I was so excited that when I saw this store reopened at the food court in Cerritos' Town center last week and I decided to get my favorite meal- pork chop rice today, not sure if the owner is the same as before, the pork chop was totally not acceptable, so much fat and not breaded well before frying , it was very greasy and the hot pepper powder for the seasoning was not right, they used paprika instead of Taiwan's red pepper powder I guessed, i don't know what happened for their recipes, Just want to let everyone know that is not original flavor they supposed to have. Very disappointed! read more

My family has been a loyal customer here for years & my mom has always showed her support to the kind owner ! Drinks are great especially if you're lactose intolerant bc everything can be made w almond milk or alternatives. Owner always tries her best to accommodate customers! Def recc if you want a cheap good boba fix :) read more

very disappointed. I ordered two crispy chicken rice. There only 11chicken pieces each and the sausage is super thin. I got jasmine milk tea with boba 50%sugar but it is the sweetest thing I've ever had. Won't go again. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

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I took my kids here because I remember their snow bubble being pretty good and been here many times in the past. We got their green apple and chocolate snow bubble with bobba. My daughter took a sip and said it was disgusting and wouldn't drink it. My son said it didn't taste like chocolate. I took a sip of their drinks and it was sooooooo awlful bad. The green apple slushy had a chemical bitter taste with overload of sweetness. The chocolate was a home made version of chocalate milk put with ice on a blender diluated down but overload with sweetness. It was a weird combination. After paying $13 for two drinks I decided to take back the green apple snow bubble as being unacceptable and undrinkable for an exchange. I was asked to pay 50% of another drink. Then the manager negotiated to $1 for a new drink. Then she tells me to keep my green apple slushy because its on the house even when I asked her to throw it away please since there is no trash can inside their store but she didnt. Now, I got the strawberry snow bubble and gave it to my daughter and she was Ewwww. Iam like what now. I took another sip and was just as disgusted. Super artificial strawberry flavor with sweet and low sugar . Tasted like a diet strawberry milk tea. Gross!! Threw away 3 drinks just like that. I will never go back read more

Not only did the male adolescent workers of this establishment royally screw up our orders, and, therefore, ruined our Friday evening; they egregiously charged us wrong amounts for various ordered items. Simply put, if you want bad service and bad attitude, this is the place to go. read more

This place has the best pudding milk tea and chocolate snow. I have been coming here for years, i usually come here with my husband every Thursday for our weekly pork chops. Food : pork chop (my favorite) super delicious, flavorful and i love the vegetables that comes with it, good portions too. Taiwanese sausage with garlic (husband's favorite) really tasty. Service: friendly service, and fast too. read more

I would do zero stars but it doesn't allow me. Hence the name tapioca express- we ordered "boba" that was worth $40 something for 4 people but they ran out of tapioca. *eyerolls* this place is over priced, also the guy who is making our boba coughed. I had to watch him closely. The corn was terrible for its price read more

Tapioca express has the best food due to the crunchiness, sweet savory flavor, and tenderness! I'd suggest trying their pork chop meal because it has all three of those things. Although, I recommenced eating it fresh because all food in general tend to taste better that way. As for the drinks, the Thai tea, strawberry banana snow, the strawberry milk tea, the mango green tea & the papaya paradise have to be the most delicious and refreshing drinks! The staff are always friendly and willing to help customers with anything they need! Lastly, the store is not too big but very decorative with the beautiful plants and colorful signs! read more

DO NOT COME HERE!!! they chipped you of popcorn chicken. First of all... we ordered a large, they gave us half a bag. I told them, this is a large? The girl looked at me like a deer in a headlight. Terrible customer service. If you work hard for your money, go somewhere else and get better food. read more

Whenever I come here it's usually dead but today the line stretched outside the cafe. The wait to order wasn't too long but the wait for our drinks and food was a different story. We received our drinks first after several minutes but had to wait for the potstickers. I ordered a large, chocolate milk tea with boba which was too powdery for my liking. As we're waiting for the potstickers, other customers who ordered after us were getting their drinks/food before so I guess priority of orders is based on what food cooks faster or what drinks can be made quicker? After waiting 10 minutes we finally get our potstickers and those actually tasted good. read more

Tapioca Express - Cutesy cafe :3 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

I am usually not a fan for boba but this place makes the greatest thai tea. The Place isn't too shabby in the inside too. It is a very cosy and homelike atmosphere. If you want to feel young and hip then this is where you must go read more

Tapioca Express - Thai tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Been going here for years ! The service is always great and the staff and owner are soooo friendly!!! If you're not around they put your drinks aside so no one takes them. The owner is very nice and always greets us with a smile. I enjoy coming here. read more

Awesome place to get a drink and a snack after a movie. Huge menu, fast service and good prices. Friendly staff! I will start to go here more often instead of Starbucks. read more

Tapioca Express - Loving the Tapioca Express! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Tap Ex has the best spicy chicken hands down! The place is kinda small and tucked away, but that doesn't really effect the quality of the restaurant itself. The staff were very friendly! I can't wait to go back and get more chicken! read more

My first impression was, "Wow, I am on a roll today reviewing boba/tea places! Maybe it's simply because I'm reviewing the Cerritos area where there are Asians everywhere!" One of the food options at Cerritos Town Center, I am a champion of of eating at Tapioca Express. CTC was one of the spots back in the day for my friends and I in high school. I've been to Tapioca Express so many times that I completed that stamp card like more than 20 times. Yeah I admit it, I didn't know the value of money back then, and yelping to find good food and drinks at a reasonable price. Plus, I was a high school teenager so that explains everything else. Anyways, the service here is really good. The lady (owner) is very friendly and is usually the one who works there along with one or two other workers. I love their milk tea boba, jasmine milk tea, and popcorn chicken. I've had their popcorn chicken meals too which come with black tea or green tea, popcorn chicken, rice, beef marinated Chinese lettuce, with this soy sauce pickled boiled egg. Sorry, that's the best way I can describe it. The meal is really good. I would give this place 4-stars, but it is pretty pricey as compared to other Asian boba places. There isn't anything distinct about this place, but it is my number one hit spot whenever I'm at CTC. If you're in Cerritos too, there are other popcorn chicken and milk tea places. MANY too choose from actually: Dolphin Bay, Quickly, and Lollicup. The lasting impression? "I have the stamp card curse at this place." (+) My Tip: They only take cash! ATM machine is around the corner in front of Starbucks. read more

This is, by far, my favorite place to go for boba. Forget about Boba City, Boba Town, and the Boba Lounge! This place sets the standard! I've been enjoying boba for years...before the big craze hit So Cal....before it hit Nor Cal...before Al Gore invented the Internet (if you can believe that)! Anyway, when you put customer service, quality, consistency, flavor, and overall enjoyment to the test, the Tapioca Express in the Cerritos Towne Center puts other franchises to shame. Even amongst other Tapioca Express locations, I keep returning to this location time and time again. Sometimes I'll even stop by this store when I'm much closer to another boba place. The staff is friendly and always greet you with a smile. The boba itself tastes great, isn't stuck together (like in some other places), and is never undercooked and excessively chewy. The menu at Tapioca Express is extensive, but manageable. Some of my personal favorites (with or without boba): Matcha Green Tea Snow Bubble (excellent flavor; not too strong/bitter); Milk Tea w/ pudding (I know...sounds weird, but try it!); Milk Tea w/ barley (need that fiber!); Strawberry-Banana Snow Bubble; and Deep Fried Squid Balls (not that kind, you perv!). I'd avoid some of the fried food if you're allergic to MSG, though. Give it a try if you're in the Cerritos area and if you don't like it...hey, post your own review on Yelp.com! read more

This place is sooooo good! The boba is always as fresh as it can get, which is warm and chewy goodness at its best! The teas always have the perfect amount of tea and sugar in it. The blended drinks are delicious too! And hot drinks are perfect for those cold days. ANY of the cooked foods there are great (chicken, squid balls, tempura, potstickers, string beans, calamari rings, and taiwanese sausage)! Some vocab: flavored b/g tea is your choice of a flavor and Black or Green tea snow bubble is an ice blended drink made with milk (smoothie) icy is an ice blended drink without milk (slush) I would recommend: milk tea - either almond milk tea or thai tea flavored tea - mango green tea snow bubbles - strawberry banana, papaya paradise (has fresh papaya, fresh banana, mango and pineapple juice), vanilla chai, mocha icy - mango, strawberry, green apple I know a lot of people aren't accustomed to the drinks here so they just dismiss it after the first try, but this Tapioca Express is able to customize your drink, whether it be made with soy milk instead of whole, more or less sweet, or for the snow bubbles to be more blended. They are willing to try to make your drink taste good to you, so just ask them, and they'll do everything in their ability to make it great. And I know this because they have always treated their customers with respect and kindness! They always greet you at the door, thank you when you leave and basically serve with the best intent! The service here is probably the best service I have ever received, so don't be too quick to judge them harshly. And once again, I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! read more

The last time I was here was about a year ago. My biggest qualm about this Tapioca Express (and, by extension, probably all of them in the franchise) is that they don't take credit cards. I've been here before when other friends have bought for me, and the drinks are decent, nothing special. Lots of brats and teenagers sitting around, so that's a downside (isn't it funny how none of us like teens loitering around?). This and all other boba places should get with the times and realize that more and more younger people aren't carrying any cash with them. And why would they if they can get bonuses and rewards using credit cards nowadays? They suggested that I can always go to the ATM and withdraw some cash, but I asked, "will you reimburse the transaction fee that I will incur?" After they replied "no" I told them that I was going to go to Starbucks instead, because they take credit. I made a comment that if they expect to increase their business and keep up with the rising cost of supplies, they need to start accepting credit cards and capture potentially lost business like me. read more

This place is straight up bullshit. I ordered a green milk tea. Unfriendly Korean guy took my order and my money without saying thanks or anything. I swear it took him 10 seconds to make my order. He put the boba in, then put the ice in a cup, then he poured out the drink from a pre made jug and sealed the lid. Needless to say, my drink tasted like hog shit. It didn't taste like green milk tea at all. I can't believe I paid $4.60 for that. After I drank half of it, I wanted to throw that d4ink back in that dudes face. Don't buy drinks here. All their stuff is pre made and they just pour it out and it's not fresh and no flavor. read more

7/13/13: Business is booming for this Tap Ex! We rolled 10 deep to visit my cutie adding Ingrid. The owner, I failed to get her name, is SUPER nice and went out of her way to accommodate our party. The food and drinks were on point! Everyone loved what they ordered. Even though they had a line out the door the entire time we were there, the owner came outside to where we were seated and delivered the goods personally. We will be stopping by when I'm in the area. Thanks for the great experience!! read more

Went today on my lunch break and ordered a barley tea As an Asian and also one who has ordered barley milk teas this one was the worse I get sugar is bad But bleh No sugar? Not even a drop? I'd rather go to tea station or dolphin bay Or fusion tea or even guppy house! I used to go here a lot But now I know why I stopped going read more

Buy 8 squidballs you get 4...half a squidball counts as 1 for this business...smh. This place is a joke...milk tea tastes like some powdered drink read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. Unlike other boba places, they make their drinks with real juice instead of artificial flavored powders. They also have an enormous menu, with milk teas, slushies, snow bubbles, coffee drinks, and some Taiwanese food. I tried the honeydew snow bubble with boba, and it was really good. It tasted like fresh honeydew! My only complaint was the boba was a little overdone for my taste. It could be because I came at night and it had time to sit around and get mushy. Overall it was very good and I'll try some more of their drinks in the future. read more

Small portions..... and I don't know about waiting 20+ minutes for you order. Yet, here I am. And again.... still waiting. Why did I bother?! read more

I love this Tap. Ex. because the service is so friendly, esp. the owner. Even after months of not eating here she remembers me. Their crispy tempura, calamari, and popcorn chicken are delish, but my complaint is the prices.. One "large" order of calamari was $6, but it's just about enough for one person to eat for a snack. It's yummy, but kind of a rip off considering I could eat at a sit-down restaurant and get a plate full of calamari for about the same price. Likewise, their boba drinks are expensive. I used to love their milk teas but the past few times it's tasted diluted. (The hot milk tea is always good though.) Other than that, they have yummy snow bubbles (esp. lychee!) and almond milk tea, so I'll stick to those. Oh, and they have stamp cards! read more

This place used to be good. Now everything is frozen and out. No avocado drink when it's advertised. not even lids for the hot drinks. and there is this bad attitude never smiling employee. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

I really love their juice! They have excellent spicy potstickers! They make on request so it takes awhile so my suggestion is to call ahead to save yourself some time! Very friendly, nice workers! read more

I very first discovered "boba" here at TapEx at CTC almost 15 years ago. I tried the Milk Tea with boba and have stayed loyal ever since. Having stayed open throughout the years has meant a great deal for a lot of us who live around Cerritos. It is always a treat and still my favorite 'go-to' place for boba for these reasons: 1). The boba itself is ALWAYS rich, flavorful, and just the right consistency. 2). This is probably one of the only places in the nearby area that makes an amazing blended Milk Tea Snow, Taro Snow, and Thai Tea Snow. 3). Brian & The Crew! (Past & Present) Because they work hard and deserve to be thanked. I know customer service as a barista can be a tough and often thankless job (due to picky people and overly "high & mighty" yelpers)...so I just want to say THANKS GUYS! & Keep It Up! P.S. Hi Grace =] ! read more

This has been my go-to boba shop ever since high school (over a decade ago...), despite all the other boba shops that keep popping up in Cerritos. What I love is how consistent their drinks are, and how fresh their boba is (no matter what time of the day you go). The workers are really friendly, and they are always smiling. The owner is so sweet, too. I love their milk tea, milk tea snow bubble, and strawberry banana snow bubble! If you don't like boba, try aloe vera or rainbow jelly as an add-on! :) read more

A typical Taiwanese Boba milk tea place nestled in the back of Cerritos Towne Center Plaza. I've been here a handful of times during late afternoons to grab a milk tea instead of a coffee from Starbucks. Around 3 p.m. the place is nearly empty so the service is fast. I've tried a bunch of their milk teas and have liked most of them but specially like their Taro Milk Tea with Boba ($3.50 for a medium). Their teas are not extremely sweet but I've felt that their boba is a bit on the swishy side not nicely formed; it's not bad just not the best that I've had. They take cards with a $5 minimum so its essentially a cash only place. Being so close to office is I think the biggest reason why I keep returning here. read more

Tapioca Express - Taro milk tea with boba ($3.50) - Very Good. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Caramel ice boba I think.. With whip cream It's good mine tasted fresh I got it minutes before they closed Flavor 4/5 Service 4/5 nothing special I'm going back today.. So.. Yea its good. read more

Oh tapioca express. How i miss you! (since i moved, but hey you're not THAT far). This place has always been a favorite and the drinks are always so good. Original, Thai, Jasmine, almond, coconut ( with or without jelly), caramel and strawberry - they're all so good. The iced coffees too! Especially with boba. The boba is always perfect - soft and chewy and if you get there when they open, they boba is still warm and fresh :9 oh! and try their snowbubbles! i would recommend the caramel snow with boba, if you have a sweet tooth. Milk tea snow if you want something sweet yet subtle. And watermelon icy if you want somethign refreshing which is PERFECT for summer. Their hot milk teas are good too, but i've only tried the milk tea, and jasmine, and both are good :) read more

Tapioca Express is very average, as most boba places are. You get what you pay for and are usually satisfied with what you get. Before I became a vegetarian, I used to love their popcorn chicken. I don't really get food there now, but I might try their fried tofu. Service is usually pretty good. The lady usually working their is very amiable. Not exactly friendly but she's nice enough. read more

I absolutely LOVE this TapEx. Maybe because it's my number one lunch destination during work hours, or because the tea itself is good. I frequent this place maybe 4 times a week. Probably doesn't hurt that I work right across the street and it's the only tea house around :p I usually get the Jasmine Green Tea or the Honey Green Milk Tea. Both are absolutely delicious on a hot SoCal day. I've never had the food so I can't really comment there, but I know for sure the drinks are too die for. The owner lady is also such a sweet heart. She remembers my orders every time I go in and she's just a gem. I prefer my drinks made by her because sometimes when the other workers make it, my drink just doesn't taste as good. read more

They've really expanded their menu! And while the food is still good, you don't get a lot of chicken in the crispy chicken rice meal.

This place has a huge menu and everything I've tasted so far is yummy. The customer service is amazing. The older lady that works here is the sweetest. She delivered my tea to me and then switched the straw to a purple straw because my dress and car lanyard are purple. I thought that was cute. read more

I've been here a number of times and each time I go there I notice lower and lower quality drinks. I went here the other day and ordered two drinks, I paid and not even five seconds later the drinks were ready. Who doesn't love fast service? But...how do you make two drinks that fast...obviously not fresh at all. Plus the peach tea was wayyyy too sweet and the jasmine green tea didn't even taste like it. Honestly, they have a large menu but only their regular milk tea is of passable quality. The service is usually pretty nice so I don't see any use in knocking off stars there. I'm not sure why I gave this place 3 stars...guess I just feel bad to give it less after the millions of times I used to come here in high school. But I won't be spending $3 a drink here any more. read more

Probably my favorite place in the area to get boba. I could be saying that just because Tapioca Express has always been my go-to boba place. Every flavor I've gotten has never failed to please my taste buds. I love the boba itself because it is squishy and soft. Unlike many other places, the boba is either undercooked or hardens easily within 5 minute of receiving your drink. I've tried everything from the yogurt, mocha, taro, lychee, peach, honey dew, milk tea, thai tea, etc. You name it, I've tried it. I must admit, my all-time favorite is milk tea. I've had boba from all local restaurants in the surrounding area and well, this just seems to be the one my taste buds love. LIke I always say, YOU WON'T KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY IT FOR YOURSELF!! read more

I've been to quite a few Tapioca Express, I actually came here for Lunch as opposed to just boba. The lunch menu was not as broad as I had hoped. But they did have the crispy chicken I had wanted to order. I ordered the combo meal they offered, and I have to say WHAT IN THE HECK IS THAT GROUND MEAT WITH EGG?! O_o? I was hoping it would be good, but the flavor was DEFINITELY not to my liking. That sauce it was in...it just destroyed the hard boiled egg I could have enjoyed. And there wasn't much to altering the order either, it's a take it or leave it. So I didn't like it that much. Don't get me wrong. Boba is always great here, but my lunch experience wasn't as great as I hoped. read more

Pretty good. They have everything from tea, milk tea, blended drinks, snow bubble, boba, AND food. All I've tried was the taro milk tea with boba, and it was delicious! It took them literally 15 seconds to make my order **Minimum of $5 in order to pay with credit card** read more