Award-winning

R&D Restaurant - Toronto

Name: R&D Restaurant - Toronto
Address: 241 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 2E2
Telephone: (416) 586-1241
Price range: CAN$31 to CAN$50
Rating: 4.5

4.5

1593 Reviews

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Asian

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 17, 2025

7:00 p.m.

Booked 11 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Innovative
Good for groups
Great for creative cocktails

R&D is an urban casual restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s iconic Chinatown, headed by first-ever MasterChef Canada winner Eric Chong and his mentor, Michelin-starred restaurant owner Alvin Leung. The stylish interior reflects R&D's dualistic nature: open & abuzz with energy while preserving an intimate atmosphere.

At R&D, eastern dishes meet western style in the form of modern Chinese sharing plates, where classic ingredients are given a vanguard treatment.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
Contemporary Asian, Asian, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of Operation
Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(416) 586-1241
Website
http://www.rdspadina.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Eric Chong
Private party facilities
With its eclectic and laid-back interior, animated Chinatown home and daring Asian fusion fare, R&D is an ideal venue for lively cocktail receptions, intimate group dinners and more.

Location
241 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2E2
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Neighbourhood
Chinatown / Kensington Market
Cross Street
Spadina & Grange
Parking details
Street parking available on Spadina Avenue. Public parking available on Sullivan Street.
Public transit
Accessible via the 510 Spadina streetcar. Located in front of the Sullivan Street stop.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Late Night, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Experiences

Best Duck in the City
Multiple dates available
Savour Chef Eric Chong's famous whole-roasted Pekin Duck for $120. Featuring roasted garlic hoisin, leeks and steamed baos, you're in for a formidable feast for two (or more)! We require 24 hours' notice to prepare your duck. Please book your reservation at least one day in advance and indicate how many ducks to prepare in the reservation note. Kindly ensure that you select 'The Best Duck in the City Experience' when making or rescheduling your reservation.

Popular dishes

CSB$15.00
char siu, housemade milk bun / 2pcs
Spinach Dip Spring Rolls$15.00
gruyère, pecorino romano, pickled jalapeño / 3pcs
- 3 Pcs$14.00
Pork & Crab Siu Mai$18.00
dungeness crab, shrimp, red thai curry, coconut / 4pcs
- 4 Pcs$16.00
Shrimp Toast$20.00
preserved lemon emulsion, milk bread, lemon, chives
Grandpa's Fun Guo$25.00
chicken, brown butter leeks, porcini, fresh black truffle / 3pcs
Kalbi Beef Bao$15.00
beef short rib, kimchi, kewpie / 2pcs
- 2 Pcs$14.00
Foie Gras Sou$14.00
foie gras parfait, hazelnut, sour cherry, maple / 2pcs
- 2 Pcs$14.00

Choi

Vegetables

Baby Gem Salad$16.00
preserved beancurd, pine nut confit, cilantro dressing
Brussels Sprouts$16.00
deep-fried, chili glaze, wild rice
Charred Broccoli$16.00
'nduha xo, aged cheddar sauce, wild rice
Wok-Fried Long Bean$16.00
preserved black beans, lap cheong, crispy garlic
Yu Xiang Eggplant$16.00
chili crisp, chipotle, ramps

Siu

Small

Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio$22.00
nuóc châm, crispy garlic, thai basil
Salmon Sashimi$24.00
heirloom tomato, yuzu kosho, smoked kalamata olive
Popcorn Shrimp$19.00
prawn-crusted nobashi shrimp, crustacean emulsion
Lamb Spiducci$18.00
gochujang, wasabi peas, korean furikake
Crispy Squid$24.00
typhoon shelter crumb, leek butter, thai chili

Dai

Large

Fried Chicken$29.00
mandarin gastrique, 16-spice blend, togarashi chili
R&D Fried Rice$33.00
mushroom xo, porcini butter, maitake, olive leaf, singapore crunch
Cavatelli$34.00
mala spices, oyster mushrooms, doubanjiang, dry-aged pork
Lamb Chow Mein$36.00
xinjiang style, fresh tagliatelle, lamb jus
Ibérico Char Siu$46.00
roasted pluma, scallion, wildflower honey, natural jus
Chicken Fried Skate$37.00
chili & ramp rémoulade, cured egg yolk, housemade preserves
@wok_lobster$75.00
lobster dashi, caramelized carrot purée, vermicelli, poached tail
Wagyu Beef$120.00
a5 japanese wagyu strip loin, ponzu borderlaise, pomme purée, pearl onion
Best Duck In the City$120.00
whole roasted pekin duck, roasted garlic hoisin, cucumber, leeks, steamed baos

Tim Ban

Dessert

Sticky Toffee Pudding$16.00
palm sugar toffee, medjool dates, caramelized apples, calvados cinnamon ice cream
Calpico Panna Cotta$16.00
raspberry & milk sorbet, skyr yoghurt, garden basil
Molten Lava Cake$16.00
valrhona ivoire, lau sa, raspberry
Ice Cream$5.00
two scoops of mango, black sesame, red bean, matcha, or ube

What 1,593 people are saying

R&D Restaurant - Toronto reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.5Service
4.3Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Toronto
Innovative

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

R&D Restaurant in Toronto is celebrated for its "best duck in the city" and exceptional Asian fusion cuisine. Guests rave about the "outstanding service" and "beautiful presentation" of dishes. The vibrant atmosphere is perfect for special occasions or casual dining. Signature dishes include R&D fried rice, bao buns, and unique cocktails.

1,593 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Toronto3 reviews
5.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Every experience is an exceptional one! Thank you to the FOH & BOH teams for creating such a memorable evening, each and every time. The food is INCREDIBLE and the service really stands out. The whole team really works together to create such a lovely evening. Thank you to Kyle & all the other FOH staff. We will definitely be back! (Highly recommend the squid & foie gras)
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A
Adel VIP
Toronto15 reviews
2.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
We visited this place after we heard some good things about some items on the menu. Granted I’m not sure if we went on a bad day but we did not have a good experience at all. Some notes, we never received some of the items we ordered, we were served lukewarm water I assume had been sitting around for awhile, we ordered some drinks and were never asked if we wanted something else despite the empty drinks sitting at the edge of the table. Also had empty plates sitting there for over 10 minutes as well. It also took quite a long time for any item to be served. It’s a shame, I’m not sure if maybe they were performing so poorly because it seemed like there was no manager present. I would never return based on this experience and would not recommend it either. You can advertise owned by masterchef all you want but if there’s no one supervising the staff that is responsible on a regular day then this restaurant is just for namesake. We also had a special request which seemed to get ignored as well.
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J
Jacky
Unspecified2 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The service and food were amazing! The R&D fried rice was our group favorite!
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N
Nancy
Toronto3 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This Peking Duck is absolutely fabulous. WOW. Was very impressed. My husband is a “connoisseur”of Peking Duck, having eaten this over a 1000 times. We found this duck meat succulent, seasoned very nicely, delicately in contrast with the duck skin which had its own hints of favour with a crispiness that avoided being soggy or heavy tasting. This duck paired well with the crunchy flavourful fried rice. The broccolini and crispy slightly spicy fried chicken were very flavourful with interesting elements not typical in these dishes. My only critique would be the dumpling which I found was too small a bite. The truffle was too delicate for me. The toffee dessert was large size portion and a nice end to our birthday celebration.
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N
Nick
Toronto1 review
5.0
Dined on February 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Absolutely amazing, came here for my anniversary and can say 100% we were not disappointed. Staff was super friendly, food was soo flavourful! I recommend sitting at the chefs table, they make the experience more lively.
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M
Marco
Toronto1 review
4.0
Dined on February 22, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Great duck and friendly service. Good ambience but music could be better.
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K
Kent VIP
Toronto71 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 22, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
No doubt this is a GREAT place for Peking Duck. We had it with the truffle fried rice, also excellent.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Toronto2 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 22, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
What I liked about it was different. No weird emulsions, or tiny plates after which you drop $2000 and eat pizza on way home. Good portion size, taste and flavour is there. My favourites which felt an explosion of flavour were Foie Gras and short rib. WOW. Honestly you got the flavour just right especially on the Short rib, that rib is a star. Fried Riz was spectacular. The Pork steak. Great flavour, marinated, but I thought if we are living on the skin, make it more crispy. Texture. Dessert of Pana Cota require a refining of flavours. It was over gelatinanted, I was expecting something along a flan texture smooth and soft, overpowering sour, ice cream was a nice balance. Maybe a pineapple and coconut would work or dragon fruit. This is more creative than I could imagine and far beyond my skills. If you're reading Chef, much respect. It's a great stop.
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G
Gabriel
St. Louis8 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 16, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 5
The food was absolutely amazing. I would return just to try different things. The service was lacking from our waiter. Definitely not what you expect from a restaurant of this quality. But fortunately the cocktails and plates saved the night and we left happy with our selection.
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S
Sophie
Toronto1 review
5.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Peking duck is something special here must try! Very crispy and tender meat !!
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R&D Restaurant - Toronto is rated 4.5 stars by 1593 OpenTable diners.