Thai · Central Eastside, Portland · Chicken & rice ~$13
ThaiChicken & rice ~$13SE AnkenyPortland institution since 2009
"Nong Poonsukwattana’s single-dish khao man gai is Portland’s best chicken and rice; go solo to the counter for a cheap, perfect lunch."
8Food
6Ambience
10Value
About Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Nong’s Khao Man Gai started in 2009 as a single food cart serving exactly one dish, and it grew into a Portland institution on the strength of that focus. Founder Nong Poonsukwattana emigrated from Bangkok in 2003, waited tables and cooked around the city — including a stint at Pok Pok — before betting everything on her grandmother’s chicken and rice. The brick-and-mortar on SE Ankeny is the flagship today. It is the kind of unfussy, single-minded kitchen we love in our Portland dining guide.
The Kitchen
The whole menu orbits one plate: khao man gai, Thai-style poached chicken laid over rice cooked in the bird’s broth, served with a wedge of cucumber, a cup of clear soup and the sauce that made Nong famous — a dark, punchy blend of fermented soybean, ginger, garlic, chillies and vinegar that she now bottles and sells. You choose breast, thigh or a mix; regulars add the fried chicken version or extra sauce. It is built for speed and consistency rather than range, and at around $13 the value is hard to beat in any American city.
Poonsukwattana has been a repeat James Beard Award semifinalist and a visible advocate for restaurant workers, but the food is the point: clean, restrained, deeply savoury. For more of the city, read our Portland guide, compare the Thai cooking at Langbaan, or see our picks for solo dining.
The Room
This is a counter-service room, not a sit-down restaurant in the white-tablecloth sense: you order at the till, grab a stool or a small table, and the food arrives fast. The space is bright, clean and casual, with the bustle of an open kitchen and a steady turnover at lunch. Sound is busy but not loud, there is no dress code to speak of, and the whole experience is engineered around eating well in twenty minutes. It suits a solo diner or a quick working lunch far better than a lingering dinner.
Best for Solo Dining
Nong’s is ideal for solo dining for three reasons: counter service means no awkward table-for-one wait; the single-dish menu makes ordering instant; and the food is satisfying enough to feel like a treat rather than a compromise. A typical scene: one stool, one plate of chicken and rice, a generous pour of the ginger sauce, and you are fed and out the door in half an hour. It doubles neatly as a fast, cheap working lunch. See also our picks for solo dining and a business lunch.
Not for
Not for a formal dinner or a special celebration: this is a fast, counter-service, one-dish spot with stools, not a destination room for a long evening.
Frequently Asked
Is Nong’s Khao Man Gai worth it?
Yes — it is one of the best-value plates in Portland. For about $13 you get Nong Poonsukwattana’s khao man gai: poached chicken over broth-cooked rice with her famous fermented-soybean ginger sauce. It is a single-dish institution that has run since 2009, and the focus is exactly why it is so good. Just know it is counter service, not a sit-down dinner.
What should I order at Nong’s?
Order the khao man gai — that is the dish. Choose breast, thigh or a mix of chicken, and do not skip the signature sauce, a punchy blend of fermented soybean, ginger, garlic, chillies and vinegar. Regulars add the fried-chicken version or an extra cup of sauce, which you can also buy bottled to take home.
Does Nong’s take reservations?
No. Nong’s is counter service and walk-in only. Expect a short line at peak lunch on SE Ankeny, but turnover is fast and takeaway is quick. It is built to feed you well in about twenty minutes, which makes it ideal for a solo lunch or a fast working meal.
Who is the chef behind Nong’s?
Nong Poonsukwattana, who emigrated from Bangkok in 2003 and opened her first food cart in 2009. She has been a repeat James Beard Award semifinalist. For more Portland options see our Portland dining guide.
No reservations — Nong’s is counter service, walk-in only. Expect a short line at peak lunch; takeaway is quick.
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