The Exchange

I'm an early riser no matter what day of the week it is, and I need my coffee to be early too. That is sometimes a struggle when one is looking to go out for coffee on the weekend. Shops with early hours during the week to support commuting workers sometimes delay their Saturday and Sunday openings, which I understand. One such location that's open on Saturday at the same time as their weekdays is The Exchange in downtown De Pere. I've reviewed them before, but never in the context of this coffee run. So, I chose to go with the familiar this morning. It was also a beautiful, perfect morning to take a walk in De Pere.

I arrived at The Exchange just a short while after they opened, and in my opinion, that’s always the best time for a coffee shop. The line hadn’t had the opportunity to expand as I know that it is capable of doing after the location has been open for an hour or two. I found a seat comfortably to work on the list of other coffee places that I’d made to guide me through the Green Bay area in search of my favorite coffees, and I settled in to await my vanilla latte and avocado waffle.

The Exchange features a seasonal drink menu, but the latte flavor of the season was not one that I thought I’d enjoy. Honey lavender may be attractive to other diners, however, and if it sounds like it might be to you, I highly encourage you to give it a try. I opted to avoid the seasonal menu selection for the latte and, as you saw earlier, chose a vanilla latte. This is my usual choice at the Exchange whenever I am visiting outside of the Fall menu.


When the vanilla latte arrived at my table, I greeted it warmly. The seasons changing has left me struggling with my allergies, and I truly believed that a warm coffee could make all the difference in the world for me. Vanilla is an undercurrent in this latter. The coffee speaks much more strongly, allowed to be savored without much sugar other than that vanilla syrup.

 I chose a to-go cup in order to be able to take my coffee with me when I was finished with my breakfast, and of course, I didn't even think to get a look at the foam beneath the lid. I tasted it, however. Whole milk is their default, and thus I took whole milk. If a latte that still clings to its bitter soul isn’t your cup of coffee, I'd recommend a milk alternative since barista blends of oat and soy often have additional sugar. The whole milk does not, of course, so I tasted a measure of espresso's natural bitterness still present in my drink. It turned out to be the perfect companion to my light breakfast. 

The bubble waffles at The Exchange are perhaps one of their most attractive features that separates them from other cafes in the downtown De Pere area. I can’t say I’ve seen these anywhere else since I’ve been doing these restaurant reviews all over the country. After some research, I’ve found that this style of waffle may have originated from Hong Kong, and good on the Exchange to bringing it to northeast Wisconsin in an accessible way. I almost always order something from their menu featuring them, and today was no exception.

The Avocado waffle is described on their menu as a toasted waffle half topped with smashed avocado, everything bagel seasoning, and goat cheese grumbles. Cherry tomatoes, egg, or a balsamic drizzle can be added for an additional charge, but I opted to have it on its own to start the day off light. My breakfast arrived shortly after my latte did, and despite it’s humble appearance, it packed a punch.

The goat cheese crumbles are a bright, tangy punch against the creamy fattiness of the avocado, and the bubble waffle beneath it proved to be a soft carrier for the mixture with just enough crunch around the edges to register as I picked at it slowly. It held up despite me taking a good forty-five minutes to eat it and drink my coffee while I worked on other personal projects in the comfortable atmosphere of the cafe. ​

I seem to recall that the Exchange once sold their own beans at their Merchantile, but I did not see them available for purchase during this visit. It’s very likely that I am misremembering their hand at roasting their own coffee, as it has been awhile since my last visit. This project bringing me back here reminded me how much I like this place. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The gentle thrum of conversation is a comfortable backdrop to any writing or homework that one might need to do in a public setting. The coffee is fantastic. The food is fantastic. 

The Exchange is a standout in the Green Bay area, one that I will always recommend no matter what a friend may be looking for. In the scope of our Coffee Run challenge, however, I need only consider the latte that I discussed earlier. It suffers from the success of being the first of our challenge, and it’s very rare that I can convince myself to finish an entire coffee at home, much less when I’m out for the morning. I finished this one. ​

As a result, the Vanilla latte at The Exchange earns a 4.7/5 on our Latte rating, and it’s the first to be entered onto our spreadsheet. 

If you want to plan your own visit to see if you agree with  my rating, you can visit the Exchange Monday through Saturday beginning at 7 am. Their doors close at 2 pm each day. Sunday is the only day during the week that they are closed. I recommend you look at their menus on their website, https://theexchangecoffee.com/, before making your own visit. Menus are available while you’re in line if you aren’t sure what you want to get, but being prepared ahead of time is always a smart move. 

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