If it was my kitchen I would remove that cabinet. You will have views to the dining area and the kitchen will be much lighter if you have a window by the table. It will also open the space visually. Make sure you have enough storage in other areas to compensate for whatever is in the upper cabinets now. And you may want to update your kitchen lighting since you will lose the under cabinet light.

Please take that down!

Take the soffit down too. You will definitely need new lighting.

Agree that you would much prefer the feel without that cabinet. However, be sure you can afford the loss of storage!

What's the overall plan and budget? Drawers will make more stuff accessible than shelves do if you're planning a total remodel.

I'd take it down. what are the overall plans for the kitchen?

I'd take it down too.

Can the soffet be removed? Often times they are hiding systems necessities. If the soffett can't go---it will look odd. If the ceiling can be patched so one never knows the soffett and cupboards were there then removal will bring you into this decade--if that is the goal.

Take it down. It makes the kitchen look dated.

This is a good idea of how to open up by removing the cabinet but are you planning to redo the kitchen? You do lose storage so if a new kitchen is in the plan that can be handled often with new cabinets with better organization inside .

Take it down.
Empty all cabinets so you can re-arrange and purge. After cleaning my parents cabinets when they moved from their 50 year residence while at the same time getting ready for our move from a 20 year residence I purged big time. laughed, (cried over a dried up bouquet in a cupboard), and happily donated usale goods. you will lighten up your kitchen and you life.

take it out but if a full remodel is sooner ,rather than later ,I'd leave it. You have storage you will lose. It could be painted a creamy white . There is that trim piece and part of a soffit or partition above and you will have to deal with these things. A nice paint that works with the counter is what I'd do for the cabinet, trim ,and soffit-all the same.

We took our 1984 cabinets over a peninsula out, but we removed the 8 foot peninsula also, as we needed a space for a DW. Our upper & lower cabinets at that location were only 12 inches deep. We did have a DR facing cabinet at the wall that was the height of the other wall cabinets, with a door on each side & we were able to turn that & put it on the wall so the cabinets extended to the end of the counter. we added a 2 by 4 island & used the upper & lower 12 inch cabinets on the DR wall as a china cabinet. Our soffit was only matching paneling & we were able to use the material to complete the end run on the wall in the kitchen. If you are able to remove those upper cabinets, it will make a huge difference.