Passion fruit snow bubble with popping boba is my go to! I love the fact that this place is a convenient location. Right across the street from me to be exact! I'll walk over here and on a hot day, what better than to cool down with an iced drink. The staff was friendly and I did not have to wait more than two minutes for my drink to be made. Definitely a favorite read more

Tapioca Express - Passion fruit snow bubble with popping boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Been coming here since 2008 and my goodness has this palace gone down in quality and some days service as well. Chill high school/college hangout spot. Great selection of drinks and snacks however it's not like it used to be. Not sure if they were out of baby Boba I asked for so they gave me regular size without mentioning anything. Not a big deal but was craving the baby ones. If you're looking for something quick and are next to this place ok cool but you can definitely find a better place. read more

Came here for a boba ice tea, drink was well crafted and I really liked the quality of the drink I enjoyed. Food was pretty good as well but since they primarily serve ice tea it comes to no surprise the food wouldn't be absolutely top notch delicious. Cashier was nice to me and my fiancé but service was a bit less than stellar. Also waited quite a while for the drink and food to be produced. read more

Initially I grabbed passion fruit milk tea and oh my it was so bad. I rarely trash food, but either juice was not fresh or maybe that combination was not great at all, but I could not even finish half of it. The next day, I decided to give this spot another try and order a happy hour special, just a regular milk tea with boba and it was muuuuch better. I would recommend this place for some cheap milk tea option especially during their happy hour! 11am to 6pm during weekdays read more

Damn what a wait! I've been going to this place for years pretty much because it's the only boba place in University City. For some reason it always takes a long time to order and get your food. Now I have to stay longer at work because I took an extra long lunch :/ Happy Hour Monday-Friday until 6pm: Milk Tea $1.99 Small Crispy Chicken Snack $1.79 This place is frequented by UCSD kids so if you want to avoid a former flame then don't go here. You're bound to run into someone you know. read more

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

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Manager Brent gave me five boba balls in my $5 drink. I asked for more. He literally counted five more boba balls. I told him that's not the usual amount I get because previous to this experience I used to come every day. When his employee agreed it was wrong and gave me more boba, he crazy yelled at me and was beyond unprofessional. I came there a second time cause thought maybe it was just one bad experience, but nope. I didn't even finish walking through the door when Brent began yelling at me, threatening no extra boba for me! All the other employees there have been kind. But man that Brent is terrible. read more

Tapioca Express - Boba portion for a $5 drink :/ - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Best boba tea ever. Me and a friend were craving boba tea late at night so we decided to look for boba places open near us. We found tapioca express. I've been getting boba there ever since. It's really clean and the food is amazing. I recommend the cantaloupe snow bubble with boba and crispy chicken. read more

Tapioca Express - T.E. Crispy Chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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Easy and quick order! Love the popcorn chicken bento set! Good services , nice drinks. read more

Kinda disappointing last few visits... place looks busy in the evening and we tried to keep that as an excuse for a while, but this seems like a standard now. Every drink has some issue, too much sweetener when asked for no sugar, too much ice when asked for slight ice, barely any boba when asked for extra boba... I think the part on it is that we make a big order (10-12) at the time and we can't check every detail until we get to the office and everyone tries it... but still - we pay extra for extra boba, and we know how it shows look by now- not our first time ... read more

Tapioca Express - This one should have extra boba and no sugar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm only rating the crispy chicken snack because in reality, that's the only reason I go to TapEx. At this particular location, they pack a punch when it comes to the spicy levels. When you ask for no spice or mild, it's mild. When you ask for medium, it's the good burn, the type where you can still taste your food but it's spicy enough. In any case, they do an excellent job with their chicken. Though I wish they had fried basil in it all the time. I've had their teas here before and it's not life changing drinks. Just another boba spot in my book. In addition, I like this location better than the Convoy and UCSD locations. Why? The Convoy location has the worse parking lot ever. Also, you can barely hear yourself. The UCSD location can't seem to get their chicken right. If you ask for mild, it's either no spice or extra spicy. There's no consistency there. In any case, I like this location for their crispy chicken snack. Oh and the portions are pretty good. read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy chicken snack. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Tofu donuts and the tofu snack are super good and great for vegans like me. I got the mango green tea as well. The tofu snack has a nice spicy exterior and the donuts are really good. I tried the sugar cane and matcha flavors. read more

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

I love that Tapioca Express has been around forever! One of the "OG"s! They have drinks not found elsewhere as much, like Sesame Milk Tea and Grape Icy. The popcorn chicken and chicken wings are bomb! read more

For a boba joint, their drinks are pretty standard, with an average price point ($3-4). It's better than most random asian eateries in my opinion, and with a Happy Hour on drinks and Taiwanese shareable snacks + very little competition in La Jolla, it's sure to entice the college crowd. While the drinks didnt blow me away, the fact that they had a vegan milk option and the iconic Taiwanese fried tofu poppers that are vegan friendly, makes me a happy camper. I ordered: Lavender Milk Tea (Soymilk/ 50% sugar/no boba) - 3/5 The soymilk they use isn't too creamy (as expected from an ordinary boba shop), but I'm grateful for the option nonetheless. The black tea was brewed decently strong and sweetened just enough for my liking, but the lavender aroma didn't come through. I opted for no boba since I'm usually not a tapioca ball fan, and most are made with honey. Fried Tofu (medium spicy) - 4.5/5 Unless I've ordered the wrong "Fried Tofu" (which is the plain unseasoned ones, or ones from mainland Chinese establishments that don't use the right batter or seasoning), I've yet to dislike this dish from any place that makes it the Taiwanese style - crispy thinly battered skin with a chili/5 spiced coat. Yes there's msg, but it's delicious and addicting when it's piping hot - just drink water afterwards... Staying hydrated is always a good thing! Haha Their spice level is also solid for an Asian place ("medium spicy" had a great kick to it; I can handle spicy food pretty well but I don't think I would've enjoy my dish had I gone with next and spiciest level- "xxtra spicy") Edit: I tried it again here, 1 month later, and it was too dark, suggesting old oil was used, and it wasn't battered evenly -3/5 I upped my rating for their customer service at this location. The campus one is always so hectic and it's hard to ask questions without holding up the line. I'm pretty sure they're all college students who could care less if I wanted something vegan. While the gentleman that helped me here was also a bit clueless at first, he followed through and inquired his shift leader/manager? who then took a picture of the actual labelled ingredients to show me. The former staff member even asked if I liked my product afterwards, which is great customer service in my book. Add that with the ample parking and minimal crowds has me a fan of this location. = FYI = All "Milk Teas"are made with a "Black Tea" (a more caffeinated) base, unless you're ordering something with "Green Tea" or "Jasmine Tea" in the name. Oolong is considered part of the "Black Tea" family, whereas Jasmine & Green Tea are part of the "White tea" family - although sometimes places will blend the two families of teas. All of their milk teas, (as do most other joints) use a non dairy creamer instead of milk, but it's not vegan. While it's suitable for the lactose sensitive / intolerant crowd (if you're also highly sensitive, you'll still feel it), it's a no go for vegans, as it has casein which is a protein derived from milk. The same idea goes for "lactose-free" (FDA allows things to be called "nondairy" if there's no lactose, which is the triggering sugar that's considered an allergen for most people. So while it's "non dairy", it's not dairy-free nor VEGAN) read more

Tapioca express has been consistently great in the many times I have visited. They are super accommodating, I get the mango and taro snow bubbles and it is delicious! I also love the spicy cockney bites- so good! Also, they offer 2-for-1 (or buy one get one half off?) at night! I highly recommend this place!! read more

I was having dinner with a friend in La Jolla and needed a place where I could chill till the dinner bell rang. For one reason or another I was feeling tired and figured that I would get a caffeine injection while getting some work done. After seriously cramping my brain to think of the few locations in the area, I finally resolved to Tapioca Express. Since they expanded to this new location, their food and drinks had been lacking the quality and value of the years before so I've been apprehensive about going back. Due to the lack of choices though, I finally resolved to give it another chance. Per usual, I ordered an almond milk tea with boba. I wasn't very impressed with the watered down milk tea, but the boba had great texture to it. Unfortunately they didn't our much boba in so I had finished it up well before I got to the bottom of my drink. La Jolla really doesn't have enough places where people can hang out late at night nor get a decent WiFi signal. For this, I am glad that TapEx is here but it's barely adequate to serve the needs of the students. Like their drinks, TapEx is just "good enough" but there are definitely improvements that can be made. Food: 5/10 Service: 7/10 Price: $ Atmosphere: 6/10 read more

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

One of the best tapioca places I've ever been to. Always come here 1 time a week, I love this place. read more

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

This location is 5 minutes away from my house and my usual to-go spot whenever I'm craving boba but don't want to drive all the way to Convoy. I can't explain how much I'm obsessed with their fried tofu extra spicy with sweet n sour sauce on the side. Their french fries are also pretty good and so is their popcorn chicken. (although it can be dry sometimes) I'd give 2.5/5 for their drinks because they're kind of bland and taste funny but I'm gonna go ahead and give 5 stars anyways because the workers here are nice and I love their fried tofu that much. If you are gonna get a drink, I'd recommend the thai tea or triton milk tea. Again, not the best milk tea in San Diego, but it will do. read more

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

They have SNOW! Maybe I'm just too new to San Diego, but not many that places have snow. Now, it's my go to place! So far I've enjoyed the mango, passion fruit and taro snows. The cantelop wasn't very flavorful, but I've only gotten that once. We got the bao buns, but they were kind of pricey for the quality-dont recommend those... read more

This specific location does not automatically give you basil all the time with the crispy chicken and will charges extra if you ask depending on the cashier. The boba is so-so given Convoy is only a 10 minute drive away. The bathroom here is always smelly and disgusting. On the plus sides, the wifi here is incredibly fast compared to most free spots. If you're a Wong Fu fan, this is where one of the trio had worked during their time at UCSD as well. Celebrity claims are a plus star in my opinion, and I don't care who says otherwise. read more

Tapioca Express - Size if happy hour crispy chicken (partially eaten) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

My go to Boba spot. I recently got hooked to Boba again and have been visiting here often. Their flavors are great and everything is made super fresh. I love getting lychee smoothie with lychee jelly. Sugar overload but well worth it. I have tried their Kimchi Fries with chicken and some other things on top, which weren't the best. I would definitely just keep coming back for smoothies and boba read more

I've been to quite a few Tapioca Expresses, and they've been either a hit or a miss. The reviews for this location seemed sketch, but I decided to give this place a try since it was conveniently located right by Subarashi where we were grabbing dinner. Based on my positive first visit, I would consider coming back! I ordered a lavender slush with boba. I actually asked for a sample of the boba since I was wary of how good it was (LOL), but I was pleasantly surprised that the cashier didn't give me a weird look and actually checked to see when fresh boba would be coming out, and offered to make my drink with the fresh batch once it was out in 5 minutes! I decided to give it a chance and my drink was solid. My lavender slush was very fragrant and the boba got better as I got through my drink. It was initially slightly soggy on the outside but something about the temperature of my drink must have helped with the texture. On the other hand, I couldn't remember what tea my cousin got, but she ordered it with lychee jelly and it was a complete miss. Her drink was very, very sweet and the viscosity was thicker than usual for a tea. I think they must have scooped a ton of syrup when they added the jelly or something... but it was really off putting, so maybe avoid the jellies at this location! read more

Idk why this has a 3star. It's always been the most best tasting AND consistent TE I've had throughout all TE's of southern California. (i travel a lot to cities throughout). Their drinks are consistent, and of course, tasty, even though they're terrible for you. Even their fresh fruit blends use sugar and fructose. No honey, Honey. The manager guy does such a good job with my TE crispy chicken, extra spicy, extra salt n pepper, just the way i like it. They offer small/half size, which i appreciate! He's also very polite and helpful. I custom ordered a lavender snow bubble with boba and soy milk, and it turned out delicious. Sweet and refreshing, it has a unique herbal aftertaste that i love. Apparently they use real lavender flowers blended in their lavender syrup, which i like even more! One disappointing thing: I went wayyyy out of my way to carry this dumb glass jar so i can eliminate wasteful plastics... So i sat through 2 water refills before i would order my boba, with SPECIAL request that they use my glass. Then they forgot to, because the line got long. Which i dont blame them bc, 1) they were so nice about it instead of being rude like some people have been to me because they don't understand why on earth would i even wanna care about Earth, 2) they were on a roll and weren't trained/accustomed to these kinds of discipline. I say discipline bc, well, it is! Only request: please be more mindful and bring your own refillable cups. Ball or Kern brand WIDE-MOUTH works the best! I carry the 20 oz everywhere for over a year now and no breaks, no cracks. It fits perfectly in my purse/car holder. Thank you for reading! :) read more

Tapioca Express - Perfectly cooked crispy chicken, extra spicy, extra salt n pepper. Size small, $3 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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It's amazing that they added food delivery due to COVID 19. The food is a great and affordable price. I've ordered her twice already which is I will be ordering in the future. read more

I often get a craving for popcorn chicken and I think Tapioca Express's is pretty decent. I came here last week and was disappointed to find out that some of my chicken was undercooked. I ended up throwing out the whole thing. Not only that, but cleanliness and professionalism from the staff was lacking (which I see is consistent from previous reviews). The girl who took my order touched her face and her scratched her head as I was taking my order. Both front of house staff were not wearing gloves as they handled food/drinks. They also seemed to not know what was going on as they were visibly confused and messed up some of the orders in front of me. I feel with proper customer service training the overall experience could be better. read more

I specifically asked for the chicken to be extra spicy x4, considering I've ordered delivery from them before and they also didn't meet the demands of the spice level at the time. Ive ordered my spicy chicken from the convoy location and they did way better. The chicken was supposed to be completely coated in the red spice , and this was just upsetting for the third time at this location. read more

Tapioca Express - T.E. Crispy Chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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I was craving the chicken snack and while my work is close by, I ended up trying out this location. Let me just say it doesn't compare to the convoy location at all *cries in asian*. I ended up getting the crispy chicken combo and the rice tasted like what I was served in middle school, the seasoning of the chicken was different, no eggs, no mince meat, the salad was literally salad and not vegetables. Overall it was a bland sad meal. And they didn't give me sauce for my chicken ): read more

I ordered a taro milk tea and I wouldn't even drink it for free. Being white colored instead of purple should have warned me, but if you like drinking straight Coffee-Mate, you might like Tapioca Express. Their food, with the exception of their potstickers, are also unappetizing. Maybe other locations are better. This location is still in business probably because there's no nearby competition. read more

Ugh, I have long since hated Tap Ex with their fake drinks and stale boba. This could not be more true for this location. I only settled because it was nearby and I was craving boba tea. From now on, I'll stay away from a Tap Ex even if that's the case. I ordered something simple - a regular strawberry black tea with boba. Before I was even done paying, it was ready for me since it wasn't very busy. It's always a bad sign when you see a worker scooping out pre-made drinks from the horizontal refrigerator behind the counter though. Upon my first sip I felt like gagging at the extraordinary amount of sweetness. Then, that terrifying feeling began to dawn on me as I realized I was slurping up morsels of syrup chunks that hadn't completely dissolved. Yikes, buyers beware when the worker tries to shake the crap out of your drink before they give it to you. Be smart, and just don't do it. I'm always so disappointed when I get a Tap Ex drink, don't know why I go back. I unfortunately did finish my drink, but that syrup coated my mouth and throat and lingered for eternity. Never again. read more

DUDE so many deals at Tapex that I wish I was more aware of before. They have lunch specials Mon-Fri from 10am-6pm that include: Tapioca Milk Tea for $1.99 Fun-sized crispy chicken for ~$2 Also from 11am-3pm every day they have their fish & chips for $5. Comes with two huge pieces of perfectly battered fish fillets and fries. Loves it! I recently tried their squid balls and shrimp balls too and they always come out perfect. On occasion one of the staff members will come out and nicely deliver it to you! How sweet! It really doesn't matter though, I don't mind being called up but a little gesture like that is really thoughtful. Staff is always friendly. They always stop to talk to you when there isn't a rush going on with all the UCSD students coming through. The owner is really nice too. I used to be part of a student org on-campus and he was always nice enough to partner up with my org to help us out with fundraising events. Free wifi and awesome drinks! My new addiction is the WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA (no expresso)! Vanilla chai latte is amazing too. read more

I would say that this place is very average, if not below average at best. Nearly very time I have been to this particular Tapex it is always filthy, the service is nearly always poor and the product served is extremely inconsistent. The honey milk tea is often made with too much sugar and prepared carelessly. The boba is decent but inconsistent. Overall, this place is decent for a late night fix, but they need to work on their consistency and cleanliness something fierce. Pros- Location Open late night Nicely priced Prompt Cons- Cleanliness Poor service Inconsistent product read more

I normally go to TapEx at Convoy or UCSD.. so decided to check this one out since I was doing my banking nearby. Before I came I was talking to the tellers about TapEx and they warned me that this TapEx is not as good as the others like UCSD. I still wanted to give it a shot since I was in the area. Upon coming in it's your average boba spot with some seating area and the cashier was just average. I was stoked to get my crispy chicken and boba! What I usually love about boba places is the laminated sealed covers over the plastic cups. I tossed my drinks in my purse and headed back to work. When I pulled the drinks out there was a spill in my new purse from my milk tea.. yikes! I guess the seal wasn't all there and it had a slight opening on the side which wouldn't have happened if they had closed it completely.. what the heeeezy! =[ read more

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2.5 stars. Just like any other TapEx. The food is meh, the boba is alright, the fruit drinks are pretty good (avoid the milk teas, it's all powders), but there is just something about the excessive number of college students and the decibels of their voices joining the unbearable chorus of drink-blending machines that prevents me from coming here a lot. I'd much rather drive all the way out to Tea Station where it's more comfortable. read more

I first discovered my love for boba when i worked as a barista at a local coffee house. I was amazed at those chewy amazing tapioca balls and how delicious they taste in a smoothie or by the more accurately term for the drink, milk tea. So one night after work, my mum and I stopped by this shopping center to pick up some food to go at a nearby restaurant. I see a kid with a light purple drink and those large straws and immediately thought of boba as well as got an immense craving. I noticed a lot of people walking toward one shop in particular so I follow suit. I find myself inside a brightly lit cafe, crowded with people. I get in line (which moves quickly) and ask the lady for a taro milk tea with boba... few minutes later I walk out and am in heaven! Delicious and just like I remember. I am now hooked again and have to get my weekly bubble tea with pearls. As for this joint... it's a bit pricey for the drinks. The food menu is small and not all of it looks that appetizing, although I have not tried. It is crowded with college kids and it's very loud in there. Free Wifi from what I hear but no thank you, I like to surf the net/study in a quiet environment. Getting your drink to-go is the best bet. read more

Drinks are always good. Love their icy and their chicken. Staff was weird, the guy who worked there was busy paying attention to another customer who was black and I think the staff thought he was going to do some thing bad or stealing because his eyes were all up on that black dude. And it made me mad cuz I was ordering and he wasn't paying attention to my order, (I had to say it again and louder), instead I saw his eyes on the black dude. Geez does he have to be that noticeable, and that kinda seem racist. Or unless he never seen a black guy before. PAY ATTENTION! read more

I asked the cashier what "T.E. Crispy Chicken" was His response was "It's tapioca express chicken..." So I ask "what is that?" He glares at me and says "Have you never had crispy chicken?" This guy was so rude. I felt like I was giving my order to a psychopath. He then glared us the entire time we were there. read more

They have the best avocado smoothie (snow bubble) drink!! Although they run out of avocados sometimes, I am always waiting till they restock :) read more

It's finals week. I don't have time to cook. Dropped by tappex on the way home and ordered the Crispy Chicken combo with Green Tea. The chicken was so floury! The crispy chicken consists of this tiny piece of chicken with A LOT OF FLOUR. Flour absorbs all the oil, so when I bit into it, it was incredibly greasy. The corns on the side were also very tasteless. What was even more disappointing was their green tea! I have no clue how anyone can screw up making green tea. -.- It has a weird water-down taste. The service was whatever. I guess there's a table of server's friends, so they were all around the table when there was no customer ordering. When my food came out, they just came and called my name, then put the food down on the counter, and quickly return to their friends. The Tappex on campus is definitely A LOT better. read more

Worst boba I've had in the area. There's plenty of boba places around here so no point in going here. The inside is nothing to talk about & while their list of drinks is extensive, it seems they can't perfect them. I had Jasmine milk tea which is a pretty basic one and it was the worst I've had in a long time. It tasted very watered down & the boba itself was mediocre. The cost is the same price as everywhere else otherwise it would make sense. read more

My less than awe inspiring 200th review is a revisit of Tapioca Express. The place has gone down hill... the last 3 boba honeydew milk tea has tasted like crap. For $4, I expect 18 oz of heaven. Three strikes and you're out. I wouldn't go there again. read more

Tapioca express was my first boba place so I will always have a fond memory of it ! I discovered this location 6 years ago and have been going ever since ! I love the ambience of this location , great area to stop by for drink or even to hang out or study ! There are quiet times and at night , it often gets louder and provides a great environment to have chats with friends . It's usually pretty packed around that time because of UCSD students . Their bubble black tea is always reliably refreshing and Definetly my go to drink when I come here ! Their popcorn chicken is very crisp and flavorful and Definetly a favorite . The service is usually great ! They attend to you quickly and give you recommendations on what to order . I like coming hear to study and also to hang out , what a great versatile place ! read more