About Us

About The Ambient Menu

Looking for a restaurant where you can enjoy meaningful conversations without competing with the noise? The Ambient Menu helps you discover dining spaces that perfectly match your listening needs, making every meal a truly enjoyable experience.

We make it easy to find restaurants reviewed and rated by real diners like you. Whether you’re seeking a quiet spot for a date night, an accessible venue for loved ones, or family-friendly dining, we’ve got you covered.

Whether you have hearing loss, neurodiversity, or simply prefer a more relaxed space, our diner reviews help find you the perfect place for your occasion.

For Diners: We guide you to venues where conversations flow effortlessly, ensuring an inclusive and enjoyable dining experience.

For Venues: We provide education, training, and accreditation to help businesses create hearing-friendly spaces, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Accredited Restaurants: A Better Dining Experience

Restaurants accredited by The Ambient Menu go above and beyond to create environments where conversations can thrive. These venues have been acoustically assessed as hearing friendly, for 80% of peak dining times. They have completed our education and training programs, ensuring they:

• Monitor and maintain comfortable sound levels.
• Use acoustic treatments like sound-absorbing materials.
• Offer quiet or low-noise seating options.
• Are educated in how to communicate effectively with people with hearing loss.

Accredited restaurants are featured on the home page of our website and receive our Ambient Menu Accreditation seal (). A sign to diners that the venue is committed to providing an inclusive and enjoyable dining experience.

When you choose an accredited restaurant, you’re supporting businesses that prioritize accessibility and customer satisfaction.

To discover how to find one today, go to our ‘How to page’

Ear Bud Reviews

Conducted by an occupational noise assessor or audiologist, our ‘Ear Buds’ review a restaurant from a noise perspective and conduct a preliminary noise assessment.

We identify the quietest seat in the house based on the acoustics, and thanks to inside information from the venue, guide you to the quietest day at the quietest time. A venue may have live music on a Friday night, but more relaxed vibes on a Saturday night. They may have karaoke on a Thursday night, but a more subdued atmosphere on a Wednesday night.

This the kind of information included in the reviews to put the odds in your favour, of a relaxed dining experience.

To discover how to find one today, go to our ‘How to page’

What do the ratings mean?

Quiet: Like talking in a house with no background noise.

Low: Faint hum of conversation, but your conversations will still be clearly audible.

Moderate: Vibrant atmosphere without being too overwhelming. A decent amount of background noise, but you can still follow conversations but require more concentration.

Lively: High-spiritedness of a bustling place. It’s filled with so much background noise, it’s a challenge to keep up with the conversation.

Why We Started

The Ambient Menu was born from a 2019 research project by its creator, Laura Drexler, during her Master of Audiology studies. Laura and her team discovered that people with hearing loss often avoid restaurants because of overwhelming background noise and missed conversations. This isolation was especially painful during social occasions, where they felt disconnected from friends and loved ones.

This research is what ignited the spark to create the Ambient Menu.

We believe everyone has the right to partake in relaxed conversation when dining out. Because it is not just the food and service, but the company we share it with that creates a memorable experience.

We encourages socially active living for people with hearing loss, neurodiversity, or any condition that makes you sound sensitive; improving peoples lives while supporting local restaurants and the community.

Our 2025 goals

Empowering More Diners: Expanding our reach nationally to help more diners find venues suited to their preferences.

Encouraging users to leave reviews: helping others discover the best quiet spots.

Educating More Restaurants: Through our online training programs, Ear Bud reviews and Accreditation.

Collaborating with Communities: Working with partners like local councils, businesses, allied health professionals and community groups.

Growing Our Network: Offering free restaurant listings and encourage more venues to join and list their quiet times.

Our goal is to make the Ambient Menu the go-to resource for both diners and businesses.

About Laura Drexler

Creator Laura Drexler brings a wealth of experience to the project. After over 20 years as a paramedic with SA Ambulance, she pursued a career in audiology, inspired by her husbands experience with occupational noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular disorders.

Laura and her husband have also completed their studies as an occupational noise assessors, and together, they conduct the Ambient Menu Accreditations.

Her work has gained media attention including being featured in:

Awards including:
Audiology Australia Internship Award 2022
AMP Healthcare Hero, HELP Awards 2022
Flinders University Early Career Alumni Award 2022
Women in Innovation, Emerging Innovator 2024

Through her continued work as an audiologist running Adelaide Tinnitus Clinic, and as an occupational noise assessor, Laura empowers people with hearing loss to re-engage with the social world. We are proud to have 10,000 monthly searches for a quiet venue across 3 states, improving the dining experience for thousands of Australians.

Start Your Search Today

Enjoy every bite and every moment by choosing a restaurant tailored to your perfect atmosphere.