Nong’s Khao Man Gai

5 stars for the food…
5 stars for the service…
Met Nong, when she just started her little cart on 10^th & Alder St!
Normally, I ended up eating in the car but now that she opens this restaurant, I’m super happy about it! :)

This place is on my must go list whenever I visit Portland.
I have always gotten no.1 chicken (dark meat) with rice. It is a simple dish, but so delicious. The chicken is tender and perfectly cooked. I am a big fan of their sauce as it made the chicken taste better. The rice was flavorful, and I could eat just the rice without the meat. The soup however was sometimes too salty.
The service was friendly and fast. You seat yourself after ordering, and they will deliver the food to your table. After enjoy your meal, don’t forget clean up your own dishes.

I can’t remember the last time I was cradled. To think that I would experience such a comforting sensation from a simple meal.
I wasn’t expecting a plate of chicken and rice to rock my world. Even after draining the mint flavors out of my 4^th stick of gum, the intense ginger and garlic flavors from my brunch 4 hours ago still lingered in the depths of my gut and taste buds. Guess what, dawg? Sorry not sorry. (Yes, I sprinkled more fresh garlic over my rice. Thug life!!)
We ordered a regular plate the first time we came and upgraded to a big plate the following day when we came back for more, More, MORE! For $ 13, it’s a lot of food and totally worth every penny. They offer a side of chicken liver with that size but I opted out) Should have asked for more cucumbers and cilantro. Next time!
There’s plenty of seating at this location (people eat pretty quickly so it will clear up even if it’s packed) and service is fast and friendly. I miss you already…

I wish I could give this place 10 stars
I drive 45 mins to eat here and it’s MORE THAN WORTH IT never a bad dish, always fresh and fast. I’m super picky so I’m shocked I would even try it and LOVE IT. Fermented sauce sounds so nasty I’m glad I didn’t read it before hand BUT ITS THE BEST FOOD IN PORTLAND HANDS DOWN!!! Did I mention they don’t even use plastic to go containers! Only one for the soup and our sauce! So amazing they are leaving such a small foot print compared to half the restaurants!

I had low expectations coming in but was quite impressed.
Your chicken rice is packaged in paper instead of a container. Cute and green. Prices were reasonable and although it doesn’t look like a lot of food, it’s filling. The chicken was tender, my brown rice was fluffy, the chicken liver was nicely cooked, veggies perfectly blanched, and the soup they give you on the side contains no MSG. The sauce was delish! Watch out for those chili peppers — they’re super spicy. A side of veggies is $ 4 which I feel is excessive considering you have only 2 types packed in a small container on top of factoring how much veggies really cost.

I love going to this location more than the carts since I feel like I’m getting more food (which probably isn’t true) :) but the atmosphere is definitely really nice for a place to hang out with friends and sit outside in the front of the restaurant. The only downside is that every time I’ve been here they’ve been out of chicken skins, I definitely think this is their busiest location.
The food is always consistently good and is always one of my top choices for a healthier meal. It seems a bit pricy to me but I believe in Nong and her ability to give all her employees healthcare so it’s for a good cause!

The chicken and rice was fantastic! The ambiance in this informal Thai restaurant is very casual and low key. Dinner will cost about $ 10 per person — great bang for your buck.
The restaurant is located in East Portland in East Burnside and walking distance from Buckman. There are 5 or 6 items on the menu — very easy ordering! Items come with rice (white or brown) and your choice of beef, pork, chicken or tofu.
My boyfriend and I split a chicken & rice entrée and a peanut chicken entrée.
Chicken and rice:
Comes with a small side of chicken soup, rice, and chicken. Garlic soy sauce mixture came on the side and was very tasty. Chicken was bomb — tender and flavorful.
Peanut chicken:
Come with broccoli, chicken and rice. Chicken is covered with amazing Thai peanut sauce. Again, very tasty and flavorful.
Other:
Drinks are available for purchase.
Order at the counter, and someone will bring your food to you table when it is ready. Staff was friendly and attentive.

This isn’t your typical Thai restaurant. Doesn’t have pad thai or pad see ew. I asked an employee what’s good here and she told me that the chicken and rice is the most popular. A quick glance around the small establishment proved her right. Almost everybody was eating the same thing! I ordered the chicken and rice when I dug in I could tell why everyone liked it. The steamed chicken and the soup actually reminds me of a Korean steamed chicken dish that I have always liked since I was a little kid. The sauce though is amazing and is what makes it even better. I loved how good I felt after eating here. It was the perfect amount of food and I can see why it’s popular!

After hearing my friend talk about this place and reading the reviews, I had high expectations for this place. In the end, I was a bit disappointed :(
Parking: Street parking is the only way to go and boy was it difficult to find parking. Thankfully after circling the block a couple times, we found a spot. Read the signs carefully!
Setting: The restaurant is decent size with open seating area inside and patio seating outside. There are a couple tables and booths inside. It’s very simple with nothing that really stands out.
Food: I ordered the chicken and rice with peanut sauce ($ 8.75). My friend ordered #1, the chicken and rice ($ 8.75). My plate came with white rice, veges and chicken topped with their housemade peanut sauce. The dish was quite big and the chicken was pretty good. It was a little on the drier side but with the peanut sauce, it didn’t bother me at all. The peanut sauce was bomb!!! I was running low on it and the dish just didn’t taste the same without it so I went to ask for more peanut sauce and it cost an extra $ 2 :(I didnt have too much left so I decided to not get it. The rest of the dish just didn’t taste right without the sauce. The chicken and rice dish came soup so I drank some of my friend’s and it was really good!
Service: Nothing really special. Grab your own drinks and food came out fast.
Overall my experince was alright. I would give the place 3.5 stars, still bummed about that peanut sauce haha However the dishes were decently priced and were good portions.

BOMB.
Saw this listed on a blog while I was looking for places to eat at in Portland. My friends and I first tried the stand in downtown and we thought it was really tasty. So the next day, we decided to go to the sit down location for lunch. I got the #1 which is the Khao Man Gai (chicken and rice $ 8.75) w/​a side of liver ($ 3). I love liver, but I think $ 3 for a tiny bowl isn’t worth it. I really wanted to try the fried chicken skins, but they were sold out wahhhhhh (guess you have to go really early if you want to get some). The place was packed so you might have a hard time finding seating inside/​outside, but service moves pretty quickly.

Gone are the days of $ 6.50 an order of chicken rice :(I know, I know, inflation and increased costs of supplies, but I often reminisce about paying just $ 8 for a piset of dark meat chicken and spicy sauce with soup. It has gone up to $ 8+ for a regular and $ 12 for a piset these days.
A few years later and Nong’s has not lost its touch– Still just as good as I remember. So good that I ate one for dinner and bought 2 orders for my flight back. Ate it with my bf at the Dallas airport and we definitely got weird stares for eating out of butcher paper, haha. Don’t care because without a doubt, we had the best lunch there!
Add some extra garlic to your sauce– extra stanky and extra delicious. If you’re planning takeout, call ahead for your order to avoid the wait. Pickup at the counter is a breeze!

I can’t get enough of Nong’s Khao Man Gai. It is seriously one of the most simple, delicious, and satisfying meals of chicken and rice out there. Her Khao Man Gai sauce is amazing and available in bottles to take home with you. As you may know she started at the stall in downtown doing just the one dish but here they offer a couple other options, including one for vegetarians. Gotta love this brick and mortar location and it’s décor; it’s simple and inviting just like the food. There’s seating inside and out with food served on actual plates, although you could just eat your take-​out on their classic butcher paper for the classic experience.
Another benefit from this brick and mortar is that along with your food you can get some booze to wash it down including a refreshing Montucky Cold Snack which pairs perfectly with Khao Man Gai. Some of the other offerings like Pork & Rice and the Thai Tea Float looked great so I’ll have to come back to try those, but obviously will have to get a Khao Man Gai on the side as well…

Holy cow! When I was informed that I must try the hainam chicken when I visit Portland I figured okay I’ll try it but I definitely came in with very little expectations. I mean come on Portland for Hainam chicken?!?
Let’s just say, I was totally wrong from ever doubting it. The chicken and rice ($ 8.95) part is kinda the easy part and is already a given but man that sauce! Now that sauce is what truly what makes the hainam chicken a hit or miss! My tip to you… Drench that piece of chicken in the sauce. You won’t regret it whatsoever! I tried the peanut sauce that they had as well and it was just okay. Stick to the sauce that comes with your plate. I loved that they give you a small bowl of soup and you can get liver! Yum! 2 thumbs up!
They sell the dipping sauce in store. They sell it at Whole Foods (Portland only), & they sell it online! Make sure you get yourself some! I sure am!
Portion was a tad small but service was on point.
Order your food. Find a seat. Food will be bought out to you. You grab your own utensils & drinks (water/​tea). Easy in and out.
Tips:
Cash and credit card accepted.
Indoor and outdoor seating available.
Free water, lime water, & hot tea.
Street parking.
Grab your own utensils.
Tip jar at the cash register.

So many reviews so I’ll keep it short.
To enjoy the famous chicken dish, you must enjoy spicy. Luckily, I love spicy — but many (unfortunate souls) do not. The chicken is mediocre without the Jaew (sauce), which definitely has a kick to it. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was very tender, however, without the sauce it was almost as flavorless as it looked.
I definitely do not believe this is a 5 star place. That said, It is certainly good and very reasonably priced. Employees are all very friendly too. Don’t be surprised to see a line, but it will move quickly and you’ll be seated and waiting on your food in less than 10 minutes.

AMBIANCE: hipster, grungy feeling place. I liked it and it was very casual. Small, but easy to find.
LOCATION: located in a weird spot in SE, not by much other stuff, so plenty of street parking.
SERVICE: good and quick. Friendly and knowledgeable.
FOOD: delicious food! I ordered a Pork and rice: Braised Pork belly, Steamed Chinese broccoli, kimchi and half a boiled egg, all on a bed of rice to go. Gould not complain. The meat was so tender and flavorful. I’m hoping for the chance to come back to try the other menu items soon.
PRICING: very reasonably priced $ 7−9/dish. Portions could be a bit larger in my opinion.

I love Nong’s! This is one of my must visit spots when in Portland. I’ve only been here twice to eat the Chicken Rice, and it has always been consistent. While I have been to the food truck near Portland State University, this was my first time at the actual sit down restaurant — so glad this exists. I came here with my boyfriend and his brother, and got the chicken rice of course! Seems like such a simple dish, but they infuse so flavor into the broth it that it just makes me happy inside!
Definitely visit this location or others if you are in the area!

When someone told me I had to check this place out for chicken and rice, I was like «chicken and rice?» I was actually glad I got to check this place out. I didn’t just go once, but twice during my weekend trip down to Portland. It was a great alternative to all the fried foods I had eaten.
The chicken was cooked perfectly and the ginger sauce it came with was not overpowering which I liked. At the tables they had a chili sauce which I’ve seen before at restaurants, but never garlic. Normally I’d be all over the garlic, but I passed as I didn’t want to have garlic breath the rest of the afternoon while cruising the city =P
The place itself was small. You order your food at the counter, they give you a number and they bring you your dish. They also have outside seating which I didn’t get to take advantage of as there were others sitting there, but it was all good =)

3.5 stars
I feel a little bit conflicted as it’s difficult for me to rate Nong’s. Some of the food was great and some of it was not something I’d recommend. 3.5 stars is just about right.
As a group we ordered the large plates of: chicken and rice, pork and rice, and tofu and rice.
Chicken and rice: this was hand’s down the best dish that we had. The sauce is unbelievably good. It’s no wonder they can bottle and sell this stuff for $ 10! (Life hack: if you Google the sauce you can find it online, namely on
, and make it yourself. Something that I’ll try in the future.) The chicken was nice and also the chicken rice. Not the best chicken rice that I’ve had (my mother in law makes the best!) but pretty good. The sauce is really what makes the dish. It came with a side of broth/​soup. Smelled good and tasted ok. Could tell there was MSG in it.
Pork and rice: I liked this dish because it came with the side of Asian veggies — chopped gai lan and pickled mustard greens. The pork was nice and tender and came with a pickled chili sauce. The pork was pretty good.
Tofu and rice: This is where the meal kinda fell flat. Plain rice with steamed broccoli and RAW tofu. All under their peanut sauce. Raw tofu was no good. I’d appreciate it more if they had at least pan fried the tofu for the extra crunch or texture. The peanut sauce fell flat a bit too. It had only helped that we used some of the chicken sauce on this dish to complement it. Definitely not something I’d recommend to order.
We came here in the middle of the day so it wasn’t too busy. Lots of street parking available nearby, but we had to find one about two blocks down. Service was limited. Help yourself with utensils and water.

Nong’s really hits the nail on the head with their version of khao man gai. Every Asian country has their version of chicken and rice, and it’s considered comfort food to the max.
At Nong’s, it’s all about the perfectly poached chicken, flavorful rice, and THAT SAUCE. OMG. You could pour that stuff over cardboard, and it would be delicious. Forget chicken noodle soup, just eat the khao man gai.

If you thought you had the best chicken and rice meal ever, wait until you come to this place!
I came here after a quick hike and I was famished. We didn’t know what to eat but when I found out that we were going to pass by this place back to our hotel, I immediately told me friend to bust a move and drive over here as quickly as she can.
Knowing that the best places in Portland usually get packed with their regulars or newbies (like myself) trying out the food, I wanted to beat the lunch crowd over there. We made it in good time and found parking on the streets. There were already some people out front already eating their lunch meals of yummy chicken and drinking their beers which made me want to try the chicken even more.
We walked in and the restaurant is a simple one. Metal tables and chairs carefully arranged throughout the restaurant to provide as much walking space as possible for the servers. Utensils and self-​serve drinking water off to the side as well. We heard about the original Chicken and Rice (Khao Man Gai), so that was what we went with! We sat down and started eyeing other customers who were getting their orders already which made us anticipate ours even more.
And when we got them, DELICIOUS! The chicken was juicy and tender and paired with the rice that complimented it so well. A MUST TRY when you’re ever in this area!