Love R+D. Their Dang's crispy chicken sandwich and deviled eggs are my fav. The burgers are nice too. All the food items are delicious! Outdoor patio is nice and indoor vibes are cool too read more

7:30: Still waiting after being told our table was ready at 6:50. 7:40. Still waiting...... Finally seated. Only got a sorry for the wait. read more

R and D used to be "Customer Centric" . Their management has let success go to its head. By that I mean, you don't take takeout orders on the phone, you don't do takeout for seafood OR French fries (wtf!), and worst of all, you discontinued your once great Reubenesqe sandwich.. While I was waiting for my takeout order, no less than 3 different people wanted to speak to a manager to complain about a variety of issues. I've been dining at this once great restaurant, for 22years or more, but no longer. They've forgotten how to build loyalty and now focus on what's most cost efficient and easiest and profitable for them. Portions are smaller, prices are higher, services all about them. Too bad. I WONT BE BACK! read more

I'm really surprised this place doesn't have better reviews because I had such a pleasant lunch here. I came on a Wednesday afternoon and it was packed, so I was glad I made a reservation since the wait without one was around 45 minutes. I really enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, super tender, and the bread was soooo soft. I also got an unsweetened iced tea and it was the perfect combo for an afternoon lunch. The service was also amazing. Our server and the host was really friendly and attentive. Would definitely recommend! read more

R+D Kitchen - Fried chicken sandwich was so good! - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We came here the other day for cocktails only. There was a bit of a weight, but we did get in. We sat at the bar they do make pretty good drink drinks. As we were enjoying them, they brought fresh new cold, martini glasses, and put our existing drinks in them .. very classy. It's a very busy place. It's fun to people watch.. Next time I have to try the food . read more

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R+D Restaurant is my go-to whenever I'm at Fashion Island. The service is always great, and the food consistently comes out perfectly every time. It's such a great spot to grab a meal solo after a long day of shopping--comfortable, reliable, and never disappointing. The au jus prime rib sandwich is a must, and their cheeseburger is just as good. The fries are perfectly done, and the deviled eggs are absolutely delicious. Definitely one of the best places to stop by when in the area. read more

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Food - today, am gonna try the skirt steak with chimichurri sauce. I love their Lamb sando, their Dings crispy sando, tuna tartare, dip duo, and othe goodies. Service - service is good here. Usually attentive and helpful. Ambiance - i consider this a mature refined environment Verdict - if your expectations are on par with the crowd, then visit this place. If you like to complain and are needy, then maybe not the place for you. Most of the time, we loved this place! Some hits and misses every now and then, but mostly good. read more

R+D Kitchen - Amaretto sour with egg whites - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I'm gonna start off why saying why it doesn't get a 5 star review like the other 3 hill stone restaurants in OC. It's quite simple and obvious. I'm not the only one with gripes about it: why the hell are sides like fries, salad, coleslaw or whatever EXTRA? The French dip, dings crispy chicken etc should come with it, not be some stand alone BS. I get it, fashion island rent do be crazy Spencey but still, it's the principle. Whatever. The cool thing about it is they have a few extra things and items you can't get at Houston's, bandera or gulfstream but they aren't spectacular enough to make it a 5 or like be on par with the others. The drinks and cocktails are just as good though. So great place for fancy drinks and Apps. Salud. read more

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I was extremely disappointed with my experience at R+D Kitchen. The service was poor from start to finish. My drinking glass had visible residue all over it, and when I asked for a clean one, the server walked away and returned with what appeared to be the exact same glass. What made the experience even worse was the selective enforcement of the restaurant's no cell phone policy. I was approached about using my phone, yet there were several other guests openly on their phones who were never addressed. Policies should be enforced fairly and consistently for everyone, not just certain guests. You never know who is dining in your restaurant. I have been to many fine dining establishments, and the level of professionalism and attention to detail at those restaurants is what keeps customers coming back. I originally intended to rent out this venue for a corporate event, but after this experience, my company and I will be taking our business elsewhere. Unfortunately, this visit left a lasting negative impression. read more

Great experience and R+D that is a family favorite. We put our name down and were seated about 20 mins later in a cozy booth. I had their cheeseburger which is now $23. Was delish as always. We also go ther coleslaw and fries as appys. My son had ther fish and he enjoyed it very much. Wife loved her cocktail which was delish but also very strong. Best thing about this was the first server that sat us down. She was very friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and food prep and recommended a few items. Our main server was ok but the first young lady made this a 5 star review. read more

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Here's a polished version that keeps your original sentiment and details: Great service and amazing food! We shared the deviled eggs and the tuna sandwich. The deviled eggs are always a must-order. It was our first time trying the tuna sandwich, and honestly, we didn't expect much since it's just a cold tuna sandwich--but we were both shocked by how good it was. It reminded me of the way my grandma used to make tuna salad, which was the best I've ever had and impossible to recreate. They normally cut the sandwich into three pieces, but when they saw we were sharing, they automatically offered to cut it into two instead. It's those little thoughtful touches that make the experience even better. read more

I had a frustrating and honestly disappointing experience with management at R&D Kitchen specifically with Kelly. At around 5pm, I was seated on the patio with the sun directly on my back. I was dressed appropriately in a collared shirt, tucked in, and overall well put together. The only issue? I had my hat on backward to block the sun. I was approached and told I couldn't wear my hat that way, which felt completely unnecessary and, frankly, a bit selective. There was nothing disruptive, inappropriate, or disrespectful about my appearance. It seemed like a rigid enforcement of a rule without any consideration for comfort or context especially given the outdoor setting and time of day. What made it worse was the tone and lack of flexibility from Kelly. Instead of creating a welcoming environment, it felt more like being policed over something trivial. It's hard not to question whether this kind of enforcement is applied consistently to all guests. For a place that prides itself on atmosphere and hospitality, this interaction missed the mark. Guests should feel comfortable and respected, not singled out over minor, situational things like how a hat is worn especially when seated outside in direct sunlight. I expected better read more

R+D Kitchen - Still took care of our wonderful server. As she was just as shocked as I was - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Years later, as I upload 2 photos, I see that I'm still enjoying the same R & D items. (I need to branch out!) Well I have had the veggie burger and Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich a number of times. Everything I've had here is good. read more

R+D Kitchen - Asian Chicken & Noodle Salad - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Bury me at a Hillstone... the best American food in the west is here. Deviled eggs, dip duo & a Thai salad is 10/10 and the crush cocktail the service is wildly helpful & attentive. read more

Looked forward to a nice lunch for Father's Day today after church with my family. Bummed that a member of your staff felt it necessary to ruin our experience. We left just after ordering due to her reprimanding us twice as if we were having lunch in a library. read more

The food was good. The hostess didn't seat us in order of when we came in because I wore a hat. She asked me to take it off. It was disappointing. read more

Food, service, and ambiance were good and consistent as always. It was busy on a Saturday, but the vibe was still great. The real 5-star highlight was our server, Adrianne. She was incredibly attentive and thoughtful, even changing our glasses twice to keep our drinks cold. That level of care is rare and really made the night feel special. read more

R+D Kitchen - Shout to our server, Adrianne!! She has elevated our dining experience and brought such a positive vibe to our table. - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

The manager named Kelly decided to tell me I was being too loud in the dinning area of the restaurant. I was laughing with my girlfriend, nothing inappropriate was being discussed. It was almost as if she was watching us and picked us out to reprimanded us. If R&D is not the place to have a fun, nice lunch we definitely will go to another more high class restaurant like Restoration Hardware to have a beautiful lunch between good friends. So many choices in Fashion Island, R&D will NEVER be a choice in the future. BTW we dropped $300 on a very mediocre lunch read more

We arrived for our lunch reservation quite early, but the accommodating staff seated us immediately and our server was knowledgeable and attentive. The food was delicious and the space delightful. We started off with the dip duo (guacamole and queso) and the rock shrimp. I shared the lamb sandwich and one of my table mates enjoyed the tuna salad sandwich while another said his French dip was tasty. All in all, a great meal was had by everyone at the table. read more

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Had drinks and appetizers yesterday and I wish I had planned my meal here! The staff are friendly and the whole place is chic. The drinks came fast and the appetizer in a timely manner. I had the jack rabbit and the tuna tartare. Definitely coming back ! read more

R+D Kitchen - Jack rabbit - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Really weird experience...sat at the bar and listened to the waiter/waitresses talk poorly about their various customers. One waiter (man with glasses) said he can tell when someone is going to pay debit vs credit. The food was mediocre--French dip was a C+ at best and the fries are almost identical to In-N-Out fries so you might as well go there. Overall poor experience 0/5 read more

I arrived to Fashion Island for lunch and shopping. My favorite hostess Christine and outstanding bartender Angela were there which made me feel very welcome and delighted. I selected Ahi Tuna Tartare and Deviled eggs. Paired well with Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc. The photo I present was from years past when things were done beautifully and presented the same at each visit. Much has changed ... Noah, the fairly new manager was very inappropriate when he rudely asked me to take my phone conversation outside in the middle of an important call. Now mind you, I was brief and there was only one other candidate reading a newspaper across from me at 11 am on a Thursday. Nobody was seated in the bar area yet, much less next to me on either side. I would disturb nobody. For 20 minutes I watched as they briefed a new hire where everything was in the bar as she was in training. Normally that wouldn't bother me. But because I was handled with no grace, I felt like my 30 minute dining experience at $60 a pop was wasteful and regrettable. Please review the insane policies and put more emphasis on the food and portions. Thank you! read more

R+D Kitchen - Ahi Tuna Tartare. - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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What a wonderful location for an American style restaurant in Fashion Island. The inside is modeled after a royal yacht. The service is fantastic, and the menu is limited but very tasty. They specialize in sandwiches and salads. I came for the best French Dip sandwich around. Fresh cut beef right off the prime rib. The real deal. We spilt two sandwiches and ordered a side salad and fries. With two iced teas, we had just enough food for three of us. The only negative was our bill with tax and tip was over $100 for sharing two meals. I loved everything about R&D Kitchen except the amount of food for the price. It just put us out of the market for this place. Maybe we are paying for the real estate being in Newport Beach? In summary, this place is just Okay with me. read more

R+D Kitchen - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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R & D is a very nice place to enjoy your meals. The waitress Jessica was so nice went the extra mile to make my wife & myself happy. The food was delicious. read more

Came here for lunch with a friend. This time, we were able to get seated right away with our reservation. The waitress was friendly and checked on us a few times. The table was a little awkward as it was half a booth and half stools so there was no backrest. One downside for coming here is the menu is quite small so I wouldn't recommend for picky eaters. I do think it's seasonal though which is nice. Some of the options looked different from the last time I was here which was 6 months ago. For our starter, we got deviled eggs which came with 3 to share. They were filled nicely and I topped mine with the hot sauce that was on the table. I got a seared tuna salad for my entree. The description on the menu was quite limited but it was basically 4 pieces of cajun tuna next to a green salad and 1 deviled egg. On the smaller portion but I could finish it for lunch. Definitely not a dinner entree. The tuna cut easily and I could taste the Cajun seasoning. The salad had some veggies I didn't initially recognize for some reason but were potatoes and beets which was different. Overall a good dish. read more

Wow! The Veggie burger is off the chain, I think even meat eaters would appreciate a handmade meatless burger. I would come back just for this. Service was great and with it being a packed place during the peak holiday season. read more

R+D Kitchen - Table - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Very nice ambiance with tasty food. The service was fine - not bad, not outstanding. The deviled eggs appetizer and crispy chicken sandwich were very good, definitely recommend. 50-minute wait for a table for two on a Monday night, so make a reservation ahead of time unless you want to walk around the mall for a while. read more

R+D Kitchen - Front entrance - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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OMG, the person who wrote this place is, "obnoxiously snooty " was dead on. Used to allow pets on the patio, but no more. First person said we could but manager came up and shut us down. I was wearing a baseball cap, I guess that's offensive too. read more

Great spot in Fashion Island. The tuna tartar was a perfect dish and something I can't get back home in Nebraska. Service was a little slow, but they were also packed full with people waiting for tables, so staff were stretched thin. read more

The food was delicious - unique and fresh. We sat at the bar with full, attentive, service and enjoyed the open air vibe.

The cheeseburger was SO juicy. It had a really yum aioli on it and the cheese was perfectly semi melty just how I like it. read more

R+D Kitchen - Cheeseburger - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We chose this restaurant to celebrate our friend's 74th birthday since it was her favorite and the only one of us who had been there before. We made a 4 pm reservation on a Friday at Fashion Island, expecting it to be busy. The food and service were fine, though we felt the prices were high for what we ordered., salads, a tuna sandwich, fries, and five glasses of wine totaled over $200. After being there about 2 1/2 hours, the manager informed us they typically allow only a 2-hour seating and that they had already given us an extra 30 minutes because many people were waiting. While I understand restaurants need to manage tables, the way it was handled felt disappointing and left us offended enough that we won't return. read more

One of the best things about any restaurant under the Hillstone group is the consistency! You will never be disappointed. The food is always excellent. service always on point, and they run their restaurant like a military op! R&D in particular is one of my favorite places in fashion Island. I always get the veggie burger in a lettuce wrap with no cheese or onions, I love it. Whether you're sitting at the bar, at a high top or on the patio, it never disappoints. It's a great spot to go with girlfriends, on a date, or even on your own to people watch and meet others. R+D is a great meeting spot and you will always be guaranteed to have a great experience. Very easy to book online reservations too. If you go as a walk and they will do your best accommodate you, but on the weekends when it's busy, expect to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. If you have things to do around the mall, it is worth the wait. read more

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Best carrot cake ever. Had pan-fried sole fish for lunch. Delicious! Great choice for business meals.Service was excellent! read more

R+D Kitchen - Best carrot cake ever! Have the sole Pan-fried Fish for lunch.Fantastic! Service was excellent! - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Came here on a Monday for lunch and I can honestly say, this place was really good. If you've ever been to Houston's in Irvine it's a lot like that (menu style, waiter dress code and ambiance). You would think Monday during the week should not be too busy, but when we got there there was a decent sized wait. Luckily I made a reservation. I got the Flat Iron steak ($39) which was cooked perfectly and seasoned well, also a daily good size. We also got the omelet (not pictured) but a lot smaller than we thought it was going to be. Our server was Page who was friendly, nice and very attentive. Will definitely be coming back here in the future read more

R+D Kitchen - Flat iron steak - New American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Pretty place, i like the ambience and decor, is a big place, the bar area was very nice, even the waiting area is a nice and pleasant spot, our waitress was very helpful and friendly, she explained the menu to us, food was fast and it was very good, my favorite was the ahi tuna tartare, it has a devil egg on the side that everything combined was delicious. Price is really good we spend like $60 per person (everything including) and we also order a bottle of wine. I like it a lot. Also! They do have vegan options which is a plus. read more

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Such a great spot with wonderful food and service. Pine room salad and deviled eggs chicken sandwich and ahi tuna tartar are the absolute best. Great people watching and fun environment especially at the bar. read more

This R+D kitchen is a must from the delicious food to the top tier Drinks with freshly squeezed juices for you mixer and the flavors from the food is like a Party in itself. I will be definitely be back with friends to show them the goodness of it. The service was fast and friendly. We had a lil wait so I ordered from the Bar top it was lunchtime and it was busy but still managed to get a couple drinks while we waited for our table. They have a patio area and inside seating both are very nice and comfortable. From the front desk to the staff everyone was friendly as well were the other in the restaurant. It's an all around great time. read more

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This place is obnoxiously snooty. We stopped in after shopping at Fashion Island and asked for a table for 3 adults and 4 kids. We were told they only had 4 top tables throughout the entire restaurant and would need to sit at different tables however they were next to each other. Even though the tables were next to each other, an adult needed to sit with the kids. They're all 10 and 12 years old. We were about to sit until the host told my husband that he needed to remove his hat. Seriously? Wouldn't recommend this place even though we didn't even try it. read more

I was visting family in the Newport Coast area and we stopped by Fashion Island. We decided to stop by here for lunch. Typically this place can get really crowded- it only took about 15 min to get a table. They have options outside and inside. I also heard this place won't do carryout pickups. Its dine in only. Their lunch menu is really small and we had someone who needed to avoid dairy. I think what was interesting is they picked a salad that seemed dairy free but it wasn't. They only list some of the ingredients on the menu, which is odd esp for cheese. We did ask before she ordered and it had white cheddar, so we asked to remove it. We got the chicken sandwich, tuna sandwich and fries. When the salad arrived it had cheese on it luckily we looked- we had to flag another server down to help because ours didn't come back for awhile. They apologized and brought out another salad, but it took awhile. I also should have asked more questions about the tuna. I typically like more savory tuna than ones with a sweet relish/pickles added. The sandwich was good if I liked relish, but basic. None of the sandwiches came with a side we had to order fries. The fries were good and crispy. The chicken sandwich was the best option out of what we ordered. Its tough because I would come back here again maybe for dinner- for a bigger menu- but the lunch was just okay. Overall experience 3/5. read more

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