If we’re being really for real, there’s not much that is particularly notable about Daytime. The coffee and pastries and simple cafe fare are good but fairly standard for a neighborhood cafe in Brooklyn. The digs are simple, cozy, inviting, but nothing to write home about. There’s a few tables, free wifi, a bench out front to drink your coffee and eat your breakfast with your dog. It’s not a particularly good place for working, there are many places that might be better for coffee chats, but it checks al the boxes it needs to check.

Perhaps this is not giving it enough credit though, because by all of these measures, Daytime is a delightful neighborhood cafe. The kind that is a mainstay for locals (as in, people who live within a few blocks), without ever risking becoming hyped as a destination. It’s busy but not crowded. There’s no one making Tiktoks here. Everyone is just grabbing their morning coffee and pastry, eating a sandwich while reading or working, chatting with a friend, minding their own business and going through their day the way New York does. And what more could you ask for?