Coffee Exchange — Restaurant in Providence

There's something beautifully stubborn about Coffee Exchange, a 40-year-old Providence institution that has watched the world change around it while steadfastly refusing to update its WiFi policy or, apparently, its matcha recipe.

Stepping into this Wickenden Street Victorian feels like entering a bohemian time capsule where Brown University philosophy majors argue Nietzsche next to RISD art students sketching fully clothed strangers, while a septuagenarian in wool socks reads actual newspapers. The ethnic diversity is genuinely refreshing—a United Nations of caffeine dependency that somehow makes the cramped quarters feel somewhat worldly rather than simply claustrophobic.

The interior commits fully to its rustic academic fantasy: exposed beams that have probably heard more thesis defenses than the university library, walls plastered with vintage photographs like a grandmother's demented fever dream, and enough weathered wood to build a small log cabin. It's aggressively charming in the way that makes you simultaneously want to Instagram everything and delete that Instagram entirely.

Service operates with the efficiency of people who genuinely seem happy to be there, a minor miracle in today's service economy. The staff navigates the perpetual lines with good humor, though weekends require the patience of a crafty saint and the strategic planning of an Israeli military operation.

The coffee itself justifies the wait—beans roasted on-site with the kind of attention that made "artisanal" mean something before marketing departments got involved. But steer clear of the weak matcha latte, which tastes like someone whispered "green tea" to lukewarm cow's milk from across a crowded room. It's the drink equivalent of good intentions poorly executed.

That famous cold-brew tower dominates one corner like a steampunk altar, dripping coffee with theatrical precision while customers line up to worship. The weekend WiFi ban (Monday through Friday only, thank you very much) forces actual human interaction, a policy both irritating and brilliant.

Coffee Exchange mostly succeeds not despite its quirks but because of them. In an era of sanitized coffee chains and algorithmically designed café spaces, there's something quasi revolutionary about a joint that prioritizes community over convenience, conversation over connectivity. Just don't expect your matcha to taste like anything more than expensive...

In explanation of my rating the Food as Very Good - understand that I personally mean that their FOOD is very good - I don't include their house brewed coffees in the same category.

I just don't get the appeal - I really don't. I think their house brewed coffee (hot and iced) are even worse than 7 Stars. I don't even like their espresso drinks - seriously. But, I do know a whole lot of folks who absolutely LOVE Coffee Exchange so I will extol what I find are its virtues: They have a WIDE selection of coffee beans and roasts for sale; they will grind them to your specification (which can really be important if you're a coffee snob like me); and, when I brew Coffee Exchange coffees at HOME, they're good! - go figure!; they sell coffee and tea accessories (pots, presses, etc.) of a much wider and better quality than Starbucks; I don't know where they get it but their spinach pies are the bomb; I suspect some of their other pastries may come from 7 Stars - regardless, they are great; and, the staff is pleasant and most of them have good taste in music which played in the cafe.

And yet, when folks suggest we go to Coffee Exchange, honestly, while I will accompany them, I'm thinking, "Coffee Exchange?!?! I'll be EXCHANGING my Coffee for...

SO MUCH potential - yet disappointing. Have tried it several times. I always have to wash down my table, despite there being 5 people behind the counter last time, at least two checking their phones. Their tea menu is pretty small and when I got a sencha it was pretty tasteless. Perhaps it was not too fresh. I get that it is a coffee shop, not a tea shop. The music downstairs is pretty loud and the AC high. In July to see people with sweatshirts on, probably indicates you could save on your electric bill and turn the AC down 1-2 points. Upstairs is the best choice if you are trying to get work done. A plant or two up there would go a long way. Have not tried their food. Would love to see more concern for the environment with some real cups being coffee cups cannot be recycled. Hopefully this will be seen as constructive and the owner will give my suggestions some thought. You seem busy on the weekends but I think there is potential for even...