The Exchange
There are a lot of exchanges that occur every single day. You exchange your time for money, and now you’re exchanging that money for waffles. What better place to do that at then The Exchange in De Pere? I know it’s a bit out of the “Fox Cities” BUT its unique waffle shape and seasonal selection will be worth the drive.
In A Bite
Ambiance: Reclaimed Industrial
Music: Chill Pop
Service: Joyful
Price: $
Food Style: Coffee house with an emphasis on waffles
What to Order: Chicken and Waffles
Go Again?: Yes x100000
The Whole Plate
Atmosphere
The Exchange has two entrances, with the coffee bar being on the Main Street side and the lounge area towards St. Norbert’s campus. There’s more parking spaces on the backside towards St. Norbert. It has the perfect appeal for anyone with an eye for DIY and industrial chic. The tables and counters are all recovered wood or giant spools converted into tables. The space was formerly the old postal office and they kept it pretty bare when renovating. You get the original brick and can see where the giant sliding doors used to be above the stairs. The space leans heavily on natural light with a large skylight for the center and both entrances completely glass. These all make the space very open and inviting. It invites you to sit down in a vintage sofa and let the sunlight wash you over while you drink a shot of espresso.
Service
The whole team at the Exchange is very cheerful and ready to serve. Knowing the leadership staff personally, they care about each and every member of the team. This reflects in the work ethic of the staff. They work fast and efficiently but still make time to join in casual conversation when needed. While they will bring your order to wherever you’re seated, you bus the tables yourself like many coffee houses. You’ll find the bins near the trash cans.
Food
The Exchange offers the full fleet of coffee and tea alongside some unique food offerings. They do a good job of refreshing the menu with seasonal food and drink, meaning you’ll have decisions to make every time you come in. For drinks, we both ordered off this menu. I had the coconut latte hot and Lindsay landed on the vibrant Thai iced tea. I made sure to sneak a few sips. Both tasted true to titled. The coconut was present and sweet but didn’t overpower the espresso, although I thought it was too sweet to pair with my waffle. The Thai tea was perfection (Lindsay is a bit obsessed with Thai tea).
The Exchange’s waffles are something else. I’ve honestly never seen anything like them. Imagine with me for a minute… a bubble wrap pancake. Got it? So now you package your fresh filling inside it and slap an express one day shipping label on it. Next stop? Flavortown and then your belly.
This seasonal theme was Wisconsin State Fair. I had the chocolate eclair waffle which is their iconic bubble waffle with cream puff filling, chocolate sauce, and a heaping of whipped cream. I wish had actually been to the Wisconsin State Fair to compare flavors.
Lindsay got the chicken and waffles. While there was no promise of fried chicken, that’s what most expect from such a dish. However, it was more like a chicken tender waffle taco with breaded chicken patty chopped up within the bubble waffle. With such a small kitchen to work with, this makes sense for their space. If you’re craving some crispy fried chicken, this waffle isn’t for you.
We’ve reviewed bubble tea and now we can add bubble waffles to our list. Overall, it’s a shame this is in De Pere. But we’ll gladly make the short jaunt for the relaxing atmosphere and great tastes.
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