Kitchen Paradise – Mr. Nong's Fish Rice Soup with Packed Ingredients, Fresh and Non-Fishy
Mr. Nong's Fish Rice Soup, a 50-year-old establishment now in Bangkok on Rama 4 Road, serves fresh Gulf seafood in fragrant broths with tender fish and excellent dipping sauces at competitive prices.
When the weather turns gloomy and rainy, there's nothing quite like fish rice soup—an easy, comforting dish that soothes the stomach with a hot broth that slides down smoothly. But finding a truly delicious spot with fresh, tender fish at reasonable prices feels like winning the lottery.
Thanks to a recommendation for "Mr. Nong's Fish Rice Soup" near Samyan on Rama 4 Road, we discovered a restaurant that checks all the boxes. The fish is genuinely fresh, with firm, succulent meat that isn't mushy, tough, or fishy—simply delicious in every way.
This place has real pedigree, having operated for over 50 years, starting as a street cart near Mab Taphut in Rayong under the name "Pattaya Fish Rice Soup," serving an ancient Chinese recipe popular among Chachoengsao residents.
What makes it special is the broth—fragrant, smooth, naturally sweet from fish bones. The soy dipping sauce is equally excellent, available both spicy and mild, and when mixed with roasted chili, it becomes absolutely outstanding.
After 40 years of roadside operation, the shop moved into a shophouse before expanding to central Rayong and changing its name to "Mr. Nong's Fish Rice Soup." Most recently, it opened in Bangkok on Rama 4 Road between Soi Chula 9 and 11.
Owner Hia Nong-Bantur from Rayong explains that ingredients are fresh daily from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, including grouper, white snapper, mackerel, squid, shrimp, and oysters. The restaurant buys directly from fishing boats without middlemen, allowing competitive pricing.
Fish rice soup comes both soupy and dry, starting at 100 baht, served in generous, steaming bowls with abundant ingredients and large pieces. The menu also features hot pot, salads, stir-fries, deep-fried items, and tom yum, with "fish head hot pot" being particularly impressive—the meat is tender and succulent, and the collagen-rich fish skin is incredibly satisfying.
There's also a secret menu item: "stir-fried fish jaw with herbs" using grouper jaw enhanced with fish maw. Each jaw is carefully portioned, with three per serving, and since the shop receives only 15 groupers daily, they can make just five plates maximum—truly limited edition.
The restaurant opens daily from noon to midnight. Free parking available in the back (enter via Soi Chula 11); parking card gets one free hour at the restaurant. Call 09-2945-6669 for reservations.
