filled the air as we stepped into D.K. Bakery.  The story of D.K. Bakery began as a humble neighborhood shop once known as Srifadee Bakery. Shared through the memories of Khun Bon, the owner’s son, the bakery adopted the name D.K. Bakery more than 30 years ago, marking a new chapter while carrying forward the same heart.

Its journey started in a small lane off Pan Road, before gradually expanding and finding its home on Silom Road—during a time when the area itself was transforming from a quiet canal-side community into a vibrant commercial district. Khun Bon’s father recalls the earliest days, over 70 years ago, when trams still passed in front of the shop. As a child, he would ride those very trams with his friends, unaware that these everyday moments would one day become part of the bakery’s living history.

The “Coffee Council” That Connected Business and Community

Back then, D.K. Bakery was far more than just a place to buy a loaf of bread. It served as a “Coffee Council” (Sapa Kafe)—a morning sanctuary where the neighbourhood’s pulse could be felt. From dawn until noon, it functioned like a Western-style coffee shop, serving up espresso, fried eggs, and sandwiches to a bustling crowd.

“It was a melting pot,” says Khun Bon. “You’d have businessmen in suits, office workers, and folk from the nearby Wat Khaek Market all sharing the same space.”

Interestingly, the bakery played a silent role in the rise of the original Narai Hotel. The hotel’s engineers would gather here every single morning to pore over their blueprints and discuss the day’s work over breakfast, before heading across to the construction site.”

When Silom Was Once a Canal

Before the concrete took over, Silom was a literal waterway connecting Bang Rak to the Chao Phraya River. Khun Bon speaks of a time when people would head down to the canal’s edge to hail passing boats selling noodles and pomelo.

A Lasting Bond with Narai Hotel

Whilst Narai Hotel was world-renowned for its revolving restaurant, Khun Bon’s childhood memories are flavoured by something rather different—the pizza from Narai Pizzeria.

“Back then, real Italian pizza was a rarity in Thailand,” he recalls with a smile. “They had foreign chefs making these beautiful, thin-crust pizzas.” In an era when such establishments were scarce, Narai’s pizza had earned quite a legendary reputation as authentic Italian fare. “To my mind,” he adds cheekily, “it was perhaps even better than the pizza in Italy itself!”

Looking Ahead

When we ask Khun Bon about the Hatai Project, his eyes light up. He sees it as exactly what Silom needs—a spark to bring the old street back to life.

The design itself is a love letter to the area’s history, with a simulated canal flowing between the buildings—echoing the waterway his father used to describe.

“What I really appreciate,” Khun Bon says, “is that they’re thinking about the community. Yes, there’ll be 5-star and 6-star hotels, but they’ve also planned green spaces and food courts that won’t price out the office workers and locals. And by keeping the name ‘Narai Hotel’ that means something. It keeps the memory alive.”

The Aroma Remains

Much like the bakery itself—steadfast through decades of change and every challenge that came with them—D.K. Bakery continues to do what it has always done. The ovens stay warm, the bread keeps rising, and the familiar smell of freshly baked bread drifts out onto Silom Road each day. The doors remain open to anyone passing by in search of something comforting, something enduring, something that feels like home.