One of the best places to eat & drink on UCSD campus. You can tell from the lines. It's always busy even till late hours (actually it's usually busier at dinner hours). It has been my daily stop for a drink in the morning for a long while. I have probably ordered over 300 glasses of Tapioca Milk Tea in the past year from this place as well as the other branch on Regents. The staff at the UCSD location are very courteous and friendly, and certainly make us come back to this place. I can't remember all the names: Lizzy, Bianca, and in particular Amy, who always remembers her regular customers preferences. They have a few daily combos, but their snack are even better: calamari rings and the Vietnamese shrimp rolls (for $3.75) are great, especially near lunch time. My advice is to avoid busy hours (around lunch and 4-6 PM on schooldays). The only negative thing is that the boba sometimes gets sticky at these busy hours because they pre-fill a few glasses in anticipation of customer floods. read more

Tapioca Express - Summer hours :( - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Second best to the one in Clairemont. The drinks are usually spot on and the crispy chicken is usually juicy, with a minimal amount of batter sized pieces. read more

TBH, Tapioca Express is the sole reason to why I am able to finish my degree here at UCSD. I owe it so much more than just my money, I owe to it my first born, my home, my extreme gratitude. I LOVE THIS PLACE AND I DON'T CARE WHAT ANY OF THE HATERS SAY. The service is super quick and friendly! The boba - although not the best I've had, really does the spot whenever I need a pick me up. Studying without this tap ex would be the worst... The boba gets me through my days.. When I need a crunchy snack I opt for the crispy popcorn chicken, crispy tofu, or the calamari (it just depends on how I'm feeling that day). Anyways, some of my favorite drinks are Jade Milk Tea with small boba, Thai Tea snow bubble with boba (Comes in a large cup!), and Jasmine milk tea with egg pudding. I just really love tap ex.. It's the closest one to UCSD (because it's in the Price Center) - therefore the best one. As a wee little freshman with no car, no place to go, I would find my home at Tapioca Express. read more

It's not very good boba, but let's be honest: the convenience of being able to pick up a drink on campus without a car was pretty nice. I did like their crispy chicken, and ended up going here back when my taste buds were slightly still underdeveloped. The atmosphere could be better as well, although I wouldn't blame that much on them but rather the dynamics of the "Price Center" they were in. Better Boba? If you have a car go to Convoy, and if you're lucky go to Orange County. read more

Tapioca Express - Milk Tea! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

We love their slushies, all flavors are great, so tasty and refreshing. Drinks were made quickly and well, service nice and prices fair. Great option to grab a drink in the area. read more

When you walk into PC and see a large crowd in the corner... yup, that's the crowd for Tap-ex! I swear one moment I'll see a short line and the next it's so crowded I can't even see the register. I must say the workers are fast. The lines die quickly and the orders come out one after another. It's like a crazy assembly line. I've never been a huge fan of Tap-ex to begin with, but when I'm craving boba on campus it's my only option. My drinks have often taste watered down, unmixed (you know when you take a first sip and just taste syrup), and are occasionally wrong. I ordered a peach green tea today, but I'm pretty sure they gave me lychee(?) on accident. It's certainly not like boba places on convoy, and it is a chain after all. Still, it's nice to have a boba place on campus than none at all. read more

You pretty much know what you're going to get when you go to chains. However, I feel like this TapEx falls a little short of others ones I've been to. PROS: The line goes by quickly even if it's long Open late compared to most places on campus Lots and lots of options The boba itself comes out consistently well - not too soft or hard Big food portion CONS: The cashiers never ask what size drink you want so you have to remember to tell them They don't put that much boba in The spicy chicken isn't even that spicy and tastes kind of weird. And although it was a large portion, it was more breading than chicken Kind of pricey IMO read more

As a student here at UCSD, I can definitely say it's nice to have a boba place on campus, and I've been here more times than I can count just to fulfill a craving. I never bothered to review the place because many of the reviews on here speak for themselves, it's alright, there are better places, but it's still good for being the only accessible place to get boba (especially for new students who don't have cars or want to take the bus). Today I went in because I wanted to try their fries, but impulsively ordered milk tea to go with it. I ate the fries first, and the seasoning was pretty uneven, but they were cooked well- so honestly, no complaints there. The problem that came along was that the milk tea that I got tasted a little bit soapy and had a sort of sharp minty aftertaste. At first, I just thought that maybe they use a different tea for their base, or something that I am just not used to, but something was definitely off that I couldn't quite wrap my finger around. I'm definitely not one for confrontation, but I was really upset because I was looking forward to a good drink. So, I went to the register and asked if they would do a replacement drink, and the cashier was nice, she asked what I meant and what was wrong with it. It must have seemed a little sketchy that I didn't quite know how to explain the taste that threw me off, as I told her that it tasted soapy and that I wasn't quite sure how to explain it. She didn't know what I meant by "soapy" but nonetheless replaced it, and actually upgraded my size to a large (I had originally gotten a small), with essentially no questions asked. I appreciated it, especially upgrading my drink when all I wanted was a replacement, but I felt it was yelp-worthy because their service is really great, I am just feeling a little iffy about their drinks now. I am unaware if Tapex uses milk powder or real milk for their drinks, but if it is real milk, I know that soapy/other offputting tastes mean it's probably spoiled, and being from the food industry as well, I just hope it doesn't make anyone sick. I didn't end up drinking the second drink she made me because it tasted the same, but I do appreciate the good customer service, and I hope this place continues to do well. read more

Boba tea on-campus was something I wished they had at my alma mater. Not only was Tapioca Express located in the center of the UCSD campus, it was also open late, closing at midnight on a regular basis and 1AM during finals. My colleague and I both ordered a "manager's special" almonilla milk tea. It was half almond and half vanilla flavored. It was not the best milk tea, but it warmed me up like I wanted. I ordered the milk tea hot, which was perfect for a chilly December evening. Price: $2.95 each. Add 50 cents for boba. Overall, it was so-so. Convenience and late hours were a major plus. read more

The service is quick and the staff are very friendly. They normally have long lines certain times of the days, like when classes end or lunchtime, but you never wait in line for more than 10 minutes. There hasn't been a time I walked away from TapEx angry. The drinks are decent (I especially like almond milk tea) and the snacks are suuuuuuper crispy. My all-time favorite that I will never get tired of is the fried tofu and their sweet and sour sauce. There's a nice crispy skin and a gooey center that melts in your mouth.... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Give this place a shot if you're on campus. It's in a convenient location at the center of the university and their staff works above and beyond. The drinks aren't the best in town, but they're made quickly and some of them are pretty darn good. read more

I feel like it's really nice to actually have a decent boba place on campus. Yes, the prices may be higher than places off campus (and especially a lot higher than in SF - which is where I'm from)...but I'm still happy that I can keep my boba cravings in check! Sometimes, it can get a little crowded, ESPECIALLY when people get out of class and/or are studying late. During these times, I understand that the food production may take LONGER than normal. @Jack M.: Basically, you must have gone at a time when everyone had just gotten out of class and/or they were really busy. No, I do not work here, but jFYI, all the workers are STUDENTS...Sorry they messed up your TWO snacks. And BOOHOO, you had to wait 15 MIN, they even have a sign up that specifically says tofu takes longer to cook. If you really thought that poorly of the service you should have COMPLAINED TO THEM b/c they probably would helped you out, homeboy. All in all, pretty good service and everyone here has usually been pretty friendly to me. read more

The meat here tastes like botulism. I don't know what botulism actually tastes like, but I imagine it's something like: -A vaguely metallic taste that seems to balloon in size the more rubbery mess you force in your mouth. - A disgusting feeling in your stomach that the "short ribs" have already sprouted clusters of bacteria and are attempting to climb up your esophagus. -The sensation in your intestines of a bloody civil war being fought between deadly toxins in the fried chicken skin and what remains of your organ linings that comes to a crescendo over the course of a day. +1 star out of 0 for excellent service though. Delivering foodborne infections with style and flair! read more

Screw you, UCSD! Why couldn't you have new Price Center when I was going to school here? Not only did you wait to build this kick-ass center after I left, but you outfit the new PC with a Tapex AND Burger King? And you wonder why your alumnis don't donate more? While I had to suffer through Wendy's nuggets and fries every other day, current students get to have variety. This Tapex is on par with the closest one that I had to go to, the one on Regents. In fact, this may be a little better because my spicy chicken wasn't overcooked. What can you say about the spicy chicken meal? It is what it is. If you had one, you've had them all. I'm not sure about the strawberry milk tea here. They didn't mix it enough leaving all the syrup to pool on the bottom. I had to stir it in and 5 minutes after drinking it, I felt sick. But anyway, to reiterate, screw you UCSD. You kept me in the basement of AP&M, you forced me to eat subpar fast food and you taunted me by building the new Price Center the year after I left. Given the chance, I bet you'd have screwed my girlfriend too, huh? read more

Food- I see a lot of mixed reviews for this place, but the crowds don't lie, they have good food! They even have dishes that other Tapioca Express' don't have! Vegetarian? Well they have you covered too, with Stir Fried Vegetables and Tofu over Rice and Vietnamese Spring Rolls, its pretty bomb! If you go to their location in the middle of the food court, you can see pictures of what special combos they offer. You can never go wrong with Crispy Chicken Bowl or bag of Crispy Chicken! Drinks- Tapioca Express time tested menu. They've been growing for over 10 years, so they're doing something right. If you don't like your drinks that sweet, you can always request less sugar. So I don't understand all the prima donna's complaining about their drink being too sweet. Prior to popular belief, their teas, are not made from powder! In fact, they are fresh brewed from real loose leaf teas! So you actually get the health benefits of drinking tea. Price- Special Lunch Combo deals each week and $4.99 Crispy Chicken bowl everyday, very competitively priced compared to the other stores in the food court, you can easily be paying $7-$10 for a meal here. So I'd say the prices at this Tapioca Express is fairly priced low, especially if you just want a $2 drink to enjoy during that long lecture hall you have next. haha! Service- I must say this Tapioca Express has good service. The workers that take your order and make your order are fellow students, so they are very personable, not some old chinese lady that never smiles, haha! In all seriousness though, they really do honor your complaints as well, if your food is undercooked or over cooked, they are more than happy to remake it for you and get it right. Venue- It's right in the middle of Price Center, aka the food court area, it's off to one side, so it has it's own dining area. They even have an LCD tv with Sports Center on, usually. So it's pretty nice to have when you are on your lunch break or just chillin with friends.Its quite sectioned off from the main dining area so much more private, and there's even an outdoor seating area right next to it for you smokers, so there's plenty of space. In terms of decor, it's probably the best looking food joint in the food court: stainless steel, glass, recessed lighting, and squiggly mint green walls, haha, very av-ant garde for a Tapioca Express! Bottom line- I suggest you try them out when you are at UCSD and looking for a place to eat or drink, very familiar menu you'd find at other Tapioca Express'. if you are a student, definitely a solid go-to spot when you want to stay on campus to eat, drink, study, hang out or all of the above! read more

When Tapioca Express opened on campus, I knew it was going to be Fob-town galore in Price Center. I suppose it's a way for UCSD to increase its appeal to an ever growing undergraduate population. Every time I overhear tour guides mention that we have a Tap Ex on campus, the whole crowd goes bat shit crazy - never mind that we've got one of the best neuroscience programs in the nation - googly-eyed prospectives are sold on the idea of being able to get your crack-laced powder tea fix multiple times a day. The place is always packed and is damn near riot status when classes get out. Luckily, I'm not too crazy about boba so I can live without Tap Ex, but I gave it a shot the other day. My recommendation for those looking to beat the crowd is to go during mid-hours because classes get out at the end of hour blocks. Or, go in the mornings. I usually only get one thing at tapioca places, and that is Almond Milk Tea. It's my favorite and I'm not a huge fan of all the other snow bubble things. Tapioca Express definitely uses powder for their teas and you can feel clumps of powder floating around in your mouth. Gritty and gross. It affects the flavor as well because it has a tendency to have a weird after-taste that is comparable to shit like Splenda. Honestly, I can make better with milk and amaretto - with an added benefit of having alcoholic content. I'm also certain that prices on campus are more expensive than the Tapioca Express on Regents. Meh, I guess it's alright for a fix - I like it better than coffee, but other than that.. nothing I'd rave about. read more

I've been going to this place a few times every quarter for the past few years, and every time I always feel a little bit more disappointed. Back when Tapioca Express was decent at UCSD, they gave large portions, tasted great, and at a cheaper price. The food back then was good too, but now it just seems subpar, even if I were to cook a similar version of it myself. The rice is always on the mushy side, almost inedible from its texture alone. I can cook rice better with a 10$, single button rice cooker. Portions are much smaller than before. I'm a fairly skinny person and I find the combo meals leaving me still hungry. At 9$ per combo meal, I find that quite expensive, even when it comes with a regular sized tea. The meat is usually overcooked and dry unless you order when its not busy. The calamari however is always overcooked with a hard rubber texture. Sometimes the meat tastes like it was left in a freezer uncovered for a month. The accompanying salad is always a tad limp, some crisp but not what fresh salad is like, and never with enough dressing. The dumpling looked like it was store bought and deep fried, so it actually tasted decent compared to the rest. As for the boba, it was generally good. The tapioca pearls are either cooked well or slightly on the mushy side. I never came across an undercooked tapioca pearl to this day. You can definitely taste the tea well, even when you get an iced or milk version. I would stray away from matcha milk tea however. They always add way more milk than matcha, and makes it seem like milk with a bit of matcha instead of the other way around. Unforgivable in my opinion. Although the service is fast, it pales in comparison to all other categories with respect to other Tapioca Express stops in San Diego. The drinks are still nothing compared to 7 Leaves in the Greater Los Angeles area. For everyone, I would only recommend going here for the occasional large sized boba drink and fried chicken. Unfortunately, there are other Tapioca Express establishments in San Diego that are better than here. There are also better places to eat on and around campus for the same price. For students, I would say the 5$ boba and 5$ fried chicken is decent, but try and stay away from the combo meals. They are not worth the price you're paying, and will not fill you up with a satisfied palate. Just regret and a slightly emptier pocket. For people just visiting the campus, La Jolla, or just craving boba, stay away. It's not worth your time and money. Go to other well reviewed places around town to satisfy those tastebuds of yours with your well earned money and time. read more

Update 11/19: I have dropped my score down to 1 star after unacceptable service and quality from this place. First, they made a mistake on my order 3 times (I ordered a boba tea) which is not too bad, but was frankly very annoying. The worst is what happened today. I ordered a lychee milk tea with boba and this was absolutely disgusting. I've ordered it in the past and not had too much of a problem with it. This time, it was actually gross. This is the first time in my life that i've had to throw away a milk tea and i've been to so many boba places. Tapex lost a pretty regular customer today and I strongly advise against going here even if you're a UCSD student. As the only boba tea place on campus, tapex gets a small bump in my score. Overall, it's nothing special. They use low quality tea, powder, and their boba is average. If I didn't like boba tea as much as I do, I would likely never go here. As the only choice on campus, I'm more forced to go here when i crave boba. I've had much better boba tea elsewhere and would not recommend this place to any non-UCSD students. read more

I am usually very fond of this place, at least all the way back in sophomore year when it is first opened. The quality goes from good to bad, and now worse. I bet the owner of these 2 tapioca express joints need to start reevaluate the quality of the ucsd branch. I know he is earning like a crapload of good money, but he needs to watch out. The food has just reached the inedible level. I know every shift, there is a manager that controls overall quality and service, but he/she should pay more attention to the cooks...maybe the owner shouldn't rush to put noobs to work, huh? What makes me really mad is that around 8pm today I went there and ordered fried tofu and crispy chicken "snacks" and I ended up waiting for over 15 minutes, and those that ordered after me had theirs already. Now, I wouldn't blame them since there were a lot people ordering, but those that came after me had orders like combos, which usually take longer to prepare than snacks. This makes me think, "why the heck would my "snacks" take so long to come out when those combos were flowing out like the production line of a Chinese textile factory?" 15 minutes felt like an hour, seriously, especially when 20 people after me have already gotten their food and gone. I went up to the employees and she was really nice and helped me ask. A minute later, my food came out and I quickly found a study room and started eating. I ravenously ate like 3 fried tofu pieces then WHOA! WTF?? It literally felt like I was chewing on goo and my mouth felt like I just ate something really raw. Yes, the fried tofu has a thick layer of uncooked white flour goo watever covering them...I assume its the thing that makes the tofu looked "fried"? Follow that link to the pictures I took, http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/OQ2qzBAMhD0FB2jP6yF_6w?select=SkeNx4-jugvv8Dgpx4Xmxw But it was damn gross. You know I would expect my food to be well cooked after waiting for so long, but no...it was like the "fried" tofu was never on the cooks' agenda. And I think after I asked them about it, the cooks just scrambled something to cover up their delay. I wouldnt complain if its a steak, but its fried tofu, fried...not flour-covered half-cooked tofu. Are you serious? Is this the quality in which your store is providing to your customers while you continue to earn that crapload of money and spoil your kids? I have never given out a negative review to a restaurant before, simply because Yelp doesnt give me the option to rate 0 stars. But I like tapioca's service, the counter people are always really friendly and helpful, thats why that 1 star is there, and also means I am giving tapioca an advice so that they have a chance to improve. Those other restaurants with 0 stars dont get any reviews, and imo, thats a bad thing. Train your emplyees more thoroughly before they embarrass your store any further. read more

Tapioca Express - waited for 15 minutes and this is what you get, half-cooked fried tofu. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

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They really need quality control. My chicken bowl was super salty and nasty! I finished it with a upset face! UCSD really needs to give us more choices! read more

Famous for Boba tea which is decent, but food overall is mediocre. All the combos are served with dry rice. Didn't realize that the shrimp spring rolls are not fried but shrimp wrapped up in transparent sheets with some veggies. Until after I had ordered it. My bad. read more

As our generation has become accustomed to abbreviating everything, I would like to go a step further and refer to this place as, "Crap Ex." It took me way too long to stop coming here. Don't make the same mistakes that I did. The milk tea tastes very commercial and none of the teas taste fresh as all. The fried chicken may smell promising, but it's not. You will be disappointed and your arteries will suffer. So, put yourself out there and get off campus for once! Make some friends (at least one with a car) and head on over to the Convoy area if you want some good tea. read more

To all the anti-capitalists out there, I need only to point out the banality that is the Tapioca Express on campus. There are no other boba shops within a five mile radius of that place except for... another Tapioca Express... owned by the same owner. If there is no competition to make a decent boba drink or snack, that is all the more reason why TapEx couldn't care less and continues to spew out "food" behind a curtain of deep-fried and overly sweet mediocrity. All the snacks, from the popcorn chicken to the calamari have no decent taste except for tons of fried bits and pepper on top. I will admit that the tofu is actually okay though. The drinks are overpriced and way too sweet and tastes really artificial (even for a boba place). They even had a "special" hibiscus drink for a month which wasn't really all that special. When I asked the cashier what they made the hibiscus out of, she said it was just some combination of different syrup flavors like strawberry and apple. *face palm* This isn't to hate on the TapEx franchise overall though. Some TapEx shops are better than others, including the one on Regents. It's just that this one is the bottom of the barrel, even compared to other TapEx shops. read more

TAPEX ON REGENTS RD BY VONS IS WAAAAYYY BETTER! I was served old crispy chicken that was cold and overcooked. WTH?! I didn't realize this until I had walked all the way to my car and took a bite. I was only at this location because I was dropping off packages at the Amazon center in the bookstore. Wouldn't come here again. read more

EW EW EW EW EW I must admit, I have a love hate relationship with tap ex....i LOVE boba and unfortunately this is the closest boba place and is on campus so I am forced to come here. If there were any closer place i would go there instead, but NOOO. I have found out that most Tap Ex drinks are either too sweet or too bitter. It's either a complete hit or miss with all of the drinks, no middle ground D: The boba pearls themselves are very good though, a nice size and always the right chewiness. But the teas....could improve WAY WAY more. Not to mention around midnight they run out of boba and force you to use the tiny boba...that always makes me very sad :( and THE PRICES ARGH. Back home i could get a large drink with extra boba for 4 dollars, here it ends up being 5 or sometimes even 5.25 ughh As for the actual "food" its all very greasy and fried, unhealthy snacks. For some reason i still love them though XD Ah well in the end approach at your own risk! read more

This review is well-overdue because I have been eating here frequently for a long time, and for a good reason too: This place is awesome! I see a lot of raised eyebrows when I tell people that Tapioca Express is my favourite place. Now, I know why. It's because this Tapioca Express has exceeded the standards of other Tapioca Express locations, and they easily overcome the "fast food" stereotypes. I don't think people are very aware of this and they associate this awesome location with the others. The lines can be long during their rush hours (it's on a school campus), but each worker has an excellent sense of urgency, and the wait will be brief should these lines occur. Even a ridiculously long line during a very busy hour can be less than 5 minutes to get through. Everyone who works here has a great personality, and they begin to recognize their repeat customers. I love a place that can do that! People assume that this is normal for any business, but I'm a regular to a lot of places and none has given me the same quality recognition as this place. The owner actually works with their team members. That's rare! I've scarcely seen a place where owners actually work with their team members (cashiering, making drinks, serving the orders, and calling out numbers, etc.). I believe this effort has enhanced the owner's leadership, and their operation is very fruitful. Other places I have seen can be chaotic when the owners visit and demand impractical tasks (clearly showing no understanding of their business nor their customers). That's not a problem here! The owner is such a fantastic person and very personable; I have also noticed that there is a good retention of employees. That gives me additional insight on their business, and I am getting a positive vibe from it. Good customer service, wonderful leadership, no wait... something has to be wrong, right? Nope. The food and the drinks are very high quality. I could honestly eat here everyday, and unsurprisingly, I do eat and drink here a lot. One thing I do not like is that the menu can appear a bit unhealthy (all of these sugar drinks and fried food); however, this can be resolved easily by asking for a custom order. They'll make it happen, and it's without additional cost nor hassle. I typically order a grilled chicken combo with the sides substituted by salad (as pictured). It's like a grilled chicken salad, and it's absolutely delicious. It's surprisingly a high quality and nutritious meal, and I like it better than many of their local competitors, and especially compared to the other meals that can be bought on the school campus. It's very filling. I also drink their Thai Milk Tea most days. A lot of people criticize that it is too sweet, but you can easily ask for light sugar, which I do too. I also recommend the Hot Triton Milk Tea (it's half Black Tea and Half Earl Grey) on cold days, and the Avocado Snow Bubble is another good option. If you are in the mood for a dessert, then their Sweet Buns with Condensed Milk is delicious, but I obviously can't have that everyday. Their Crispy Chicken meal is delicious (I think it is most people's favourite), but it is also unhealthy and probably shouldn't be eaten everyday as well. The French Fries and their Sausage Combo smell delicious, but I have to admit that I have never had them. Fried Tofu tastes very good to me. If I could describe its taste as another food, it tastes similar to scrambled eggs for me. The Pork Buns are very good too, and they make a great and filling snack. I have never been let down by these guys before, and I have never gotten sick off of their food (something I am seeing other people review about, but I think this might be the fast food mentality taking over). I have taken a blood test during a checkup and it shows that i'm in excellent health (sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) despite eating here most days. Great service, sense of urgency, filling meals, and all very delicious. 10 out of 10... would eat and drink there everyday. I definitely recommend it, and my visiting friends and family love this place too. ... and... although I may appear as a Tapioca Express fanatic, that is only for this specific location and their Regents location. I'm from the Bay Area and the Tapioca Express over there (and many other locations) have been terrible in my opinion. This one is unique and special, and they work hard. They do a great job, and I can really tell the difference. I could write so much more, but I'll leave the next Harry Potter novel for J. K. Rowling to do. read more

Tapioca Express - Grilled Chicken, Mild, with sides substituted by Salad. (Combo B) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Tapioca Express is one of the better places on campus. It is the closest place for Boba that is pretty good, although in my opinion a little on the more expensive side. They also have really good snack like their crispy chicken. It is usually pretty busy and a great place to hang out~ read more

Came here last week with a friend, had a drink and crispy chicken. Had an upset stomach for the rest of the afternoon...came home and took a nap, woke up and proceeded to throw up. I would give this place another shot but I'm traumatized. On top of that, service sucks. read more

I'm from NorCal, so when I arrived here at UCSD I didn't understand the SoCal fascination with boba. My first stop was naturally TapEx. It's in PC, making it easily accessible in between lectures. Now, I seriously come here at least three times a week. Four+, if I have a midterm or something I need to do. There's nothing like sipping on boba while hitting the books--yeah, I'm one of those selfish biotches who takes up a whole booth by herself to study. You know it. I used to always get the crispy chicken combo. Now I'm a big fan of the fried potstickers, because it's a quick and easy snack. ALTHOUGH recently the crispy chicken got better again. I think it's because they started adding more basil to it. Also, I used to get everything extra spicy, but now I've learned that "extra spicy" just means them putting a crapload of that red stuff all over the chicken. If you're a spice fiend like me, I'd say order it medium and add condiments accordingly by yourself. Favorite drinks: lychee black tea, green apple snow bubble, honey milk tea, Thai tea (although....the Thai tea at Hi Thai is generally more "authentic", but whatever). With everything I have to get rainbow jelly or boba. read more

One of the most reliable places to get food and a drink on campus. Prices are reasonable for what you get and there's always something for just about everyone. Tip: Be sure to make drinks your own. I always get my tea very lightly sweetened and my food at a mild spice level. The drinks are pretty sweet, so you only need a tiny bit to satisfy. The spice levels can vary depending on who is working, but you're pretty good at mild. Since just about everything is at a sharing portion size, you can grab some free condiments and cool down your tongue if you milk tea doesn't quite do it. Don't fear the long lines because it always moves quickly. If you only have 5 minutes before your next class...screw it, you can be late. read more

For a little treat, come on over to TapEx! This is a favorite place amongst the students and staff! My favorite drink in the place is a blended snow bubble made of Taro and Coconut mixed! Heavenly! I have tried the yogurt flavored boba blended and that's good too! After the drinks, the next favorite thing of mine is the bag of friend chocked! They are fried and seasoned perfectly with a long stick to eat them with! I ask for it with little seasoning. I don't like it spicy. One bag is a lot for one person. I would share it as a snack. For a meal, I would get the chicken bag and the fresh spring rolls! Excellent. read more

This Tapioca Express, as well as the one on Regents, is incredibly supportive of student organizations. My club just held a fundraiser at the on-campus location last week; and despite the crowd of 30+, we still received friendly service and our food came to us within minutes. All the members were very satisfied with their food and the amicability of the staff. On a related note, I usually choose to go to either of the locations on my own time; and I'm always satisfied with the quality of my drinks (variations of milk tea with boba) as well as my food (crispy chicken and sweet buns). My one suggestion is if you'd like to receive the highest quality in your food, avoid the rush hour periods. For the volume of orders the staff receives, you have to expect that your order will be put together at a much more rapid pace than had you come at a more manageable hour. read more

Ah I'm a little biased since I've only had their drinks and crispy chicken (no horror stories on the other food), which haven't really failed me. Okay here goes: For the chicken, the difference between medium spicy and spicy-spicy is really big. Medium spicy doesn't even taste spicy, while spicy is really spicy (which I prefer). I don't order the chicken too much though since I don't crave it as much and can't finish it by myself unless I'm reallllly hungry. For the drinks - pretty standard, however the drinks a sweeter than the Convoy version, which can sometimes take away from the tea flavor in milk teas. I mistook this location's ownership as the same as the convoy one, but it's not. It's owned by the people who own the regents location. Anyhow, the drinks are still pretty good. I definitely would recommend the taro milk tea and almond milk tea if you really want something sweet. Service: IDK what it is, but I feel like this place is ONLY efficient if males are working. For some reason whenever there's only girls working, the service is pretty slow. I went here yesterday on my break and it was pretty backed up in terms of drinks, so I was actually LATE back to work! The girl who was working was pretty slow. I watched her and I couldn't believe it! Even when the was backed up before, when there were guys working -- even just a single guy -- the service was pretty quick. When it's mixed guys and girls, it moves pretty fast too. The owner (I'm assuming it's the slightly older lady that I see there from time to time and was there on the first day it opened) is really sweet. She really cares about her customers, and that's really important. Whenever the wait is long, she apologizes, and she even makes the drinks really fast too! I swear she makes the drinks faster than probably the two girls working one time while a guy rang up the orders. I guess I'm also a little more biased in terms of reviews/ratings because of the owner, lol. read more

What this place really needs is consistency. I never know what kind of food quality I'm going to get here because it varies too much; sometimes the crispy chicken is nice and tender served with tasty basil leaves, but sometimes the crispy chicken tastes only like fried pieces of fried breading refried over and over again...*shudders* The boba is also inconsistent. Sometimes the boba is too soft and other times it's chewy. The regular milk tea is usually too watered down for me (all the ice does not help either), but I sometimes find myself getting sucked into buying their snow bubbles, which always overflow from the cup (yay!). The Peach Snow Bubble and Passionfruit Snow Bubble would be my recommendations. One major problem I have with their drinks is the extra charge for hot drinks. Seriously, how hard is it to heat up a drink anyway? I used to love getting their Curry Pork Chop meal (combo #8) until one time I got very sick the day after eating it. I'm not exactly sure if it was food poisoning or if I was sick from some other cause, but the association itself was enough to put me off permanently. Just a warning about this combo: the amount of curry on this meal is like two tablespoons. If you want more, you MIGHT get charged, depending on how informed the cashier is. I would highly recommend staying away from this place if you can put off your boba craving until you reach Convoy, just because you never know what you're gonna get and small specifications lead up to insane extra charges. But if you really want fried food from here, go for the fried tofu. read more

I love tea and boba, & their boba is always fresh & the drinks are tasty. But geez I feel like I should buy a meal with $4 instead of a drink... I miss cheap chinese places that sell their milk tea boba for 99cents a pop. Their food is not that great. Seriously, just pass. The rice is gross & hard, veggies are cheap, scantily portioned & bland, and whatever entree you get is just not worth the money. Seriously, 7$ ?! Got the stir fried tofu and it was just a salty, greasy mess. Tried the curry and it was so bland I was bored to tears. Not really, but you get the idea. Pork bun was ok. Fried calamari ok, but overpriced. Popcorn chicken is whatevers. I'd rather get Shogun or.. gasp...Panda Express if I wanted an Asian meal. (yes I'm Asian & I would still rather go to Panda for food) read more

The only reason why I came here so often is because this TapEx was so conveniently located on campus. Like an addict, you keep on coming back for your fix, and even though it doesn't give you the same effect, it's not like you can get anything better. Yeah, that pretty much sums up my relationship with the on campus TapEx. Whenever I eat the food there, I feel some degree of shame afterwards. I don't know what it is, but here, the crispy chicken doesn't taste as great, there are more fried pieces of dough than pieces of actual chicken, the pork chop/chicken steak is insufferably dry, and they always add too much chili powder. One time I ordered their tofu snack and they were soggy, like they hadn't been cooked correctly. The drinks are passable, at least. Shoutout to the student workers, who are aware of our struggles and make it a point to be cheerful and work fast to crank out our orders. Really though, there is another Tapioca Express off campus and it is FAR better. How is that possible? Clearly the management thinks they can get away with these shenanigans because of the customer base of students that can't go anywhere else. Food: 1, Drink: 3, Service: 4, Environment: 2, Price: 3 read more

Okay, I had their curry chicken steak the other day. I am a huge fan of chicken curry, and the cashier said since the curry itself was already "a little spicy", I didn't have to specify spiciness for the chicken. What I got was basically their chicken steak with rice (and cold not-fresh vegetables) and a small container of curry to pour on it. The curry wasn't spicy, the chicken was sparse, and well, the black tea boba that came along with it wasn't bad, but it was way too overpriced for the quality of food. read more

I prefer the Tapex next to Vons but this one is on campus so it is convenient for UCSD students. Here goes.. Drinks: My favorite drink at Tapex is the Jasmine Milk Tea. Compared to the JMT at the Vons Tapex, the Tapex from this location tastes a little watered down to me. My friend agrees with me. Snacks: The chicken tastes pretty good but it's so greasy and oily that I try to stay away from it. However, I just tried the "sausage" today. Wow. That has to be some of the saltiest sausages that I have ever eaten. I had to drink about four small cups of water to be able to finish the sausages. The workers should try the sausages sometime. I think they'll be surprised how salty they are. (I have had the sausages twice and they were equally salty both times so it wasn't a fluke). Sidenote: I remember getting rice here one day and it was way to watery. Customer Service: Decent. Can't expect much more. But when the manager/owner/the older gentleman works there, he is a nice guy and you can tell he genuinely cares for his customers. I would give this location more stars if the quality of the food was better. read more

I've never really ordered food here other than the calamari, which I also don't order anymore because the breading is just way too much. When I came here as a freshman, there was a special for downloading the munchonme app which gave you a free milktea (and you could pay for boba on your own). Unfortunately, they don't have that kind of promotion anymore :( I do think it's great to have a boba place on campus for the casual boba dates and such but if I had a choice I would definitely go out of my way to convoy or somewhere else for boba drinks... a lot of the drinks here taste straight like syrup and powder with water. Ew. Like I said, the calamari is pretty good but there is a ton of breading on it and usually I just end up ripping off parts of the breading which lead me to discover that the amount they give you is all a lie lol. If you are looking for something fishy, even going for the measly 5 or so fish/squid/shrimp balls is better than the calamari. read more

Hooray for boba on campus! There are always lines at Tap Ex, which says something about its popularity here. It also means that there are always lines at Tap Ex. I ordered crispy chicken and pot stickers (on separate trips), both with medium spiciness. I should have learned the first time - "medium" spicy means VERY spicy. Even as a die hard spicy craving lunatic, I had to wait a few minutes between each bite to let the flames on my tongue die down. Otherwise, it's not too bad there. read more

Updated 05-04-2012 I don't know what's wrong with the service at this place... I come there at 10:30 on a Saturday morning and I hear people clamoring in the back but no body comes out to take my order....I look around the store to see if the store hours are listed and they are no where to be found...what kind of an establishment does not list their hours? I drive to the other TapEx on Regents road and the same story...no store hours? So I took my ass to the local Starbucks... You have got to be kidding me if you think this place has good food. It took 30 minutes for the food to come out and there was no one in line! How is that even possible? Are they thawing the chicken back there? I have to say that the drinks are really good. I don't know what they put in it, but the green tea is definitely distinct from other places that I've tried. If you come looking for food, you got it wrong. Drinks...maybe. Service is also good. The poor cashier is always afraid when they take your order because they know you're pissed for waiting so long. read more