Nong's Khao Man Gai
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| Nong's Khao Man Gai | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interior of the restaurant in southwest Portland, 2025 | |
 Interactive map of Nong's Khao Man Gai | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2009 |
| Owner | Nong Poonsukwattana |
| Food type | Thai |
| Location | 609 SE Ankeny St C and 417 SW 13th Ave[1], Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°31′21″N 122°39′34″W / 45.52238°N 122.65940°W |
| Website | khaomangai |
Nong's Khao Man Gai is a Thai restaurant located in Portland, Oregon which primarily serves Khao man gai, a chicken and rice dish originating in Southeast Asia.[2]
Nong's Khao Man Gai was founded by Nong Poonsukwattana in 2009. Poonsukwattana emigrated to Oregon from Bangkok, Thailand in 2003. She arrived with $70 and a suitcase.[3][2] Poonsukwattana began working as a waitress at several restaurants in Beaverton, Oregon before eventually receiving a position at Pok Pok, a Thai restaurant in Portland. At Pok Pok, she was the only Thai cook.[3][2] Poonsukwattana was later able to purchase a food cart off Craigslist for $1,300, and, in 2009, opened Nong's Khao Man Gai as a food cart at Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, serving chicken and rice every day until the product ran out.[3][2]
The first brick and mortar restaurant is located in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood.[4][5]
In 2014, the restaurant was featured on Chopped.[6][2] American chef Andrew Zimmern visited for an episode of the Travel Channel series The Zimmern List.[7] Nong's Khao Man Gai was a vendor at the first Taste of Thailand festival in 2024.[8]
Reception
Nong's Khao Man Gai was included in The Infatuation's 2024 list of Portland's best restaurants.[9] Katrina Yentch included the business in Eater Portland's 2025 overview of the best restaurants in Buckman.[10] Michael Russell included the business in The Oregonian's 2025 list of the 21 best restaurants in southeast Portland.[11] He ranked Nong's number 24 in the newspaper's 2025 list of Portland's 40 best restaurants.[12] The business was included in Portland Monthly's 2025 list of 25 restaurants "that made Portland".[13] Writers for Portland Monthly included the khao man gai in a 2025 list of the city's "most iconic" dishes.[14]
