Slotting in alongside bubble tea, bagels and bakeries, Black Ruby Thai Craft Burger and Dining soft opens Sunday in Cambridge’s Porter Square.
The menu is made up primarily of burgers and sandwiches with Thai twists. There’s a Thai basil beef burger and another based on khao soi, a curry noodle soup; a tom yum shrimp burger reminiscent of that hot and sour lemongrass and lime soup; spicy larb and Thai barbecue pork burgers; a green curry crispy chicken sandwich; and a chicken satay burger.
Each comes served on a brioche sourdough bun made for Black Ruby by its neighbor, Mahalab Bakery, which moved into the storefront next door in March.
Black Ruby is owned by Monson Theerapanont, who has spent a decade working in Thai restaurants. At 1790 Massachusetts Ave. in Neighborhood 9, it’s replacing Chalawan Asian Eatery, which closed in September after five years.
“We spent nearly a year searching for a location, particularly in Cambridge, but it was really difficult to find an available space there,” said Pam Kamolnithi, Black Ruby’s creative director. “Then we discovered that a Thai restaurant was shutting down because the owner wanted to retire, so we took it right away. It’s a great location.”
It’s not the first fusion burger place to come in Cambridge in the past few months. In October, Dorchester’s Caribbean-inspired Bred Gourmet opened its second location in The Port.
The goal at Black Ruby, Kamolnithi said, is to break the rules. Growing up in Thailand, she spent her childhood in the kitchen, a place she referred to as her “playground.” She learned authentic Thai recipes from her mother and grandmother, but tends to avoid following their recipes exactly.
“I enjoy thinking outside the box and love to experiment in the kitchen,” Kamolnithi said. “It’s fun to create something new and tangible from my imagination.”
She said her ideas often start with “What if?”
“Now that I’m in the U.S., I’m curious: What if we blend my Thai recipes with American favorites, like burgers?” she said.
The rest of the menu includes Thai takes on pastas, including a tom kha gai white sauce spaghetti and a spicy red sauce pappardelle. There are also Thai-inspired appetizers such as pad Thai spring rolls and spicy larb Scotch eggs.
The name Black Ruby is similarly rooted in Kamolnithi’s concept of breaking the rules. A traditional Thai ruby is red, “symbolizing classic food and expectations of Thai cuisine,” she said. “But we are ‘Black Ruby,’ a ruby that doesn’t exist naturally. Just as our name challenges expectations, so does our food.”
Black Ruby will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed Wednesdays.
This post was updated Jan. 17, 2025, to say that restaurant owners have changed plans for a soft opening to Sunday from Friday.
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