Dawn's til Dusk was the first coffee establishment that I visited upon arrival in NYC. It is located in the Dumbo area; right down from THE Brooklyn Bridge photo spot and the outside of what is *supposed* to be the Humphrey's apartment building from Gossip Girl, and is on the corner of the cutest cobbled streets that are almost reminiscent of SOHO.
Upon entering, you'll find that this shop has a semi modern aesthetic, but not one that is cold and unfeeling. The structure of the inside of the shop is angular and concrete which provides aesthetic diversity in a neighborhood that feels so old (and probably is).
There is more seating at Dawn's than most coffee shops that I've explored so far this trip but it is quite a compact floor plan with the bar in almost the center of the space. The coffee bar itself provides seating in addition to tables throughout the shop which is allows for solo patrons to not have to take up space that could be occupied by a party.
One thing that I will highlight is the fact that the majority of customer service people out here have genuinely been so kind. It has been a breath of fresh air in almost stark comparison to how things operate in Fort Worth in the same context. The baristas at Dawn's are absolutely lovely and were so quick to strike up a conversation with me as I ordered.
The coffee itself was incredible. I prefer my lattes to be strong with a small amount of sweet, just enough vanilla to taste but not enough to overpower. It seems to be a niche and has caused quite the adventure as far as coffee trials go; in theory it is pretty hard to mess up a vanilla latte, but I fear that opinion has been debunked. I didn't catch what brand espresso they are using or what notes it boasted but, it had the perfect flavor composition. The latte was warm, just sweet enough, strong and by the grace of God didn't taste of oatmilk as some often do. I place it second to the vanilla latte at Race Street Coffee in Fort Worth!
Finally, I must speak to the bakery for it does happen to be part of Dawn's til Dusk's branding. This is unfortunately the are where, as far as my needs and tastes go, this coffee shop falls short. There was a single gluten free bakery option, a peanut butter cookie, which did not wow in the slightest. It was stale and hard, lacking in a strong flavor profile. I was incredibly disappointed that this factor broke down what had hopes of being an all around five star experience. I would expect New York City to be more accessible as far as catering to food allergies in niche ways goes and am repeatedly reminded that such is not the case.
In conclusion, Dawn's has been the best coffee shop that I have experienced in New York thus far. If I were to give it an all around five star it would need to be a little less compact and provide more gluten free bakery offerings. Overall however I strongly recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially over a lot of the franchised shops in both Brooklyn and Manhattan.