Love the chicken sandwhich. Great service for how busy they are. Good drinks and seasonal options . This is a great spot for an after-work bite and drink or just to catch up with an old friend. Check out their sister restaurants for other great options around LA. read more

During a visit to Santa Monica for interviews and to see a friend, we decided to check out this spot on a Friday night. The atmosphere is awesome, the people are of course beautiful and they had some great beers and wine list. Suggestion: if you want to dine in on a Friday, I would suggest getting a reservation. Either way, they took care of us and we had people to talk to during the wait. I was pretty simple with my request, a burger... I heard from our waitress the burgers are to die for. Well, I wouldn't necessarily die for one, but it was a damn good burger. The service food,drink selection and atmosphere makes this a revisit for me. read more

Try this Bar way to often and always disappointed with the bar tenders, and poor service. Business is good because it is the only bar per say on Montana. read more

The atmosphere and veggie burger alone are reasons to go to R and D. I love this place! Also great for a glass of wine...the bartenders are really nice and take good care of you! read more

Found this place on yelp after we found out that Fathers was closed on New Years day. Food was good a bit expensive but I really like it. Its hard to find a good Reuben sandwich now adays but they did a good job creating something pretty close to it. The tuna was not my favorite but I didn't order it so oh well. I really liked the setup of the place especially taht you could pretty much see through the entire kitchen. Service was really good, but as most of y'all know I'm more concerned with food quality. read more

I had the salmon special, it was very good. Husband and his friend both had the chicken sandwich (3 smaller ones to a plate). The fries were delicious. Great service and moderately priced. read more

Like a well-rehearsed Argentine tango, The R+D Kitchen staff served my table with extreme precision and grace. You could tell that they had the process of customer turnover streamlined to perfection. The flow of getting seated, ordering food, getting drinks, being served food, to getting the check, and having the table cleaned for the next guests was optimally choreographed. The drawback to this kind of operation is the lack of personal interaction with specific waiters. I felt like every server in the restaurant played a part in the experience which lacks some individualization. The setting was casual, but turned intimate at about the 7:30pm hour when, out of nowhere, without warning, the lights dimmed, and sultry tunes started to play. The place had a homey feel to it, with a bookshelf above the bar and a very tacky sea otter surfing sculpture (very "mom's house" type of knick-knack) towering over the bar. There was also a very elegant/gourmet nuance to the establishment along with the comfort of home feel. The menus were minimalist, the water glasses were curvaceous, and the receipt paper was of a divine card-stock variety. Now onto the food. The three dishes ordered were; The Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich, The veggie burger, and the Asian noodle salad. I have no clue who this Ding guy/gal is but he/she sure makes one heck of a crispy chicken sandwich. The chicken was so crispy and textured on the outside, but the meat was not even a tad over or under cooked on the inside. I am positive it was free-range, happy chicken from California, because it just tasted so fresh. Everything about this sandwich was free-range and cage-free from the chicken to the tomatoes to the baby Swiss cheese. The buttery bun book-ended the sandwich and man, the fusion of flavors was marvelous. The Asian noodle salad was chosen as the healthy option given that I gorged on Island's unlimited fries the night before. It was bursting with colorful flavor. The mint was refreshingly bold, with crisp cucumber, peanuts, and cage-free mango. The chicken was nicely textured, and overall a good portion for a good salad. Not many words on the veggie burger, you will have to ask my colleague Jiina about that one, she did say she prefers Costco/Island's garden burger to this one. On a side note, the side we ordered were the hand-cut fries. They weren't your average fries, they had some Asian seasoning and were crunched and crisped to a tee. Overall, this is not your average joe place that gives steroid-ridden, frozen chicken or frozen vegetables, or thin flimsy receipt paper. This place is hybrid of casual and gourmet that has the freshest of ingredients that are all cage-free and antibiotic free with receipt paper thicker than that last Hallmark card your grandma gave you. All in all it was well worth the price and the wait time. Bravo Mr. Ding, whoever you are. read more

As a new Santa Monica resident, I have been unimpressed by so many dining experiences so far. This place exceeded my expectations, which was so so refreshing. The server had a great personality which made the experience that much better. Food: Carnitas featured sandwich. The coleslaw had great crunch. It came with a nice tangy sauce on the side which complimented the melt-in-your-mouth carnitas perfectly. Good luck eating this with your hands! It's messy, but that's the best part. The server says she has to eat it with utensils too so don't feel bad! My love had the chicken sandwich, of course. He "mmm"ed which he never does. He said "the cheese is what makes the sandwich amazing". If he was impressed, you will be too. Sides are a la carte so we split an order of fries which were crunchy and perfectly shoestring-y. Drinks: The gin, sparkling wine, and lemon juice cocktail was surprisingly tasty. I am not a gin drinker but felt adventurous. I had two! Great service, perfect food, nice ambience. read more

I enjoyed this place and they had good quality food but I think there are so many better places in Santa Monica. This place makes reservations so you don't have to wait. I enjoyed the ambiance and it is a good date night spot. read more

Awesome food . Its delicious! Its pricey buy worth every penny, and the selection of wine and beers are awesome!

I could eat lunch here everyday. Literally. Very comfortable seating, great location, welcoming staff and the menu is perfect. Not too many or little dishes. Good combo of cocktails & food are perfection. read more

Went for lunch with my husband. Got seated right away, excellent and personable waiter who made some good recommendations. Drinks were good and food was great. I got the Asian chicken and noodle salad which was beautifully presented and delicious. We split the deviled eggs which were yummy and my husband got the special seared Ahi sandwich which he like a lot. All were really good. I love Montana Ave so you can't beat the location. read more

Food was not bad. I had the ribs and they were tasty , wife had the meatloaf and it was great. What was terrible , and honestly unacceptable, was the complete lack of service when seating. We came in a group of five with a one year old (so six total) and they deemed it acceptable to give us a four top... we asked for a high chair and they apparently have none. When we asked for a another table they said they could give us a chair from the table over once they leave (45 minutes later). Come on man ... no high chair? Sitting six at a four top? This was not a surprise .. they knew we had five plus a kid - if you have nothing that could sit us just tell us before waiting to sit down Again - decent food , but don't go with kids read more

My friend kept raving about R&D Kitchen and their "amaaaaaazing" veggie burger, and everytime I would think, okay, I'm sure it's good, but how "amazing" can one veggie burger be over another? So I went and I ordered the veggie burger and I have to say it IS "amaaaaaazing!" It's made with brown rice and some nut (I think almond) and cranberries, so the texture and flavor is so good. And it comes on a perfectly toasted bun (btw, if you don't like mayo or avacado, ask for it without). It's also huge...who woudl have though I could only eat a half of a burger. My friend that I was with got the Newport salad (her fav) and I had a bite...it was pretty yummy too. If you like the Houstons, Golf Stream kinda food (all owned by the same owner), then you'll like R&D just as much! read more

Met up with a friend for lunch. We came in during the week at about 1pm. There were plenty of people there but there was no wait. Trendy open space. What you would expect on Montana. My friend ordered some sort of ham sandwich. He wasn't too impressed. The side of french fries were thin and crispy. I ordered seared ahi tuna salad. It was delicious. Had goat cheese and a deviled egg. No complaints here. The waitress was very professional and had impeccable manners. My hat off to her. Wish I remembered her name. Sorry. But I looked around and everyone there seemed to take their job seriously. Smart. read more

One dish. The Asian Chicken Salad, the presentation is amazing, the taste, fantastic. I love that their glasses for water are chilled. I've only eaten here for lunch so I can't vouch for dinner, but being that they don't have that much on the menu I'm sure it's all great. The deviled eggs are de-lish and only like $4. I just love Montana Ave. I've gotten the salad every time I go because it's just great. read more

Have been here a few times. Can get sort of busy from time to time but is worth the wait. Has a limited beer menu but has solid selections. The wine list is top flight however, very well put together. The location on Montana makes it great for that type of ambiance and people watching. Saw Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck (must have been shooting Argo with a full beard) her enjoying a quiet dinner. This is a solid choice for Montana. read more

What a GEM!!! R+D Kitchen is a small restaurant associated with the Hillstone chain restaurants. Where do i start?!.... Appetizers! EVERYTHING IS GOOD! I LOVE deviled eggs, and it doesnt get much better than their's. Not your average devilled eggs, and quite filling! Just ask for a side of sirachen sauce and you are set! Their chicken meatballs might be the best meatballs i have ever had, beef or chicken! Fries are good! Dings Chicken Sandwich.....Nuff Said!!! a fantastice crispy sandwich with coleslaw instead of regular lettuce. a sweet vinaigrette dressing that compliments the coleslaw and the tender crispy chicken. Not greasy!!! and that is huge. A must if and when you visit R+D's. Mi Sueno-El Llano is a red blend staple at R+D and Hillstones. If you like wines, this is a must. Always busy, i wouldnt recommend a group. But its worth the wait. Great atmosphere, great location, and i like that you usually see the same waiters, helps build repore and relationship. Overall great place! Will definitely be going regulary! read more

The ambiance in this place is sooooo nice! I want to eat here some day, but for now pickups will do. Service is excellent for pickup and they take good care of the food in transport as well. Presentation is always top-notch. read more

I had a chicken salad which was amazing. Great atmosphere. Perfect place to chill, have drinks, and have light food. By the way, burgers are pretty awesome too. read more

Hey update for R&D ! I guess these folks listen because, I went back all the shitty attitude that drove me out of the place was gone. Have gone in twice. Lovely. Consistent. I order the prime filet, charred rare, extra spinach and a Bloody Mary on Sunday eve with the rest of the paper. Good job R&D for jettisoning the flotsam and the jetsam. read more

R&d is pretty good I ate here yesterday and had the ahi tuna salad which was good but the reason I rate them only 3 stars is because it is somewhat overpriced. The tuna was great but not worth 20 $. I would recommend it but the cost is the only set back read more

Great atmosphere and even better food. Quick bites but very tasty. Good wine and beer menu as well. Felt little under dressed during dinner time. read more

Whatever you do, don't get the ribs! Would love to give these guys 5 stars but boy oh boy did they botch their rib dish. I was severs $28 dollars worth of fat and bone. If that's your jam, weird. If it's not, and order anything but. read more

Visited this restaurant based on Yelp reviews and we were quite happy that did! The food was delicious, our waitress was very nice and attentive and the atmosphere was perfect for our Sunday evening. We ordered the Dip Duo to start and we loved the guacamole and the cheese dip, plus the chips were warm and tasty. I ordered the Ahi tuna salad and was not disappointed. The tuna was cooked perfectly and the dressing on the salad was great. I'll be back. read more

Love this place! The small menu is amazing, but limiting. That's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. Excellent service & food, cool vibe. read more

Terrible. Worst customer service on Montana. No interest in the happiness of their customers; they are stubborn, stand-offish and, frankly, given the prices they charge, not worth it. A near total indifference to the well being of their customers and a stubborn, tone deaf insistence on their "policies" ... Many better choices on Montana where they will at least make you feel welcome as they overcharge you. Never again. read more

Delish! Deviled eggs were excellent, chicken sandwich was perfect. The textures and proportions of each ingredient was perfectly. The kale slaw on the chicken sandwiched provided the perfect amount of flare to dress it up without distracted from the overall sandwich. The dou platter which comprised of in house gauc and queso was, how shall I say it...BOMB.COM! The queso has a great cheddar taste but should be consumed after the gauc. If you eat the queso then the gauc, your poor tongue takes such a beating by the flavor train that gauc seems inconsequential. The sandwich proportions are plenty unless you're a beast in which case you may feel that the appetizers are light handed. Sooo good!!!! read more

Love every meal here. The burger is great and the service is always wonderful. One of my go to places for lunch work meetings.

The burger is excellent and waiters are super nice. We also had the chicken asian salad that was really flavorful and the grilled salmon was a huge size. Everything was great! Would def go back. read more

A "B"? We live on Montana and have gone here for a nice glass of wine on more than one occasion but going on an afternoon for lunch we sat at the bar had a over sized Reuben sandwich which was OK but the poser bar maids and wait staff gets old after a while upon leaving noticed it was a "B" which instead of being posted at the entrance was off on the side by the corner and hidden from plain view NOT A GOOD THING and DECEPTIVE... NO NO NO won't go back anytime soon and either should you PRETENTIOUS MANAGEMENT just lie the staff read more

I went to Research and Development Kitchen a few weeks ago with my husband. I was expecting it to be a more edgy version of Houston's, because that's where they try out their stuff before it goes there. We had a burger each, a side of sweet potato fries and we shared the Newport Salad. The latter plate was unbelievably delicious, uber fresh greens, top notch pecans, cheese. All the other things were very good too. After finishing lunch, we stayed 10 more minutes and admired their open kitchen. You can see the quality of the ingredients and the attention to detail of the line cooks. It was Montana, therefore overpriced. Fun lunch out, but didn't drive me crazy. I don't need to go back. read more

First thing you will notice is about R&D is that it is the only full service bar on Montana Ave. The next thing you are going to notice is that this place is ALWAYS packed(please refer to my 1st point). The menu is limited but everything on it is good. The Chinese Chix Salad is very good. The burger is good. If you like deviled eggs - get theirs! Major plus - you can bring your own wine with no cork fee! read more

This is my go-to restaurant. Small menu, but everything is consistently delicious. The seared tuna salad is amazing. The best item is without question the carrot cake! read more

The chicken sandwich, burger, fries and duo dip appetizers are fantastic!

R&D is a really fun place located on a seemingly popular strip. I have yet to thoroughly discover Montana but it is a name that comes up a lot. And often times it's because people are talking about R&D. On a very quiet no-nothing Friday my gals and I decided to do happy hour there. They don't have a happy hour menu per se but it was the right time of day to be enjoying ourselves in this neighbourhood. The idea was we would enjoy a drink or two before one of the girls would split off to have a date with her husband. Let's just say plans changed. To begin with we ordered a bottle of champagne. I took a poll to see what one appetizer I should order, and hands down it was the chicken meatballs. So light, so tender. And smothered in homemade tomato sauce. And chicken is not a common meatball but it resonated the tenderness of my mom's homemade turkey meatballs so I fell in love right away. Beside me a gentleman ordered the deviled eggs, of which he devoured in 3 seconds flat, so I'm gonna go with they were yummy. All four of us (... I should stop and tell you date night was derailed when hubby discovered we were at R&D and decided to stay with us) ordered two of each - steak, mash, mustard greens, and a side of red peppers with goat cheese. None of this appears on the menu but I guess when you come here often enough you know what to order. The steak was melt in your mouth perfectly medium rare. I didn't speak a word until the whole meal was complete. So good! The ambiance is much like you would find in any chain restaurant so you would certainly come here for a lively atmosphere. I'd even say it might be a fun place for a first date ?!? Later in the evening it does get somewhat overcrowded but it's a good energy. What we really loved though was the service. Generally speaking, big box restaurants like this don't always instill attentive service. I'd even go as far to say that it wasn't expected. Yet we were taken care of by the bartender, server, chef, as if we were the only patrons in the restaurant. That speaks volumes for me. I would absolutely go back to R&D and there are some must-haves on the menu for next time, including their signature crispy chicken sandwich. Note that R&D is part of Hillstone restaurant group with names across the country. R&D has 3 locations in California alone so we can call ourselves lucky. read more

Visiting the area and so happy we stopped at this restaurant for lunch! Mister had the Huevo Cubano and I had the cheeseburger sans bun, lettuce wrapped. They were delicious! They grind their burger meat fresh every morning and the burger was very, very tasty and cooked just right. The service from everyone was excellent and our server Andie was prompt and friendly. We liked the ambience of the restaurant too. Definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

R+D Kitchen - Cheeseburger with lettuce wrap, sans bun - New American Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Really wanted to like this restaurant because so many of my friends and family like it. Their menu was simple but I was still intrigued! I ordered the newporter salad without walnuts or egg. Our server was nice and our food came out pretty quickly despite the restaurant being packed! When I looked down at my plate, the 'salad' I ordered looked nothing like what I had ordered. What kind of 'salad' barely has any lettuce?? My 'salad' also had a bunch of stuff in it that was not listed on the menu. There was cheese, cashews, walnuts, and dates. I was really disappointed with my food and when I told the server it wasn't what I was expecting, he didn't really have an answer as to why my salad did not come the way I ordered. I don't know if I ordered off an old menu or if their stuff is subject to change, but it would've been nice to get what I ordered and not some random dish the kitchen put together. read more

I was in the Santa Monica area for a business meeting and met up with a vendor I work with on the side when I finished. He suggested R+D, since we both hadn't eaten, as a meeting point. The cheeseburger here was awesome. I had just eaten at Umami Burger the weekend prior and was throughly unimpressed, but R+D restored my faith in humanity. They positively knocked this one out of the park. I don't want some crazy burger with ridiculous toppings, I want a large beefy american cheeseburger! They also had me at first sight when I saw that they slathered it with sweet red relish, I'm a sucker for a burger that has relish. I hands down recommend this place to anyone. read more

Great food! Loved the dip duo and the deviled eggs! Also, they make the best cappuccino I've had in years!