Rangoon Ruby

About Rangoon Ruby

Rangoon Ruby serves Burmese food at 445 Emerson Street, a block off University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. The restaurant names Chef Max Lee as the head of its kitchen and describes its style as a fresh, modern take on Burmese cooking. The Palo Alto website also uses the name Burma Ruby, so do not be surprised to see both names on menus and receipts.

Burmese cooking sits at a crossroads. The restaurant points out that its menu draws on Indian, Thai and Chinese kitchens. You can taste that range in a single meal, from flaky palata bread to wok-fried noodles and sour, crunchy salads. Rangoon Ruby is part of a small group. A second restaurant operates at 680 Laurel Street in San Carlos.

What is on the menu

The posted menu is long, so it helps to know the sections before you sit down. Menus change, so treat these dishes as examples.

• Appetizers: vegetable samosas, salt and pepper tofu, Northern fried tofu made from yellow bean powder, lettuce wraps and palata, a layered flatbread served with coconut chicken curry. Lotus root chips appear when in season.
• Soups: mohinga, listed as a catfish chowder with rice noodles, lemongrass and ginger; a creamy coconut noodle soup with chicken; and a samosa soup.
• Salads: the tea leaf salad, made with fermented Burmese tea leaves, fried garlic, beans, nuts and seeds, plus a rainbow salad built on four kinds of noodles, a ginger salad and a pickled mango salad.
• Noodles: nan gyi dok, thick rice noodles with coconut chicken sauce; garlic noodles; and a Burmese take on pad thai that the menu calls its most popular dish.
• Vegetarian dishes: string beans, baby bok choy in season, broccoli with garlic, mango tofu and eggplant with garlic.

If you are new to Burmese food, the tea leaf salad is the classic place to start. Pair it with palata and a noodle dish for a good spread across the menu. The bar mixes Tiki-style cocktails. The restaurant suggests its namesake Rangoon Ruby drink for first-time guests.

A few menu details help when ordering. Salads come on romaine lettuce or, in the traditional Burmese style, on shredded cabbage, so say which you prefer. The samosa soup is a hearty bowl of samosas, potatoes, lentils, cabbage and falafel with jalapenos. Several stir-fried dishes, such as the mango tofu and the fiery tofu with string beans and basil, can anchor a vegetarian meal. Lotus chips and baby bok choy depend on the season, so ask if you do not see them.

Booking, takeout and events

Call the restaurant or use the online booking link on its website to reserve. Rangoon Ruby recommends booking ahead, which is good advice for weekend dinners downtown. For takeout and delivery, the website links to ordering through SpotOn and DoorDash, with a pickup option on both.

The restaurant also caters and hosts parties. Its website lists catering for birthdays, holiday parties, corporate events and weddings. It also offers private party space for birthdays, rehearsal dinners, company events and holiday gatherings. Both have inquiry forms on the site.

Who Rangoon Ruby suits

The menu is built for sharing, which makes Rangoon Ruby a good choice for a group of friends or a family dinner where everyone wants to try a few dishes. Lunch service every day makes it practical for a work lunch downtown. Vegetarians have real choices here. The menu marks vegetarian items and notes vegan options on dishes such as the Rangoon noodle and the Burmese pad thai. Some salads contain dried shrimp and peanuts, so mention allergies when you order.

Tips for visiting

Note the break between lunch and dinner. The kitchen closes at 2:30 p.m. and reopens at 4:30 p.m., so plan a late lunch accordingly. Emerson Street is a short walk from the Palo Alto Caltrain station and the city garages around downtown. After dinner, University Avenue is a block away for dessert. Our downtown Palo Alto guide covers the area. For more Southeast Asian cooking, see our Asian food guide. Vegetarian diners can find more ideas in our vegetarian and vegan guide.

Location and getting there

Rangoon Ruby is at 445 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, CA, in the Downtown area of Palo Alto. Our Downtown guide covers what else is around.

The Palo Alto Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• Scoop Microcreamery, bakery or dessert shop, under 0.1 mi
• Palo Alto Bicycles, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• Verizon University Avenue, shop, under 0.1 mi
• Fjällräven, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• T-Mobile University Avenue, shop, under 0.1 mi
• University Avenue, under 0.1 mi
• Lytton Plaza, under 0.1 mi
• Cogswell Plaza, under 0.1 mi

Other restaurants nearby: Tane Vegan Izakaya (under 0.1 mi); Pho Ha Noi (under 0.1 mi); Evvia Estiatorio (under 0.1 mi); Pizza My Heart (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full restaurants list.

Before you go

• Popular dinner spots in Palo Alto fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so book ahead where the restaurant takes reservations.
• Many kitchens close earlier than in big cities. Plan to order by about 9 p.m. on weeknights unless the posted hours say otherwise.
• If you have allergies or dietary needs, call ahead or check the current menu on the restaurant's website.

About this listing

Checked October 30, 2026 against Rangoon Ruby Palo Alto website; Food menu; Rangoon Ruby group website. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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