Ad Hoc

We’ve celebrated 2012 new year here with my fiancé and forgot to write a review. The food was amazing, we still remember how good it was 3 years later. We will definately visit next time we are in Rome. My wife considers it the best restaurant we’ve ever been to.

Super great. Amazing food, service and ambiance. Also the truffle service ahead of time was an extra bonus. Was the top restaurant experience during our visit to Rome

— Food: Small portions (as expected) but very nice. Not much options for vegetarians.
— Waiting time for food: 4 dishes, 20 minutes
— Venue: Unique style, well located
— Customer Service: Very good. Were quick to take our coats at the start. Provided us with complimentary drinks, starters, deserts and bottles of wine to take home!
— Price: Expensive but expected.

My bf and I went here as our big date night dinner while in Rome. The food was very good, and beautifully presented. We both chose to do a tasting menu with the wine. The wine was paired really nicely. The atmosphere is dark and romantic, we just ended up next to the diners from hell, and the loudest group of middle aged women. It sort of ruined our experience a little. If your looking for an amazing tasting menu with a wonderful atmosphere for about ²⁄₃ the price try Life also in the Prati district.
On the upside you get a gift bag of sparkling wine when you leave ;)

Ad Hoc was by far my favorite restaurant in Rome. The food was so good that we came two nights in a row! It is a small restaurant but very nicely decorated with wine bottles and the scent of truffle which is their specialty. Make sure to make a reservation or you have no shot at getting a table!
The waitresses were very helpful and got us everything exactly how we wanted it. We had a vegetarian in the group and they made special dishes for him. I ordered the tasting menu and made a few revisions to it. The carbonara here is mouth watering (and I am very picky with this dish because most places even in Italy do not make it correctly). The friend pumpkin blossoms appetizer may be one of the best tasting things I’ve ever eaten! And don’t even get me started on the wide array of desserts! (Try the crème brûlée trio and the black cherry dessert!)
Every single dish was beautifully plated and they have a full truffle taking menu as well. They brought us a small tasting starter and small dessert on the house on top of everything else we ordered. They also gave me a gift bag each night with Truffle products to take him and try. They sell things in the restaurant as well to take home of cook with.
I literally ate so much that I could barely walk after the meal. I will come here on every trip to Rome!

I made reservations far in advance. The place is pretty small. Extremely intimate and romantic. We had a table by the window that was more isolated than the others. They start off by introducing their truffle menu, which is both ala cate and a tasting menu in the back of the regular menu. They also show you a plate full of black truffles. I was slightly confused as to why. I saw other tables trying to touch the truffles. Which is obviously not allowed. The service was impeccable. So friendly and welcoming. Was one of my favorite dining experiences while in Italy. They start off with a glass of complimentary Prosecco. I liked it so much that I asked for two more of the same at dinner. They did not charge me for either one.
We had a complimentary amuse bouche that included a piece of soft cheese a profiterole and a toast I believe, with some sort of savory jam, possibly truffle. I tried stuffed pumpkin flowers for an appetizer and my husband had the scallops. Both were good but nothing mind-​blowing. For our entrees we had a combination of two of the entrees from the main course. Again, they did not blow us away. We had a tiramisu for dessert. They sweetly wrote: «Happy Anniversary» on the plate. I must have mentioned it while making the reservation. It was very thoughtful. Tiramisu was one of the bests in Italy.
Again, the whole experience and service were extremely memorable. We even received a bottle of the Brut we so much liked as a gift! What a pleasant surprise! Perhaps our food choices were not the best, I would still highly recommend this restaurant.

Terribly disappointed! Food was either unseasoned or over salted and was served cold to lukewarm. Only reason it got two stars instead of one was that the service was okay and the wine that accompanied the taster menu was of a decent quality. Twice I was in the toilet at the same time as a member of staff, who both left without washing their hands, gross!

When you travel to Italy you will want to experience all the «hole in the wall» restaurants, the real authentic home cooking that your Nona made for you when you were a kid. The places that have no tourists or lines. The places that surround you with locals. That is NOT what this place is about. But that’s not a bad thing! There is a modern group of people in society called «foodies» and although I do not like this term, it will help the masses understand what group of people will enjoy this place. You see, a foodie is someone who is well traveled and has experienced food from its purest form to its updated and modern interpretation. Someone who understands the importance of having truffle on EVERYTHING. And now that I have hit that wonderful trigger word; Enter Truffles! This place is truly special. From the pre-​dinner truffle tasting to the service and food you will experience throughout the night, you will know you are somewhere special. It is so intimate and has the feel you are looking for but when that first dish hits your table, you’ll know. The aromas will intoxicate you. The flavors and textures will tantalize you. You’ll forget about the Neapolitan pizza that you had for lunch that knocked your socks off. Here you sit in ‘modern’ Roma. Enjoying Cabonara, but elevated to the 10^th degree with a wonderful flurry of truffle encompassing your fork. You’ll drool a little after every bite. The waitress will startle you slightly when she comes by to check in on your vino because you are so enveloped with what is happening you forget you are in public and you got lost in the fact that you thought you were at your Nonas house for Sunday dinner. As you wipe the drool and swallow the last bite of truffle, order another glass of wine and really think about what just happened.

Great service and sea scallops! We don’t really drink (our loss here it seemed). The waitresses were super friendly and attentive. We booked an early dinner as we were traveling with our 6 year old. He’s a pretty well-​behaved chap but we are still very conscious of bringing a kid to a «nice» restaurant. The folks here were very sweet and welcoming to him. Very much appreciated. Our dinner was ordered a la cart rather than the tasting menu (again, we were eating sans vino). It was my husband’s favorite meal of our 4 days in Rome. Hard to beat freshly-​shaved truffles. The sauce on the sea scallops was divine.
The 5 stars emphasizes the service and overall experience. Food is solidly 4 stars. For wine-​lovers, this appears to be a very cost-​effective place to get your fermented grape consumption on!
Reservations are a must. We couldn’t get one same day, but managed an early reservation for the next day. If you book it online, there is a bonus in that you are invited to a truffle tasting before the meal. Lots of folks report receiving a complimentary bottle of wine at the end of their dinner. Since we aren’t drinkers, we were given a small jar of truffle lard!

Ad Hoc is doing quite a bit correct, and there are several areas where they can still improve.
They feature 3 different tasting menus with wine, each approximately 95 EUR +/​-​with wine pairings.
I LOVED one of the wines and asked for another glass that I was not charged extra for. Not sure if this is standard or if the server just forgot. Espresso at the end of the meal was also not added to the bill, again, not sure if this was included in the tasting menu price or an oversight.
Wine and ambiance might are the highlight (check out the photos)
Food is probably where some improvements can be made. Some dishes were great, some were only ok.
Wait staff was very nice and accomodating. Very good but not perfect english spoken, so we did not receive a lot of explanation about the wines or food, but it didn’t really make too big of a difference.
On a strict price/​value/​experience level I’d recommend this place, but I found the portions to be rather large, and the waitstaff did not seem to understand why we could not finish each course which was a little off putting.
If you book online they will invite you to a truffle tasting at their truffle shop around the corner from the restaurant. I highly recommend you do this, especially since it’s #1 free and #2 comes with a glass of prosecco. Tasting takes about 30 minutes, and they clearly want to sell you truffle something or another when you leave, but there is no pressure, which I appreciated.

Just back from a very satisfactory first visit to Ad Hoc, would recommend highly to all foodies dining around in Rome, welcomed respite from the nonstop barrage of pizza and pasta that you invariably run into on every street corner in Rome. Inventive menu, well prepared — especially noteworthy choices: duck salad, black squid linguini, squash blossom and rabbit. Room has an intimate feeling akin to dining in a wine cellar. One tiny gripe, a bit slow in getting the courses out but no stars deducted since that may be more me as an American than the leisurely standard in Rome. In any event, you should put Ad Hoc on your must dine list when you’re in Rome center, you won’t be disappointed!

A pleasant refined dining experience
Truffle tasting 30 minutes before meal was enjoyable
The atmosphere was cozy
The food is delicate so this is more of a fine dining experience than a place to fill up
The service is either slow or relaxed and European depending upon your point of view
(Americans tend to always be looking to get to the next place rather than just lingering over a meal: another European thing is you pay per person for bread — we asked for no bread and we got it anyway and still had to pay for it)
Had beef tartare with white truffle: very refined and excellent
Ravioli with beef and truffle
My wife had sea bass wrapped in zucchini with mushrooms very nicely presented
After dinner «American coffee» was about ¼ cup of coffee (so you’re better off getting expresso)
Overall very enjoyable
(Two people, € 116 which would be less if you can get them not to give you bread and skip coffee; on the plus side: got a complimentary glass of prosecco with truffle tasting and another at dinner, so didn’t need to order wine; and plate of cookies and licorice after meal so didn’t need to order desert) they also have some nice looking tasting menus

Extremely tasty, extremely generous restaurant that went out of its way to make our night very, very special. The communication for the reservation in advance was fantastic. Email back after reserving, confirming, planning, and a beautiful personalized followup email from the restaurant’s manger one week after we left. We said it was a special dinner for us in advance, and had a beautiful booth that was private and tucked away to enjoy our meal. We were invited to a complementary apertif at the adjacent truffle shop before dinner… Complementary, with prosecco and some of the most delicious truffle spreads I’ve ever tasted (honestly). I was very pleasantly surprised to have had this offered to us, and again — entirely complementary. Dinner was filled with delicious preparations from the kitchen between courses and when we left at the end of the night, the kitchen gave us a bottle of sparkling wine to take home with us to remember the special occasion. I also should note, if you come here for dinner, do not… under any circumstances… leave without ordering the Crème Brûlée. It may not be the first thing you think about when you envision Italian desserts, but as someone who has tried many, MANY desserts in my lifetime, this was BY FAR, the best crème brûlée that I’ve ever tasted. Anywhere. We were so full after dinner, and were already going into dessert verging on feeling overstuffed yet nothing prepared us for how good that crème brûlée was. Essentially three different variations, mint, cinnamon, and standard Crème brûlée variations in the finest granular texture I’ve ever tasted. It was truly sensational — comparable to nothing I’ve ever had in my life. If you must come in for just a glass of wine and the Crème brûlée, do so. Sensational.
The rest of dinner was also delicious. Very good variations of duck. We orded from the truffle menu, which includes special truffle ingredients worked into the dishes. I think the flavors could have been stronger perhaps, and the strong truffle taste that characterized these dishes were slightly more subtle than I would have expected. Also, the only downside was that it took a long time to get each course and the bill. We also came right as the rush of dinner started, and the waitresses were so sweet to offer apertifs to help offset the wait. However, the restaurant was absolutely fantastic and their generosity to create a special night was heartwarming. The Crème brûlée and the service was the highlight of the night, and I would definitely recommend any visitor to come here for a high-​quality, delicious meal with a unique ingredient (truffles) specially incorporated into each preparation.

I’ve eaten at a lot of great restaurants and this place ranked pretty high for me. There was a specific page on the menu dedicated to truffle dishes and they delivered big time. In America, you’re lucky if you get 4 thin slices of truffle on a dish, not here.
I suggest Ad Hoc for those that grow tired of the typical tourist oriented Roman Ristorante’s and are seeking something more special. It’s indoors only, which can be refreshingly comfortable and isolated after a long day of touring Rome.
Lastly, the wine list is actually a fairly thick hard-​cover book that has an image of each label. Nice touch and the prices are spread pretty broad with plenty of wines under 60 euros. You can also splurge.

So good going for 2^nd time in 3 nights. Incredible wine list, incredible! Top service, casually elegant atmosphere and creative excellent Italian cuisine. Start with complimentary glass of Prosseco and have anything with truffles, it’s all good.

Ad Hoc was a great experience. I reserved online and received a personal e-​mail confirmation. I was told to go to the Truffle Tasting Room (which is a store Ad Hoc owns selling truffles) a half-​hour prior, and we received a complimentary glass of prosecco and bread with different types of truffles on it. While they’re obviously hoping you buy truffles, they don’t push you AT ALL, which I really appreciated.
I ended up having the tasting menu (land version). Of those, what stood out were the pumpkin flower stuffed with ricotta cheese and honey mushrooms, codfish balls on chickpeas cream and rosemary, the spaghetti carbonara three ways — classic with bacon, parmesan and pecorino cheese, egg; with seasonal mushrooms; with black truffle. The black truffle carbonara was an overdose of truffle. The parmesan carbonara was unreal.
I also got the wines paired with the course and each glass was fantastic and really paired nicely with the meal. Overall, I was very pleased, but one tiny nitpick I would have is that there was a little too much reliance on the truffle to the point that it started overtaking everything and being a little too front and center. But that’s really a nitpick.
I’d come back, but I’d definitely go with a more traditional menu next time around rather than the tasting menu as it’s an expensive restaurant.

So my husband made reservations here 3 months before we went to Rome — We were super excited to try this place — although I thought it was a little bit funny that being from San Francisco, we were going to try Ad Hoc in Italy before going to the one in Napa.
And it was really really good. Everything was fresh, creative, well-​plated. I did the tasting menu by Sea while my husband did the truffle tasting. While I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner — I think my husband was in heaven. His meal was literally death by truffle. I thought it was a little to much but he enjoyed it.
If you go here — don’t miss the squash blossoms. And at the end they send you home with a little something to remember them by =)

It is really a 3.5 stars. We went there for the last meal in Rome during this trip. The expectation was high as they were featuring the white truffle pre-​fixed menu. We got there on time at 6pm and left after 10. The service was indeed SUPER slow, considering we are fast eaters.
We sat at a 2-​ppl table by the hallway. There was this serving station next to us. You can feel the chaos and pressure from the kitchen that translates on waitress and waiters faces. We later on noticed that there were 2-​ppl tables by the window and in other rooms. Since we are the first customers, I wonder why they didn’t give us better seats.
The meal itself was OK. The 3 way Carbonara was a let down. The white truffle pre-​fixed was just OK. I guess when you wait for SO long and pay this money, you expect much more. Don’t get me wrong, they did get us lots of truffle. But all we tasted was truffle. The flavor of the food itself was lacking.
Just an idea on how slow they were. We asked for hot water in a cup. It took them 30 minutes to finally give me some hot water to drink. Refill took longer than normal as well. I know this place has really high rating over Tripadvisor, but if they don’t figure out a more efficient system, it’s challenging for them to get repeat visitors and/​or maintain high ratings!
After the meal, all shops were closed. All we could do was to go back to our hotel. For tourists, time is money! Unfortunately, we «spent» too much in this place.
Ok, so you are wondering why I still give them a 4 star! Well, that’s because… they gave us a free bottle of white at the end of the meal! Yes, I was bought! Our spirit was not on the high side at the end of the meal. But they gifted us a bottle of white wine at the end — which was quite a surprise, as we’ve never got a gift like this from a restaurant! I guess they knew what they had to do to win the heart of their customers. Well, we’ve got free dessert or free drinks in the past but that was it. Honestly if they did offered to give us another free dish, we would probably have said no. We simply had enough of long wait.
Anyways, that was my story at Ad Hoc. We probably will not go back. But I appreciate their effort at the end.

First thing first, this place is quite hard to find, we were late by about 20minutes as we couldn’t find the place.
Place is small and cute, but quite warm in there, maybe turn on the a/​c or add a/​c in other area where the a/​c is far away? Service is great, very welcoming and friendly.
Now to the food, we both tried the tasting menu, 1 land and 1 sea + wine pairing. All the dishes were good, it’s definitely close to many fine dining restaurants in NYC, and we had no complains about the food (oh except for the trio crème brûlée, loaded with burnt sugar! the bf who loved crème brûlée finished it but unfortunately that didn’t stay in for long).
My other problem is the speed, we were seated from 8.20pm and didn’t leave until around 10:30pm. This is amazingly slow!
Lastly, we booked online, so as promised, they took 10% off and gave us a nice bottle of sparkling wine when we leave.

Two of the best meals I’ve ever had have been here in this elegant yet unassuming modern trattoria near Piazza del Popolo.
Cozy and friendly with a pleasant staff, happy to help with choices and eager to share good wine with you. Clearly the restaurant is wine focused with an excellent selection of wines on shelves, yet this is definitely a foodie’s delight. The menu features Italian and Roman cuisine classics with a twist to make them exciting and innovative.
Starting with the stuffed zucchini blossoms, which include 3 in a order each stuffed with a different filling: asparagus, mushrooms and lastly, truffles! The lightest fluffiest zucchini blossoms. I followed with the best pasta dish I have ever had which was a classic Cacio e Pepe with artichokes, all nestling in a Parmesan ‘basket.’ Simply outstanding and completel sensory overload.
Every time I go to Rome I go back here, and with all the really delicious restaurants in Italy, this would be my first choice.