+1 for finding a good used option then upgrading if you want to later!

I personally didn’t like my gravel bike/drop bars for commuting or any mildly chunky off-road (maybe it wasn’t a good fit for me, but I didn’t like being so far forward - poor visibility and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t racing). I second larger tires (and ability to run low pressures with them for comfort).

Check out adventure/all-terrain bikes for some of that mixed terrain practical use. An Italian brand makes one that your local shop may stock? https://www.cinelli-milano.com/collections/adventure/products/hobootleg-microshift

I’d suggest playing around with different route profiles for your commute on https://bikerouter.de/ (based on Brouter), like “Safest” or “Minimal Traffic”, I’ve had success with finding calmer routes using this tool. Can make your commute much more relaxing too!

The bigger the tire, the lower pressure you can run, which makes it more comfortable over rough pavement and trails. This bike has no suspension but I’m still able go over big rocks, roots, etc. comfortably if I drop the pressure. I ride trails but not aggressively/getting air or anything. So I can ride pavement a while to get to some trails, drop the pressure and have a good time off road, then air up and zip back home. And no suspension to deal with/maintain (+ can run cargo racks front and back if I want, which you can’t always with suspension).

It’s a trend/rediscovery of sorts in the “all-terrain bike” hype-sphere (but I do like it)