🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Nong Mon Market sits right on Sukhumvit Road in Saen Suk, Mueang Chonburi district, just a few minutes from Bang Saen Beach. It's an old souvenir market that's been part of Chonburi for nearly a century. Roughly speaking it splits into two zones: the souvenir shops lined up along the road out front, and the fresh market down the lane that sells processed seafood and everyday home cooking. It opens early, around 05:00–06:00, and runs into the evening until about 20:00. Most stalls take cash and QR payment.
What to buy at Nong Mon Market
If you don't know where to start, this list is what people actually carry home most, ordered from the market's signature items down to the snacks you grab on the way out.
Khao lam (Nong Mon style)
The real star of the market: sweetened sticky rice and coconut milk packed into a bamboo tube and roasted. It's rich and fragrant, with plenty of fillings to choose from — black bean, taro, custard, and black sticky rice. Several of the older shops still roast over a wood fire the traditional way, and it tastes best eaten the same day.
Khanom jak
Sticky rice flour mixed with coconut and sugar, wrapped in nipa palm leaf and grilled over charcoal until it's lightly charred and fragrant. It's better eaten warm in front of the stall than taken home, since the texture firms up once it cools.
Hoi jor (fried crab rolls)
Tofu skin wrapped around a crab or shrimp filling mixed with minced pork, steamed and then fried. Nong Mon has several well-known makers — Mae Wanna, Mae Jarin, Mae Charoen — and you can buy them already fried to eat right away, or unfried to take home and fry yourself.
Kun chiang (Chinese sausage)
Firm pork sausage with a nicely balanced sweet-salty flavor. It keeps well, so it's a good one to take home and fry up with rice porridge. Pick a brand that's vacuum-sealed and it'll travel a long way without trouble.
Fresh palm sugar drink
Freshly pressed coconut palm sugar with a natural sweet aroma, sold chilled by the bottle. It's a good way to cool off while you walk the market, but it doesn't keep long — drink it within a day or two.
Dried seafood
Dried squid, salted fish, dried shrimp, and shrimp paste come in several grades in the fresh-market zone inside. They're great for cooking back home — pick a shop with fast turnover so you get the freshest stock, and smell and check the color before you buy.
Kalamae & local sweets
Chewy kalamae toffee, khanom tan, crispy thong muan rolls, and plenty of other Thai sweets sold in sets at easy prices. A small set is a good pick if you're sharing with coworkers.
Dried fruit & mango leather
Mango leather, candied mango, banana chips, and several other dried-fruit snacks — good road-trip nibbles that kids love. Choose the sealed packs and they'll keep longer.
How to pick good khao lam
A tube that's just come off the fire will still be warm with a clear bamboo aroma — ask the shop what time this batch was roasted. If you're taking it a long way home, the bean or taro fillings keep better than custard, and don't leave it sitting in a hot car for long.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Chonburi food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Old-school shops the locals talk about
Nong Mon has dozens of khao lam and souvenir shops, and each one has its own regulars. We've picked out a few that come up often and have been around a long time, just as a starting point — we didn't stay anywhere or take sponsorship from any shop. We'd suggest tasting a couple yourself and going with whichever you like best.
Khao Lam Mae Nim
An old shop that's been selling for decades. The draw is the light sweetness — fresh coconut milk and a traditional recipe — and it's a name Chonburi locals know well.
Khao Lam Mae Phuea
A shop that still roasts over a wood fire the old-fashioned way and has been on TV a few times. The woodsmoke and bamboo aroma is its signature.
Hoi Jor Mae Wanna / Mae Jarin
Two familiar names for crab rolls in Nong Mon, with generous fillings. Both sell them fried and ready to eat or raw to fry at home.
Dried-goods shops in the fresh-market lane
The inner zone has several stalls for dried squid, shrimp paste, and processed seafood, with fast turnover and prices you can compare across a few shops.
Getting there and when to go
- From Bangkok — take the motorway (Highway 7) or Bang Na–Trat Road toward Chonburi, then turn off for Bang Saen. The market is right on Sukhumvit Road and easy to spot from all the parked cars. It's about 1.5 hours from Bangkok.
- Address — Sukhumvit Road, Saen Suk, Mueang Chonburi district (just drop a pin for "Nong Mon Market" on the map).
- Opening hours — open daily, roughly 05:00–06:00 to 20:00. Mornings and evenings have the freshest stock. Long weekends get crowded and traffic backs up in front of the market, so leave extra time to find parking.
- Payment — most stalls take cash and QR. Keep some small cash on hand for the little shops.
Make a day of it
Nong Mon is close to Bang Saen Beach and Khao Sam Muk. Walk the market for souvenirs in the morning, grab seafood by the beach for lunch, then drive back in the late afternoon — you'll get both the food and the sea views in a single day.
Plan a full day of eating around Chonburi and Bang Saen
See the Chonburi travel guide →