dAb COFFEE STORE

Great Vibe & Strong Coffee!

he dAb café is a bit off the main drag in downtown Niigata, but well worth a trip. The vibe of the cafe is relaxed and inviting, and the music was hip without being pretentious. You can almost always win me over with perpetually in use turntable spinning LPs. The café had a very bohemian atmosphere, reminiscent of 70s San Francisco. The latte I ordered was as much coffee as it was art, and it was strong. The coffee had a distinct finish, almost definitely a dark roast, and it was delicious and full bodied. The snacks are carefully curated, and a little on the pricey side, but it’s the cost of artisan baked goods. I tried the banana bread, and it was dense and delicious. Too often, I’ve found that when bakeries sell banana bread, they simply cram a banana down the center of a loaf of slightly sweet bread, but in the case of dAb, it was blended masterfully into the batter and one piece made me want to order another! They do sell coffee beans and a few knick-knacks (a few LPs toward the back of the store as well). One thing I adored about this café was the menu. It was simple and exclusively coffee focused, not Frappuccinos, Pumpkin spice lattes, or other syrupy nonsense. It’s coffee, delicious coffee with varying amounts of milk and water. One thing that surprised me was that there was a one-drink minimum for anyone dining in at the café. It makes sense in terms of revenue, but I've never had any other café use that system.