Our Story
Built by someone who needed it.
For everyone who deserves it.
I built DineSotto because I needed it. I am hard of hearing, and for years I kept choosing the wrong restaurants for dates, for meetings, for dinners that mattered. I smiled and nodded through conversations I could not hear, and went home more exhausted than when I arrived.
What I wanted was simple: something that told me honestly what a restaurant actually sounds like at 7pm on a Friday, with a full room and music playing. Not a star rating or a mood description, but real information from real people who had sat there. I could not find it anywhere, so I built it myself.
DineSotto is free, independent, and community-driven. Every rating comes from a real person who sat at a real table. I have not visited every restaurant on here, and we never pretend otherwise. You have been to these places. Your experience is the whole point.
If you have ever struggled to follow a conversation across a restaurant table, or left a dinner feeling more drained than when you arrived, this was built for you too.
Andreea
Founder, DineSotto
Millions of people leave restaurants exhausted, overstimulated, or simply unable to follow the conversation. DineSotto was built for them.
Transparency
How every score is calculated.
Real people, real visits, real data. You can always see how many ratings a restaurant has. We never hide thin data behind a polished score
A real visit
Someone visits the restaurant and submits their experience — the time of day, music level, crowd noise, and table spacing. No scraped reviews, guesswork, or AI summaries. Just a person who was actually there.
Time-aware data
Every rating is tagged to a time slot and day of the week, because a Tuesday lunch and a Friday evening are completely different experiences. When enough ratings come in, you can see exactly how noise changes through the day and choose the window that works for you.
A weighted score
Crowd noise counts for half the score, because it is the hardest thing to escape. Music and table spacing each make up a quarter. If a room is packed and loud, no amount of quiet music will make it a peaceful dinner — and the score reflects that honestly.
Who is this for?
The Hard of Hearing Community
Navigating the world with hearing aids or cochlear implants means every environment matters. DineSotto gives you the information no other guide does.
Neurodivergent Diners
For those with sensory processing sensitivities, a loud restaurant can tip an otherwise lovely evening into something overwhelming.
Meaningful Gatherings
Whether it is a delicate first date or a catch-up with elderly parents, some moments deserve a space where you can actually hear each other.
Business Lunches
Have the conversation that matters in a space that allows it.
Know a quiet spot?
DineSotto is built by the community, for the community. Every suggestion and rating makes the guide better for everyone. Rating a visit takes ~3 minutes.