my entire families been eating here ever since they came over from vietnam to houston about 40 years ago and for a good reason. I go here about every week because this is my favorite place to go to. In my opinion it steamrolls any other boba place in bellaire because the thai tea is the best ive ever had in my 14 years, and the banh mi (specifically the chicken) is what i've ordered every time, i recommend it but all the other ones are very tasty as well, the staff is nice idk what the people are talking about, the old lady is very nice to me. read more

My fav boba place. I've tried em all. They use real taro !!! Wish they opened more locations

Food was fresh, bread roasted to perfection. Owner is super friendly and the establishment is pristine and clean. Definitely recommend visiting this place. read more

My comment is on their banh mi, it is delicious. I've tried the majority of the selections. My favorite is their meatballs. Soft and savory, the BBQ ranks next in line, their combo or sardines, yes, sardines. It's an acquired taste but you must try it if you want something different and fishy. Overall, it's the bread with either butter or pate that completes the taste. The older couple at the store always gives great service with comments and laughs. It's not a fancy area where you come in and view the ambiance although they have a lot going on display but it does the tricks in customer satisfaction. I will always be a returned customer when I want a quick fill. read more

Amazing, Amazing,Amazing . The staff is so kind and patient, and I love the large menu upon entering. All honesty, this place uses fresh ingredients! Say goodbye to those gross syrups! Try the Watermelon Jasmine please! I go to plenty of boba places, and I have explored many different flavors. This one location may seem intimidating considering its area but trust me it's amazing. Best drinks ever . This is your sign ! read more

I found this restaurant purely by accident. I was gonna eat at Ph Lúc Lc next door but it was closed during Lunar New Year weeks. So I walked away disappointed. Suddenly, I looked up at the sign Royal Tropical and and its banh mi menu. After reading some reviews, I decided to check it out. I brought my coworker to sample with me. It's easier to come on Sunday because traffic is a lot lighter than during weekdays. While sitting in here and looking around, I thought it was a Mexican cantina. I am always the only Asian among Hispanic customers. The pale green walls, maroon booths and decorations from the 70's gave me a nostalgic feeling. Folks behind the counter work hard to get food ready really quick. I love it. I've gotta tell you, the drinks and sandwiches were so delicious. My favorite banh mi is BBQ pork. The bun has a crispy shell that doesn't cut my mouth ceiling. All fresh ingredients satisfy my sense of smell and taste. Most of banh mi sandwiches are around $4. With a small boba tea at $3.25, that's a well balanced lunch. It's a true hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Spring Branch West neighborhood. If you are around Kempwood between Blalock and Campbell area, be sure to stop in for a treat. read more

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My most recommended tapioca spot. Because they always have me feeling refreshed and tastes pleasant, which results in continued visits.

I've been coming to this place since i was 10 years old! it's always been so delicious and the customer service has always been so good. The banh mis here are amazing, always perfectly toasted and freshly cooked meat. I got their egg pudding for the first time and it was so good. The people who work here are always in a good mood! they usually have coconut jelly that is super good as well read more

Royal Tapioca - thai tea with egg pudding - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Update: the quality has gone down for some reason :( it doesn't taste as authentic and I definitely don't like this pate update on the dac biet banh mi.. my husband always orders the pork bbq and even that tastes more like fajita style than grilled pork on banh mi I'm used to.. I'm not craving banh mi as much these days.. read more

Love the bbq Vietnamese sandwich I come get 2 every week I've tried their fresh fruit smoothies are good for this houston heat

Staple of spring branch. Best tapioca in all of houston, promise! I have done my research! Delicious Banh Mi sandwiches! The meatball is the best! Always fresh and fast! read more

I enjoyed my Oreo tapioca it wasn't the best but it was decently well tasting. However the manager, (I think he's the manager) working that day was extremely rude to his employe. She seemed to have messed up and he full on raged out on her and started to scream at her for her mistake. Personally I believe that's not the way to approach things therefore it was an unpleasant visit. That was no way to speak to anyone let alone an employee and if he doesn't in front of customers I can't imagine when none are present. read more

It's clean and there's ample parking. The drinks are very good. They don't have milk alternatives. They have mango slushes, which are vegan. My friend enjoyed her coffee drink with bobble. . I thought the mango slush was good. The service is counter service but prompt. read more

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Came here today to try some milk tea since it's closer to my side of town. I tried the honeydew milk tea just to diversify my tastes since I usually love getting coconut. It was decent, but not the best drink. I did try a taste of my friend's coconut milk tea, but it wasn't as good (not as sweet) as the milk tea at Fuji Teahouse @ Memorial city mall. Although, the prices were cheaper...both drinks (smalls) came to $5 total I did try a bite of my friend's bbq pork sandwich, which was only $2.50 including tax, and it was so delicious, I stopped by and got one to go before I went back home. I hadn't tried one of the Vietnamese sandwiches before, so I don't know how this compares, but everything was fresh and crunchy--carrots, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno. There wasn't an overload of mayo or sauce, but it was just right. The french bread was great, too. Crunchy, warm and it tasted so fresh...better than the stuff from HEB, for sure. This place only accepts cash, but if you have a few bucks, you should be good because their prices are so cheap! I'd probably give it 3.5 stars total, but I'm rounding up to 4 since it's such a good value. read more

The Vietnamese Iced Coffee is yaaaaaaas! I got it with soy milk and extra sweet. Whoever you are, you need to try it!

Decent sandwiches. The bread was well toasted, and the ingredients taste great. There was a bit of vegetables such as cilantro and pickled Daikin and carrots, but not as much to my personal liking. The Jasmine Tea was okay. There wasn't much of a tea flavor, and the address sugar was overpowering. read more

Royal Tapioca - Banh Mi Combo - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I'm not going to compare this place to places in Bellaire since we all know that's where you'd go if you really want better and cheaper sandwiches and drinks. Upon seeing the menu, I decided to order the BBQ pork and meatball combination sandwich since I love both kinds individually and always have a hard time deciding which to get. Dilemma solved, I thought. My husband ordered the chicken and fried egg (assuming it would be the sunny-side up version as pictured on the menu banner). Also ordered the green tea smoothie made with green tea ice cream. BBQ/meatballs ($3.50) -- the BBQ pork was not the char-grilled, sweet soy sauce marinade version I thought it would be. It also wasn't exactly the xa-xiu style either. Instead it tasted like it had the same marinade of Vietnamese beef jerky, the sweet and spicy red kind, except it was salty and not spicy. It wasn't horrible, it just didn't taste the way you'd expect it to when ordering a Vietnamese bbq pork sandwich. The crushed meatballs were tasteless. They were pretty light on the meat portions. Best part of the sandwich was the lightly toasted french bread. Chicken/egg ($3.50) -- not shredded, not sliced, but minced tiny chicken bits. It almost seemed like they put the chicken into a meat processor after cooking it. Not sunny-side up, not fried, but scrambled eggs. Mixed together, you might not know there was chicken in there unless you opened up the sandwich and poked around the scrambled egg for it. Individually, tasteless. Combined, tasteless. Best part of the sandwich was the bread. Green tea smoothie with boba ($4.25 for a large aka regular size everywhere else) -- you'd think it would be somewhat creamy since you have green tea ice cream and possibly some milk in the smoothie, but it wasn't even the slightest bit creamy. It was instead more on the icy, watery side. The tapioca, while the good consistency, lacked the honey flavor. The best part would be that it at least did indeed taste like green tea. Service was mediocre but friendly. There was no one waiting ahead of us and the wait for our order was about ten minutes with at 3-4 employees, so not the quickest. read more

Royal Tapioca - BBQ with meatballs on the left, chicken and fried egg on the right. - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

Friendly service, clean and aesthetically pleasing! 10/10 BEST Banh MI sandwiches in Houston!

First off, let's start with the banh mi. I got the combination one and it was delicious. Golden, flaky baguette, creamy mayo, pate, cold cut, xá xíu and a bunch of veggies for colors, textures and flavors. The green tea blended was pretty tasty as well, not too sweet with perfect amount of matcha bitterness aftertaste. All in all, quick and friendly service with affordable and delish food. I even recommended people to come here and they also had a pleasant experience. read more

This place is not fancy but clean. The Oolong Milk tea was good and the boba was nice and chewy. They use half and half in the milk tea - which was a little heavy for me, I would have requested skim milk if I knew that. The veggie Bahn Mi was SO good. They do not automatically cut sandwiches, you will need to ask (saw that complaint on another review) The prices are very reasonable - I think I paid $10 for 2 drinks and a sandwich! read more

Best bbq sandwich! Their meat is very soft and good seasoning. Their homemade coconut milk jelly is the bomb! The best one I ever had! I tried other but this one have the perfect texture(not too hard nor soft) and it taste very rich and creamy with a aroma fresh coconut melt into your taste bud. Owner is a mid 50s(guessing) couple and a young hispanic cashier but they are very nice. The place is very small sketchy looking but never judge the book by it cover. Worth the drive for any foodies outta in a mood for a bbq pork sandwich and specially their homemade fresh coconut jelly. read more

Royal Tapioca - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My family has been going to this location for almost a decade! Their number 1 drink is the Avocado smoothie. Their Avacafo smoothie beats out all of the tapioca shops. No one makes their Avacado smoothie as creamy and buttery as they do! Their banh mi ga (chicken) is pretty delicious as well. Those two items are my hands down, go to snacks, EVERY SINGLE TIME. read more

Royal Tapioca - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

Tip* BRING CASH! Tax is included in their prices. Best Bahn Mi I've had in a long time. Great prices and friendly staff. Cute little place nestled in the heart of Spring Branch. So glad some things just don't change even with all the gentrification going on in my old neighborhood. read more

My day went like this: Stomach: I'm hungry. Let's split a Bahn-mi with a friend in case it doesn't taste good. Me: Okie-dokie. So my friend and I ordered one BBQ Pork Bahn-mi, not knowing what to expect. He got a Coconut milk tea to go with it; I chose the Almond milk tea. I am officially addicted to Bahn-mi's. HOW CAN A SANDWICH TASTE THAT GOOD!? The meat was incredibly juice; the sauce was sweet but not overwhelming; the vegetables were crunchy; the bread was perfectly toasted, crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside. The price? $2.50 or $3.50, not sure. Why get a foot-long from Subway when you can have a sandwich of deliciousness? The Almond milk tea however, was a different story. I felt like I was drinking pure, cold almond extract. Not pleasant. I had better luck with the Peach Jasmine Tea with jelly though. That drink is awesomeness in a cup. Cheap sandwiches, delicious drinks- what more do you need? read more

We love this spot! They are definitely the best in the business. ALL the banh mi sandwiches are fantastic- the bread is perfection with the crunch on the outside but soft when taking a bite. Their milk teas are the best and I love the thai green tea which has so much flavor! read more

The best in the city stop by for some seriously good and traditional cuisine. Big fan of this establishment and the people who run it! Great business! read more

This place is great. BBQ sandwiches are delicious, as well as strawberry and chocolate smoothies! Prices are great and the owners are very nice. My boyfriend and I go here several times a month. I only wish they accepted cards. I don't always have cash and am too lazy to go to an ATM. read more

If you don't come to purchase anything here, at least make it out to see the walls adorned with posters of the Holy Family, Virgin Mary, and Joseph. There's even a Virgin Mary clock. Not enough? A whole other wall is devoted to yellowed/browned posters of the Houston Texans Cheerleaders and Rockets Power Dancers that claim that Royal Tapioca is "still the best teahouse!" Wellllll, I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but it's aight. Let's add another one to the list, but this one is NOT located in Bellaire, but in the part of town known as Koreatown. All the more convenient for me because it's close to where I work and I don't have to hurry on my lunch break to make it down the bellaire to get tapioca. My co-worker told me about this place about a month ago. Apparently it's as old as I am -- it's been around since the early 80's (I ain't tellin you my age), but that should be enough of a testament to the place right? I have to say, the tapioca balls are pretty good, not too chewy, not too hard, but I have to gripe about the amount they put in. For most places, including this one, that would be too little. I've also tried 3 drinks here and they were a little TOO saccharine for my tastebuds, still all the drinks I've had were pretty alright. Drinks range from $3 and up. I've also had the BBQ Pork banh mi, which I really enjoyed. Unlike most banh-mi joints, they use really narrow baguette bread which is the right amount of crispy and soft, evenly toasted, filled with saucy, tender BBQ pork and sauce, topped off with cilantro. Delicious! They have other sandwiches too, which are all $2.75. All in all, pretty good. But also WARNING: the parking lot is horrid! there are 47290375902359 potholes so navigate around those carefully! read more

Tried this out for the first time randomly. FYI it's located in the hood part of Spring Branch. I felt like I was in Vietnam eating my banh mi and having a smoothie drink. The prices were very cheap $15 for 2 drinks and 2 sandwiches. I got a green tea blend that was made with green tea ice cream (smoothie). Yummy! The 2nd drink was green milk tea with honey added it was refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness. The tapioca was good and not too chewy or too firm. The banh mi was a little too toasted for my liking but still good.. My fried egg inside my banh mi was cooked perfectly. I asked the employee to please not over cook my egg since I like the yolk runny. The combination banh mi actually had meatball in it with a curry taste to them which was different but not bad. The vegetables seem fresh and the right amount of meat to vegetables ratio. read more

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Best banh mi in Houston. Hands down. It's all in the bread. Just make sure you hover over them while making your sandwich so they get it right. They always ask if you want jalapeno. Seriously?? If you dont eat jalapeno on your banh mi you shouldnt be allowed in the door. Cacao. read more

Royal Tapioca - Yum! - Sandwiches Near Me - Houston, Texas

For a place that's called "Royal" tapioca! That itself puts a high standard on quality of everything made. I'll make this short and constructive! First of all had a Thai tea with tapioca. The Thai tea tasted like milky water, with flavorless tapioca that is either over cooked mushy or leftovers from yesterday! For a place that's supposed to be specialized in drinks this is a huge turn off. Lastly the sandwich I chose the barbecue pork, watching them make the sandwich which another thing I hate to see at food places is a microwave. Everything was heated up with the microwave. I don't understand why serve food if nothing is freshly cooked.! Why open a place if nothing is freshly made? For this place to remain a 4 star is mind boggling. read more

I've been coming here since it's nearby. I've tried several different Tapioca places but this one is my favorite, I may be biased since I've been coming here for so long. Their sandwiches are good and relatively cheap. Keep in mind that they will ask if you want jalapenos in your sandwich, these are very spicy jalapenos so if you can't tolerate spiciness, opt out of jalapenos. read more

Man, I live on Bellaire and this place is the s**t. This is my first yelp review and I wish I hadn't skimmed through the reviews before. I can't believe how annoying, rude, and displeased some people can be. Lan N. for example... lol. Anyways, I'm used to sandwich shops over here so when my boyfriend showed me this place I was surprised and delighted :) I love all of their coffee drinks, and the avocado smoothie (I'm not a fruity drink person, even though they are good). I would like to try every sandwich, but the other day I had a veggie with cheese and it was so good. It's my favorite so far, and it's pretty much a avocado and cheese sandwich. I'm not the biggest meat eater, so all of the meatless combinations are convenient for me, and soooo tasty. I crave this and make my boyfriend bring me lunch where I work, here in china town :) And they currently do accept credit card over $10 read more

Great little tapioca shop! It has been there forever! The staff is a little abrupt and unwelcoming unless you are a regular but totally worth it for their Banh Mi and Avocado Boba! read more

BBQ Pork Sandwich: 4/5 - I always get this & it's always good. Strawberry Banana Smoothie w/ Tapioca: 4/5 - It's pretty standard & always good as well. Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 2/5 read more

you know, I have been going to this place off and on for years. They have changed the decor for the better recently - however, my issue is with the banh mi. They changed the marinade and IMO it's just not as good. PLUS she can't seem to hire people that speak English well or her husband helps out and you have to tell him your sandwich order 15 times. Sometimes the sandwiches are really good and sometimes they are just ok - depends on who makes them and how long they toast the bread for. Before I stopped eating the BBQ due to the marinade change, sometimes the meat would be tough. I would give them a better rating if they were a little more consistent. I also guess I will have to start tasting my tea again before I leave bc the last two times I ordered it, it's ridiculously sweet even tho I said not sweet and no extra sugar. read more

Try the strawberry and watermelon! Not a likely combo but it's soooo good and refreshing!! Tapioca is soft and chewy ^_^ All fresh fruits and veggies are fresh! read more

Girl behind the counter is rude asf, so is the lady owner. Was enjoying the tapioca outside with a friend and they told us we had to leave since they were closing. Mind me it wasn't closing time, probably 20 mins before closing. read more

I love the strawberry smoothie here. The iced coffee is pretty good too. They've got a large selection of Vietnamese sandwiches, from your run-of-the-mill barbecue pork to steak and cheese. Best part is that the manager is very nice and social. They've been open for over 15 years and still thriving. read more

This place is located in a strip center near the supermarket. They are doing construction in the parking lot, but there are still abundant spaces to park in. They serve Vietnamese sandwiches and tapioca drinks here, both of which cost around $4 each. The food and drinks here below average compared to similar Vietnamese establishments in Houston. The drinks were too sugary, and the tapioca did not taste fresh. Make sure to bring cash if you don't plan on spending at least $10 here. read more