We have visited Ad Hoc in the past and loved it, and we looked forward to another fantastic meal last night. However—it was really, really disappointing, as all the diners sitting around us agreed. Swedish meatballs in a rich, overly salted sauce on overcooked noodles, accompanied by green beans(tasty) and a dish of creamy, cheesy potatoes. The finale was an ice cream sundae. What a carb and fat load! Potatoes and noodles, two creamy sauces and sundaes covered in chocolate and whipped cream?! One neighbor couldn’t her meal because of the salt. So—usually a great place, a huge disappointment last night.
Ashley D
If you want to try a taste of comfort food coupled by recipes created by THE Thomas Keller I suggest you stop in here. We had the pleasure of dining here on a night they were serving the acclaimed chefs buttermilk fried chicken. A recommendation given to us by Cam over at Finesse. Cam Im sorry if i did not spell your name correctly. His recommendation did NOT disappoint. He was also extremely kind and knowledgeable about Chef Kellers restaurants. The drinks are amazing and the salad we started with had a dressing I could drink on its own haha. I had to invest in the Ad Hoc cookbook after this dining experience so I can try to recreate this amazing fried chicken at home. Really would love to return soon and try everything they offer here.
miamitraveldude
We had been wanting to experience one of the Thomas Keller restaurants for quite some time now, and during our most recent trip to Napa, we decided to give Ad Hoc a try because it looked much more of a casual environment versus the other outlets with still an amazing looking food quality. We made reservation for Ad Hoc a few weeks in advance through Tock for dinner and arrived promptly at our dinner time. There's plenty of parking on the street for free and I think they may also have a private parking lot as well. We entered and were warmly greeted by the host and were promptly brought to our table and our server came by a few minutes later to introduce himself. We brought a bottle of wine as well and I think it was a $20 corkage fee. For dinner, there is a 4 course menu for $64 a person and they also have wine pairings for $55/person, and they have a full bar and wine list as well. For this particular evening, they started us with a delicious and fresh mixed greens and fruit salad which was absolutely amazing and a plenty big portion for the two of us to share. For the next course, we had Mediterranean Chicken Thighs and couscous with a yogurt sauce. For the third course we had a cheese board, and to close the meal we have a Vanilla Panna Cotta. All food was absolutely amazing and fresh, and a great quality. All employees were very well trained and explained each dish in full detail, including the food runners. It was truly an amazing dining experience and we look forward to returning during our next trip to Napa!
NancyR142
Can’t get into the French Laundry? Like Southern food and a surprise? Try this place ~$50 per person 4-course Southern delight! Homemade ice cream sundaes on Sunday, We had root beer floats from heaven on this particular night. Wonderful staff & atmosphere-inside a bit loud, we opted to eat outside. Fantastic wine pairing options too. Come hungry portions are generous. Menu rotates frequently…
Roslyn M
The food is exceptional. The menu is fixed but the quality and balance is excellent. The ingredients include locally sourced produce. We added wine pairings as well. There is plenty of food, repeat, generous portions. The atmosphere is informal but upscale. Staff are well trained. There are add ons to the menu but you have so much food as it is, they are really for the table to taste. Extensive wine list and cocktails. You can check the menu daily online as it changes.
happysun16
We were so looking forward to our return visit here, the first time we came here we had an excellent meal. This time was not great. Our salad was salted to the point of being inedible. We let our server know who said she would replace it but we didn’t bother. The fried chicken was good, but not as good as I remembered and the sides were just ok. The wine pairing was well suited to the courses, with the pours being average. The service was the highlight, it was excellent, no complaints there. Not sure I’m in a hurry to return with so many other options in the area.
Max J
I know everyone's mileage is going to vary when you visit the "accessible" restaurant from a high-end chef, but we could not have been more pleased with the family-style meal we had at Ad Hoc. From the salad to the roast chicken to the night's special of "hog fries" (decadent but too good to pass up) to dessert, everything was delicious and the service was on-point. We'd love to go to the French Laundry at some point in the future, but until then, this definitely checked a lot of our Napa/Sonoma cuisine boxes!
Peggy M
Awful! So loud could not hear the server! Food was “ok.” Could not wait to leave! So many fantastic places to eat in Yountville….skip this one!
TulucayRancher
Food was tasty, but portions were skimpy for the high price. Outdoor seating sets a new standard for uncomfortably. Serving staff were inattentive and meal was delivered extremely slow. If you chose outdoor seating, be prepared to sit with other people’s dogs. They come on foot and in strollers. We will not be back. There are too many good restaurants in the valley to put up with this tourist trap.
AnnabelG137
We loved the family style approach, with the set menu. It's like going to your family for dinner. The herb roast chicken was to die for, and the cheese course with apple compote and pretzel was so simple, but so delicious.
Three years after my daughter and I first visited, my husband and I returned with friends for a memorable wine trip which of course included dinner at Ad Hoc. With fingers crossed that our visit would be for the famous fried chicken day, we snagged a reservation. Success! The evening of our visit the menu was of course fried chicken (with a lovely crab cake add on), baked beans and wilted greens. Salad, a cheese course and dessert were also part of the meal but after the friend chicken we all just couldn’t do it. Perhaps there was some overeating involved…. Service is speedy and friendly….perhaps because the tables are in high demand. Of Thomas Keller’s restaurants this is the most relaxed. If you’re looking for a high end, upscale experience this one is not it. Food is served family style for your table and the atmosphere is loud…..in warmer months when windows can be opened it is likely less noticeable. The menu is fixed and you can subscribe to the daily menu emails (I love them). It’s not inexpensive (you’re getting a LOT of food and it’s good) but you can take your leftovers home….or do what we did and hand the bag to kids working at our hotel - they were thrilled. We can’t wait to return and try another night’s menu. I’m lucky enough to have the cookbook containing the fried chicken recipe. Friends have made it and it is NOT simple….making us appreciate our experience all the more.
ZenDark30
Extremely loud,. Despite having good hearing, I could barely hear across the table . Living with a half full glass optimism’, we trudged on and ordered. It is a set menu with add-ons, such as fried chicken, caviar, and wine, pairings,. We added the fried chicken and vegetarian option instead of meatballs. The vegetarian was advertised as shiitake mushrooms, and cabbage. However, we could barely find the mushrooms.. The wine pours are barely 3 ounces . The server said the wine pairing would be about 2 glasses. I should of asked how many ounces they consider to be a glass. Overall it was a disappointment. Thomas Keller , this is a downturn for your namesake.
Trek20319611518
Thomas Keller should be ashamed of having this atrocity of a restaurant attached to his name. It was a very trashy experience, I’ve had classier meals at a flea market for a lot less money. Even as we walked in at 4:30pm, being the 3rd party to enter the restaurant, the air was stuffy, I figured maybe they had boiled some cauliflower? It only got worse as the restaurant filled up and all the windows were shot. We had a very rude and disruptive family of 5 sit next to us that kept eating while standing up and bouncing around our backs with a 2 year old baby and just being rude in general, our bottles of water and wine got brushed by their jackets several times as they stud up and down constantly and did not respect our space. My boyfriend’s brand new jacket got plenty robed by the kid’s shoes as the mother kept bouncing around behind him. The manager did a very poor job at handling the situation. We spent a good amount of money for 3 nights in a hotel in Yountville and had 3 wonderful dinners planned. AD Hoc was one of the restaurants picked, I wish we had gone to another restaurant. The experience was terrible, please save yourself and pick another restaurant. Honestly I don’t just feel robed of the meal money, I mostly feel robed of my vacation time.
Nomad0221
The food was okay, the restaurant was extremely loud and the service was good. Overall, this isn't really our scene. This is a set, family style menu and you are really at the mercy of whatever the restaurant decides to serve that day. For our meal, the Marinara sauce for the chicken parmesan was extremely sweet and the we added on the clam carbonara which had shells, which is fine, but there were a few that were broken up, which we bit into causing a pretty painful bite. The kale salad was pretty good but it was not very big for two people to share. My husband referred to this as Thomas Keller's version of McDonalds. Overall, this restaurant wasn't really what we were looking for so we will probably not be back.
lm55417
We really enjoyed this restaurant. The salad was nicely, not overly, dressed. The beef stew was tender and flavorful. One in our party is a vegetarian so he had a salmon dish that he also enjoyed. The olive oil cake was moist but not overly sweet. We also did the wine pairings with each course but our server completely missed bringing our pairing for the cheese course which was by far the biggest miss of the night. Service was okay. In addition to missing our wine (which he brought when we'd finished that course) with the cheese, he also seemed like he was trying to move us along at a faster pace than we were looking for. We ordered our drinks and told him at least three times within 5 minutes that we'd like to enjoy our cocktails before they started bringing out the food. We actually got tired of him asking so relented and agreed to have the food brought out before we were even close to finished with our cocktails - this meant that we then had a cocktail and a glass of wine at the same time. That was our biggest complaint of the evening and he did make up for it by buying us a round of after dinner drinks. Would definitely recommend.
We have visited Ad Hoc in the past and loved it, and we looked forward to another fantastic meal last night. However—it was really, really disappointing, as all the diners sitting around us agreed. Swedish meatballs in a rich, overly salted sauce on overcooked noodles, accompanied by green beans(tasty) and a dish of creamy, cheesy potatoes. The finale was an ice cream sundae. What a carb and fat load! Potatoes and noodles, two creamy sauces and sundaes covered in chocolate and whipped cream?! One neighbor couldn’t her meal because of the salt. So—usually a great place, a huge disappointment last night.
If you want to try a taste of comfort food coupled by recipes created by THE Thomas Keller I suggest you stop in here. We had the pleasure of dining here on a night they were serving the acclaimed chefs buttermilk fried chicken. A recommendation given to us by Cam over at Finesse. Cam Im sorry if i did not spell your name correctly. His recommendation did NOT disappoint. He was also extremely kind and knowledgeable about Chef Kellers restaurants. The drinks are amazing and the salad we started with had a dressing I could drink on its own haha. I had to invest in the Ad Hoc cookbook after this dining experience so I can try to recreate this amazing fried chicken at home. Really would love to return soon and try everything they offer here.
We had been wanting to experience one of the Thomas Keller restaurants for quite some time now, and during our most recent trip to Napa, we decided to give Ad Hoc a try because it looked much more of a casual environment versus the other outlets with still an amazing looking food quality. We made reservation for Ad Hoc a few weeks in advance through Tock for dinner and arrived promptly at our dinner time. There's plenty of parking on the street for free and I think they may also have a private parking lot as well. We entered and were warmly greeted by the host and were promptly brought to our table and our server came by a few minutes later to introduce himself. We brought a bottle of wine as well and I think it was a $20 corkage fee. For dinner, there is a 4 course menu for $64 a person and they also have wine pairings for $55/person, and they have a full bar and wine list as well. For this particular evening, they started us with a delicious and fresh mixed greens and fruit salad which was absolutely amazing and a plenty big portion for the two of us to share. For the next course, we had Mediterranean Chicken Thighs and couscous with a yogurt sauce. For the third course we had a cheese board, and to close the meal we have a Vanilla Panna Cotta. All food was absolutely amazing and fresh, and a great quality. All employees were very well trained and explained each dish in full detail, including the food runners. It was truly an amazing dining experience and we look forward to returning during our next trip to Napa!
Can’t get into the French Laundry? Like Southern food and a surprise? Try this place ~$50 per person 4-course Southern delight! Homemade ice cream sundaes on Sunday, We had root beer floats from heaven on this particular night. Wonderful staff & atmosphere-inside a bit loud, we opted to eat outside. Fantastic wine pairing options too. Come hungry portions are generous. Menu rotates frequently…
The food is exceptional. The menu is fixed but the quality and balance is excellent. The ingredients include locally sourced produce. We added wine pairings as well. There is plenty of food, repeat, generous portions. The atmosphere is informal but upscale. Staff are well trained. There are add ons to the menu but you have so much food as it is, they are really for the table to taste. Extensive wine list and cocktails. You can check the menu daily online as it changes.
We were so looking forward to our return visit here, the first time we came here we had an excellent meal. This time was not great. Our salad was salted to the point of being inedible. We let our server know who said she would replace it but we didn’t bother. The fried chicken was good, but not as good as I remembered and the sides were just ok. The wine pairing was well suited to the courses, with the pours being average. The service was the highlight, it was excellent, no complaints there. Not sure I’m in a hurry to return with so many other options in the area.
I know everyone's mileage is going to vary when you visit the "accessible" restaurant from a high-end chef, but we could not have been more pleased with the family-style meal we had at Ad Hoc. From the salad to the roast chicken to the night's special of "hog fries" (decadent but too good to pass up) to dessert, everything was delicious and the service was on-point. We'd love to go to the French Laundry at some point in the future, but until then, this definitely checked a lot of our Napa/Sonoma cuisine boxes!
Awful! So loud could not hear the server! Food was “ok.” Could not wait to leave! So many fantastic places to eat in Yountville….skip this one!
Food was tasty, but portions were skimpy for the high price. Outdoor seating sets a new standard for uncomfortably. Serving staff were inattentive and meal was delivered extremely slow. If you chose outdoor seating, be prepared to sit with other people’s dogs. They come on foot and in strollers. We will not be back. There are too many good restaurants in the valley to put up with this tourist trap.
We loved the family style approach, with the set menu. It's like going to your family for dinner. The herb roast chicken was to die for, and the cheese course with apple compote and pretzel was so simple, but so delicious.
Restaurantji Recommends
Three years after my daughter and I first visited, my husband and I returned with friends for a memorable wine trip which of course included dinner at Ad Hoc. With fingers crossed that our visit would be for the famous fried chicken day, we snagged a reservation. Success! The evening of our visit the menu was of course fried chicken (with a lovely crab cake add on), baked beans and wilted greens. Salad, a cheese course and dessert were also part of the meal but after the friend chicken we all just couldn’t do it. Perhaps there was some overeating involved…. Service is speedy and friendly….perhaps because the tables are in high demand. Of Thomas Keller’s restaurants this is the most relaxed. If you’re looking for a high end, upscale experience this one is not it. Food is served family style for your table and the atmosphere is loud…..in warmer months when windows can be opened it is likely less noticeable. The menu is fixed and you can subscribe to the daily menu emails (I love them). It’s not inexpensive (you’re getting a LOT of food and it’s good) but you can take your leftovers home….or do what we did and hand the bag to kids working at our hotel - they were thrilled. We can’t wait to return and try another night’s menu. I’m lucky enough to have the cookbook containing the fried chicken recipe. Friends have made it and it is NOT simple….making us appreciate our experience all the more.
Extremely loud,. Despite having good hearing, I could barely hear across the table . Living with a half full glass optimism’, we trudged on and ordered. It is a set menu with add-ons, such as fried chicken, caviar, and wine, pairings,. We added the fried chicken and vegetarian option instead of meatballs. The vegetarian was advertised as shiitake mushrooms, and cabbage. However, we could barely find the mushrooms.. The wine pours are barely 3 ounces . The server said the wine pairing would be about 2 glasses. I should of asked how many ounces they consider to be a glass. Overall it was a disappointment. Thomas Keller , this is a downturn for your namesake.
Thomas Keller should be ashamed of having this atrocity of a restaurant attached to his name. It was a very trashy experience, I’ve had classier meals at a flea market for a lot less money. Even as we walked in at 4:30pm, being the 3rd party to enter the restaurant, the air was stuffy, I figured maybe they had boiled some cauliflower? It only got worse as the restaurant filled up and all the windows were shot. We had a very rude and disruptive family of 5 sit next to us that kept eating while standing up and bouncing around our backs with a 2 year old baby and just being rude in general, our bottles of water and wine got brushed by their jackets several times as they stud up and down constantly and did not respect our space. My boyfriend’s brand new jacket got plenty robed by the kid’s shoes as the mother kept bouncing around behind him. The manager did a very poor job at handling the situation. We spent a good amount of money for 3 nights in a hotel in Yountville and had 3 wonderful dinners planned. AD Hoc was one of the restaurants picked, I wish we had gone to another restaurant. The experience was terrible, please save yourself and pick another restaurant. Honestly I don’t just feel robed of the meal money, I mostly feel robed of my vacation time.
The food was okay, the restaurant was extremely loud and the service was good. Overall, this isn't really our scene. This is a set, family style menu and you are really at the mercy of whatever the restaurant decides to serve that day. For our meal, the Marinara sauce for the chicken parmesan was extremely sweet and the we added on the clam carbonara which had shells, which is fine, but there were a few that were broken up, which we bit into causing a pretty painful bite. The kale salad was pretty good but it was not very big for two people to share. My husband referred to this as Thomas Keller's version of McDonalds. Overall, this restaurant wasn't really what we were looking for so we will probably not be back.
We really enjoyed this restaurant. The salad was nicely, not overly, dressed. The beef stew was tender and flavorful. One in our party is a vegetarian so he had a salmon dish that he also enjoyed. The olive oil cake was moist but not overly sweet. We also did the wine pairings with each course but our server completely missed bringing our pairing for the cheese course which was by far the biggest miss of the night. Service was okay. In addition to missing our wine (which he brought when we'd finished that course) with the cheese, he also seemed like he was trying to move us along at a faster pace than we were looking for. We ordered our drinks and told him at least three times within 5 minutes that we'd like to enjoy our cocktails before they started bringing out the food. We actually got tired of him asking so relented and agreed to have the food brought out before we were even close to finished with our cocktails - this meant that we then had a cocktail and a glass of wine at the same time. That was our biggest complaint of the evening and he did make up for it by buying us a round of after dinner drinks. Would definitely recommend.