They would've gotten 2 stars had it not been for the swarm of flies hanging about inside right in the very middle of the store. Effin gross! My taro milk tea was watered down but at least the crispy chicken was decent. Don't expect the same menu as that of the Clairemont location. This one was very limited.. they didn't even offer cream cheese wontons! Boooooo! I'd rather deal with the horrible parking at the Clairemont one than ever come here again. read more

The staff has always been friendly and I've rarely had to wait too long for a drink. It's true that this place isn't boba perfection, but it's not wretched either. There've been occasions where my boba has still been tough in the center or frozen [not unforgivable but definitely not my favorite], but I do love the crispy chicken. Unfortunately, quality isn't always consistent here and neither is spice control. But, for the sake of all the good stuff I have had, three stars. On the whole, stick with what you KNOW you'll like and steer clear from experimentation until you're more ready to take a risk. In general, it's pretty quiet here during the day, but once the sun goes down, all the vampiric studiers and hangers come out and gather here. For some reason, the masses rarely seem to deem Los Primos hang-out worthy. The Chinese place seems pretty empty as well. But there are always a few groups outside and the inside is typically cozy though perhaps not PACKED [granted... this is on the regular. I'm not sure about the status during Finals Week]. read more

Asked for a sample of green apple tea and they provided a full cup of it with a smile. Great service! On the minus side, the boba snow I ordered had large ice chunks. It also had a "watery" consistency rather than the smoothie consistency I prefer. I've had better at places such as Lollicup and Boba time. read more

The happy hour here is great. A large Snack sized fried chicken for only 1.99 and you can choose how spicy. They have chicken, chicken wings, and more. I recommend their chicken snacks. They are crispy, yummy, and the price is right. They have almost endless choices for drinks. Milk Tea, Black and Green Tea, Snow Bubble, Coffee, Italian Ice, and so so so many flavors! Get it with Boba, a gummy sort of round candy, or no boba. I love their vanilla chai. I do not recommend getting anything other than the chicken to eat here. They have squid, shrimp, and fish balls... they are all about the same fish-cakey type of things. They are very fishy smelling. I'm sure some people like them but they don't resemble real seafood whatsoever. They also sell steamed pork buns, which I don't recommend. I love pork buns but these are filled with cheap meat and to be honest they tasted like by-product meats to me. This is a great study spot for drinks and snacks, but don't plan to eat a full meal here! Get in and get out. read more

I was really disappointed with this place, I decided to check it out because I recently got into tapioca/milk-tea/boba places. The one I've gone to is Bubble Tea in Oceanside and it was wayyyyyy better than this place. I ordered the snow bubble with thai tea flavor because I'm completely obsessed with Thai iced tea lately. I was so bummed when I LITERALLY got snow. It was like a snow cone with Thai tea flavoring on top and I couldn't even drink it for a while. The guy didnt really put the top on right and some of the Thai snow got stuck under that small space between the cup and the edge of the lid so when it melted I got orange liquid dripping on my white pants... -__- Overall, it tasted like a watered down Thai iced tea.. read more

I'm not a fan of this Tapioca Express location at all. I like that they have drink specials, such as the buy 1, get 1 50% off after 10 PM on every day of the week. They'll also give you a 10% discount if you pay with cash rather than credit (but you probably might have to remind them?) The drinks here are decent, but not the best. One of the drinks that I really enjoy there is their avocado smoothie. I think they make it with condensed milk, which makes it really creamy, but even better, they use real avocados! I do not recommend the food combos here. I recently tried their Chicken Wing Combo (5 pieces) because I LOVE this combo at the Tapioca Express on Convoy. When I got home and saw what was inside, I was SO disappointed. It was just mostly rice. The 5 pieces of chicken were incredibly small and looked dried and shriveled up. They also included one piece of fried gyoza and corn on the side (which was cold by the way). Save your money and get something else. If you want the chicken wing combo, I highly recommend the location on Convoy! It is so much better there. read more

I would rate this tapex better like some of these other reviews but if you've been to the tapex in Kearny Mesa then you would understand why I only gave this place 2 stars. I would've given it 1 star if I didn't know the type of food tapex had. Besides that I ordered a iced coffee drink and the barista made it room temperature. Then I asked her for more ice and it was about the same as the first time. She might have been new so that might be the case. She was friendly though. The drink just wasn't up to par of what I'm used to. Also, the back area where the restroom is is pretty disgusting and dirty, including the restroom. The way this cafe is set up doesn't even compare to the one in Kearny. I go to the one in Kearny to study and the atmosphere is much more upbeat and vibrant. This place is pretty depressing. I love tapex, but I'd say to hit up the one in Kearny Mesa if you want good atmosphere, better prepared drinks, a clean environment, or want to study. This one fine if your just trying to grab some food. Sorry tapex La Jolla. read more

Free wireless internet, a few wall plugs for your laptop, decent shaken/boba tea selection. standard (albeit unhealthy) tea shop fare and open reasonably late. Oh, and loads of parking available. Not a bad place to study if you don't mind the noise. Personally I like getting the hot ginger tea with boba. Tip: bring your own multi-plug splitter in case the plugs are full. read more

Overall: Eh. Tea: I definitely thought the teas were too sweet. I got the black tea at first (b/c it's included with the combo meal) and it was overwhelmingly sweet to the point of undrinkable. I thought it was fluke, so I ordered the hazelnut milk tea. It was definitely better, but still too sweet. Food: I got the crispy chicken and was not impressed. It was overcooked and super gristley. The photo of the combo showed a side of green veggies, but instead I got corn. Definitely disappointed. Atmosphere: I initially came here b/c of the free wifi, which was impressively fast for how many people were surfing the web. However, it was super packed and there was a wait for tables. There aren't enough outlets and it's super loud. I personally couldn't come here to study, but it's cool to meet up with friends and just chill if you can find the space. If I had an craving for milk tea & wifi and there was no other place around to get both, I would come here. Otherwise, I'd go the extra mile to find a different place. read more

LOVE the happy hour deals! Especially the chicken... it's a "snack" size but it was always pretty filling. As for the tea and boba... meh. Tastes too bland. read more

Pros: Competitive pricing, close by the UCSD campus, plenty of seating inside. Cons: The drinks don't taste that great, the boba tastes stale. Is it possible for tapioca balls to be stale?! Verdict: As long as my co-worker is buying, I'm down to come. On my own dime? I'd probably pass. read more

Alight boba. It's a decent place to grab a quick boba drink and socialize with friends. The drinks are a bit sweet so order 1/2 sweet and it comes out just right. A lot of the drinks are tastes very powdery so if you don't like that, this isn't the place for you. read more

I have a weak spot for the crispy chicken. I always find myself craving it. I get it medium spicy and love that it compliments the sweet and sour sauce they provide. It's nice too even without the sauce. I like this locatio because it is right next to where I live and before 6pm I can get the snack size crispy chicken which is about half the size of the regular and I can actually finish it. I also love with the peach jade green tea currently and have been drinking that for a while . Other selections that are good include jasmine milk tea , caramel milk tea , strawberry green tea and Hong Kong milk tea. Overall this place is convenient and a good study place because they give free wifi and plenty of outlets! read more

Good boba! I have been here twice already and claim this to be one of the better spots to grab some tasty boba. The restaurants and shops, to include this place are usually packed, so finding parking kinda blows. But the line moves quick and the prices are fair. Cant beat that! read more

The drinks are decent, the Taiwanese popcorn chicken is always excellent. The place seems quite overdue for a total makeover. I can see business picking up if they are willing to put in a bit more to spruce up the place. read more

I used to come here all the time during my college years. It would always make my night (as i had many sleepless nights in college) to get that buy one get one 1/2 off boba deal. Their late afternoon happy hour special (1.50 boba and small crispy chicken snacks) is also something I look forward to. Staff are receptive, accurate and quick to prepare your order. Just a really convenient, pleasant place to sit back, chill, and study with decent snacks and drinks :) read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy chicken snack! so good! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

FOOD: 1.) Litchi Milk Tea = Hm, kinda watery or something *it's a dollar cheaper than in Bay Area! SERVICE: Nicer than the other tap ex! ATMOSPHERE: Eh, not as nice as the other tap ex. It's alright though, has enough small tables and good music.... and FREE WIRELESS INTERNET! But they leave the door open so it's super cold and smoke drifts in if people are smoking outside. read more

Not the best boba I have ever had but definitely the standard. That may sound bad but to put it more appropriately, its like the Marshall, for Guitar Amplifiers, or the Luis Vuitton, for travel bags, of Boba; Every time I have boba, it's compared to this place. That could be for reminiscence of my college nights spent studying away in a crowded, unideal for focus, environment to grasp the slightest bit of social endeavors that UCSD had to offer (this place really could be considered one of UCSD's most happening social gathering - for better or worse). Also note I think spending $5 on a drink is ridiculous, though I still find myself here every other week loving the heck out of it. I do my best to show up after 10pm for the buy 1 get 1 half off deal (10pm-12am happy hour is different from their earlier one around 4-6pm for food deals); however, since I am against frivolous spending - in theory not practice - so at least half the time I show up here was completely unexpected and uncontrolled craving for flavorless chewing of tapioca (Though I always add Egg pudding pieces for some amazing flavor - Aloe pieces are also great but doesn't have the same contrast with my normal drink Avocado when they have it) Which would be my biggest gripe about the place: About half the time I show up they "Don't have avocado" I have my own theories about this - such as, they start cleaning stuff up and when I show up just before closing Avocado uses something that would normally be cleaned and so they say they are out when they really just don't want to delay the time they get to clock out at (This is completely baseless pandering to indulge my own wits thought so don't take it seriously). It is most likely that because Avocado is a fresh fruit mix they really do run out since it would be an economic liability to hold too much stock and running out 10 minutes before closing is actually an ideal case for their business. So I guess I'm the fool here. Defeating the value of my own review. otherwise, I've always had great interaction with the staff. They seem very light hearted and are often playing games behind the counter and making fun with the time they have there. Which really makes the experience all the better - specially when you enter in complete zombie mode after not having slept for 3 days studying for finals. I really do look forward to coming here, almost as much as I resent spending $5 on a little drink I can make at home (even though I can't. I may have mastered the art of making Boba at home but I really suck at making the rest - DIY tip: check out 99 ranch for your own Boba and pseudo Tapioca Express drinks. Though be warned, you will probably just appreciate their drinks more and wish you had enough friends to make it worth boiling a pot of 20 serving of boba at a time... hmm... Boba Party anyone? my place, lets go!) read more

The service here is generally pretty friendly, although sometimes it feels like the staff is rushing you to order and get out of line. Generally the wait is fairly long, but to my surprise the drinks actually came out almost immediately tonight- but the crispy chicken took significantly longer. I'm all for fresh food, but our chicken came out at the same time as someone who ordered after us. Makes me wonder if they were waiting for more orders before starting. read more

First of all, I've actually puked in their bathroom but before I get on to that, it's a typical tapioca place, leaning towards the bad side. The only reason they have so much business is because they're open late and they're situated right smack in the middle of 80% of the off campus UCSD population. The only thing I can tolerate there are the popcorn chicken thingies. You can't really screw them up anywhere but just a warning, you don't really get any pieces of chicken but rather chicken fat. It's crispy and nicely seasoned so you can't really tell you're just munching on balls of fat. Their tapioca sucks, texture's alright but no taste. As for the drink itself, it comes out in this weird lukewarmish temperature with ice dumped in it. It just tastes terrible and makes you feel sick. I actually puked in the bathroom at TapEx once after having some milk tea, I'm serious. My roommate was also feeling pretty damn nauseous so not idea what was going on there. I'm also a huge fan of deep fried buns (zha man tou) dipped in condensed milk but holy crap, they use some disgusting oil. The buns were a dark brown which means they reuse crappy oil. The oil also kind of soaked through so when you bite into it, there are two layers of colors. It's disgusting. At least the condensed milk that comes straight from the can tastes alright. I know I gave a really harsh review but on the good side, it's open late until midnight and will be sufficient enough as a substitute if you're a UCSD student and you're too lazy to go down to Convoy and go to Tea Station. Maybe I'm just really picky about boba places. But yeah, definitely on the lower rung of tapioca joints. If you're not too lazy, please just go to TeaStation, Green Tea House, or even the TapEx on Convoy. read more

Absolutely DISGUSTED by this place. So upset I don't live nearby or kept my receipt to march back in there. I FOUND A HAIR IN MY DRINK AFTER I ALREADY DRANK HALF OF IT. I am SO repulsed. I will never ever come back to this place and really wish I could give them zero stars. I don't know food and drink health codes but maybe these employees should tie their hair up or wear hair nets when handling the drinks. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Tapioca express is greaaaaaaaat...only for their original milk teas though :) Those are my favorite. The rest of the bevarage menu (which is quite extensive, by the way)... I haven't really bothered to try. The snow bubbles sound alright, if you're into lots of artificial flavors and colors. I'm not, so I stay away. Regardless, they have lots of other teas and hot drinks you may want to try. The only other good thing I can recommend is the Crispy Chicken.. it's delicious! read more

Visiting SD from out of state, thought I'd come to visit this place again like I did last time I visited. The staff is different from the ones I remember--none of which know how to smile, apparently. I sat down at a table next to an outlet and my hand lands in a sticky mess at the corner of the table. - minus 1.5 star for poor service from multiple workers. - minus .5 star for lack of cleanliness. The food is decent enough--good, even, if you consider the price. As some other reviewers have said, there are better options on convoy for a boba and crispy chic fix, but this place is closer to the university. However, my Thai milk tea wasn't made too sweet, as a lot of places seem to do with this particular drink. + 1 more star for flavor + 1 star for price and convenience I'm not sure how I feel about an off-the-clock employee walking behind the counter whenever he wished, and the fact that his off-the-clock-ness made for distracting conversations which further led to unsatisfying service. He did clean up that sticky table, though. I was really irritated when I first got here, what with the service, and the faint greasiness in the air due to bad ventilation. However, as I wrote this review and further observed the place, I was reminded: this is a joint for college students. Cheap, quick, and a whatevs attitude, while not preferable, is understandable. For that reason, I leave the last star in the positive and hope they strive for a more definitive 3rd star in the future. + 1 star for encouragement? Of course, they could always aim for 4, 5 stars, and they can do so by starting by putting down their smartphones (as the server is currently doing). They could also clean their tables a tad better, as another customer is currently wiping down the sticky table. read more

Never have I experienced such RUDE customer service in my life until last Friday! Walking by outside, I saw a sign advertising "Happy Hour" Crispy Chicken Snack for $1.79 Inside I ask the cashier (brown haired white guy with a buzz cut) for the crispy chicken snack. When he tells me the order total it's almost $5 after tax! A bit alarmed, I ask "Oh, do you not have the happy hour special anymore?" since it's still half past 12 noon. His tanned Asian coworker (supervisor?) comes by to correct the order on the register to the "happy hour" snack price. "This cashier must be new" I think. After I swipe my card and the transaction is completed, I ask the cashier who took my order one more thing: "Do you have Wifi?" "Oh it's not working right now," he says. Very odd, considering there are people sitting at the tables on their laptops I think to myself. I seat myself to wait for my order and check out the laptop screen of a girl at the table next to me. She's on facebook so obviously she has internet connectivity. Finally my order is called by the cashier who took my order so I stand up and walk over to the counter. He lifts up the bag clumsily to pass it over the counter and the chicken on top falls off. "OOPS!" he exclaims. There is not a hint of sincerity in his face. After this and what he told me about the Wifi, I think he is acting this way intentionally. Not wanting to be a push over after this kind of disrespect I tell him "Can you replace the chicken that fell off?" "It was only this much," he argues looking at me like my request was outrageous and expecting me to just take the bag and walk away. Now I'm a bit pissed off from his clear lack of respect for basic customer service principles, so I firmly order him to give me a bag with the original amount of chicken. He goes back into the kitchen for a bit. When he comes out and I reach for the bag, he lurches foward pretending to almost trip and drop the bag of chicken. "JUST KIDDING!" he laughs. Not wanting to escalate things any further at that point, I take the bag and tell him flatly: "Thanks I appreciate it." After he goes in the back for a bit, I ask the other guy working up front what the password is for their Wi-fi. After getting the password, I try it out on my laptop and am able to connect to my email perfectly! While I have been here many times and had no problems with the staff in the past, this incident a few days ago just serves as an age old reminder that one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch. I have no idea why some wannabe teenage gangster with no manners was hired for the position of customer service when there are heaps of other highly qualified job applicants out there who actually are much more respectful, take pride in professionalism, and value their employment. There are many places in San Diego I can go to for coffee & tea drinks, crispy chicken, and internet access (like McDonalds) that won't act so RUDELY and immaturely to their guests, so I won't be back to Regents Tapex and can't recommend it to anyone until their customer service staff gets an attitude adjustment at the very least... read more

Food quality and taste is not up to par to Convoy location. Both chicken and calamari were so hard and overcooked. The chicken portion was full of small tiny pieces of hard fried batter. The calamari pieces were huge chunks of rubber. I couldn't chew through them. Completely inedible. This is my second time trying this location out and was disappointed both times. read more

When this first opened I came here almost ever day... so much that the owners began to recognize me. It is at a very convenient location close to the university and the boba and food are great :D I used to come here with my roommates to grab quick boba runs during midterms and finals... read more

I had a passionfruit smoothie boba drink, which I thoroughly enjoyed! My friend had a strawberry smoothie drink also with boba. It was his first time trying boba, and he turned out not to be a fan. But he feel in love with the smoothie! He was craving a milkshake and this just made him wow! 3 stars because they don't have as many flavors as in convoy or at price center. And it just feels like 3 stars. read more

This isn't the best boba you'll ever have but it's not bad for happy hour or to fill a boba craving. Happy hour is $1.99 milk tea with boba weekdays til 6pm. They also have free wifi and are open late! I like the iced peach green tea and thai milk tea. I've spent numerous times here studying. Lots of students study here so they are willing to watch your laptop and stuff if you need to use the restrooms, which are pretty dirty. Apart from that, It's in a nice location and the employees are all students who are pretty friendly. read more

Almond Milk Tea w/ Large Boba :)

This is tapex... you shouldn't have high expectations. That being said, customer service is decent. The drinks are consistently okay. I just like it for being so close so I can get an asian drink without driving all the way to convoy. read more

Lets be honest, you don't come in here for a 10/10 experience, but every time I have popped in here, I like it a little more. Only minor horror is the bathroom, could use a little sprucing disinfecting. Generally it's a good place to bring your laptop to do some research, or a great hang out with an old friend. The smell of fried snacks is my demise. Calamari spicy rings, they are so good. I'm usually a milk tea no boba kind of girl. I will say, it really depends on who makes your drinks that aren't standard powdered form. With that said, stick to your favorites, or else, you'll be bummed. read more

Tai boba tea is always very good. Haven't tried the food and don't think I willing to try it since the place seems kind of dirty.

1) I don't like the environment here at all. 2) Everytime I want the crispy calamari, they "don't have it".....arrrggghhh 3) The other tapioca express on Convoy has a much better selection of boba 4) They were closed on a Wednesday in the middle of a week one time I went there. What kind of tapioca express closes on a Wednesday??? November 2007 Update: I tried using an Entertainment coupon that states "Enjoy one complimentary MENU ITEM when a second MENU ITEM of equal or greater value is purchased" with a stipulation that "lunch specials and combo meals excluded." Although when I went there to get 2 crispy chickens for the price of 1, I was denied by the cashier who said that "their manager said it can only be used on boba drinks and not on any food" Then I said "well crispy chicken isn't boba, but it sure ain't a lunch special or combo so I'm following the rules of the coupon." And I was still denied so I left. Seems like false advertising in the Entertainment book to me!!!! Then after reporting them to Entertainment.com, I decided to call them to see if they changed their policy. I asked politely, "is the online Entertainment book coupon allowed to be used on items like spicy chicken?" Then I got some smart aleck response that they couldn't answer that question because "my coupon could be a counterfeit coupon" and that I would need to come in to verify if it is usable. They totally sidestepped my question and this Tapioca Express couldn't even answer a simple yes/no answer to whether it was allowable to be used on their crispy chicken appetizer menu item. This place has terrible management, and establishments like this who don't serve the customer properly will burn faster than a CD!!! read more

I've been coming here for the last 2 years, due to it being near my apartment. Now that there's a TapEx on campus, I've recently stopped coming here. There are only a few things I need to point out about this place: 1) Honeydew milk tea here is great, even though it's already pre-mixed and just served upon ordering 2) There is free wi-fi here. For the 2-3 weeks I was living in the UTC area with no Internet access, I used to just come here and bum around. It definitely beat going to campus and having to park somewhere just to be wired. 3) This place is extremely crowded anytime at night. The staff is friendly and mostly UCSD students. They try their best, but the rush is killer. Don't come here when you're in a hurry. 4) Seating is limited. Definitely don't come during midterm or finals week. All the chairs will be taken up by Tritonerds. Edit: Not as crowded now that there's a TapEx on campus. That's about it for now. I'll try to stop by in the near future to see if it has changed anytime in the last few months! read more

Newly remodeled, fun place to hang out and meet up with friends, especially since a lot of college students live in the area(UTC/University Woods). Another plus is that it is located in the same center as Vons, and the UCSD Shuttle/city buses stop right at the corner of the shopping center. Love the decor-- high ceilings with lanterns hanging- cute! Same menu as any other Tap-Ex. Gotta love the Caramel Snow Bubble. :) Overall, would recommend this place. read more

It was amazing!!! I'm very picky about Boba but this place was beyond my expectations. Came into town visiting and found this gem. So happy. Can't wait to go back. read more

This review is my take on TapX as a study location. The boba is good and I've never had any problems with it being too sweet or not sweet enough. The crispy chicken is one of favorites and the combo is more than enough to fill you up. This place can get pretty packed at times and the music is loud, so avoid it if you need peace and quiet. The tables are of average size but the chairs are not padded so your butt will not like you very much if you try to stay here for a long time. There's unlimited wifi which is a plus. In summary, go here if you want to study with good food, drinks, and free wifi (if you want to shop at Vons afterwards) but avoid it if you want a quieter place with comfy seats. read more

Came here for lunch. Boba and Crispy Chicken combo (which consisted of a TON of crispy chicken, rice, and frozen flavorless veggies for ~$8?! Crazy good deal and Crazy carb overload! Great customer service from a student working there as well. Ambiance was nice, restaurant was clean and its open until midnight? Not bad for a chain boba shop! read more

I really hate to give them one star but I have no choice. This is my first time getting food from this establishment. It wasn't a good experience. I was looking forward to fresh spring rolls all day, so I walked to this location (since it's so close to my house). I order the fresh spring rolls & the employee immediately hands me a premade & packaged one that was sitting in the counter. Idk how long it was sitting out. I was a bit put off but didn't make a fuss about it.. I proceed to walk home & notice THERES A HAIR IN IT!!! I hadn't even opened it yet & if I wasnt walking I most certainly would have taken it back. Pretty upset & disappointed not only with the HAIR in my food but also with the service. Such a bummer as this location was very convenient. read more

Tapioca Express - Spring Rolls - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Honestly, I don't like their food or drinks, but sometimes I came here to use their wi-fi. I had their fish and chips once. There wasn't any tartar sauce, but it wasn't necessary because the dish was already way too salty. Also the popcorn chicken is mostly just a fried snack with no real meat inside. And the pearl milk teas for under $2 are basically what you paid for them; nothing special, it's just a drink. read more