Hate the fact that, this place is so busy.. plus the employees can be a$$ holes... the only reason, I come here it's because it closer to were i live... but I try to avoid this tap other wise... it's just my last resort over all. read more

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Just what I wanted to see, right next to the toilet, A pair of tongs................... I guess I won't be coming back here read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

Been coming here for years, since middle school. My go-to spot. They have a full-wall of drink options, you won't be disappointed. The lady @ the register and the rest of the staff are usually friendly and remember my order (that's how often I go there). My faves: - Fresh Avocado - Fresh Watermelon juice - Jasmine Green Tea - Popcorn Chicken If you're a car enthusiast, you'll like this spot. There's always car meets here. read more

Very very bad attitude the cashier! I asked for half sugar but finally got 100% sugar! The hot milk tea is even put into plastic cup instead of a paper one. It's carcinogenic! read more

Tapioca Express - They put hot milk tea in plastic cups! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

I honestly love this place to death for the drinks and popcorn chicken! Always have & always will. As far as the mushrooms they were pretty gross. Hunks of shitake mushrooms can be too much which in this case is definitley so. Loved the potstickers even though they made them kinda spicy, the major problem I found with the potstickers was that there was no sauce availible to dip them, no soy sauce, no pot sticker sauce NOTHING. How weird right?? For real all places that have pot stickers have pot sticker sauce, it just delicious. Get it together guys. read more

Ordered a 232 meal box that was suppose to have popcorn chicken, rice, eggs and seaweed salad and milk tea. 15 minutes later they tell me they're out of rice. So we opted for fries. When I got it she gave me a bag of chicken and a box of fries. No meal box because she said I wanted fries. Im just hungry at this point so I Asked for some kind of dipping sauce because our popcorn chicken was insanely spicy. And the fries OMG Like swallowing a gallon of salt water with each bite. She said that they have no sauce they only have sugar! Lol thats all just sugar. Not only did they get my order wrong! They have really bad service and can barely communicate. Please dont waste your time or money. Take yourself 2 doors down to chee-lo read more

I have just tried the calamari from here and OMG why?! I can't believe it's taking me so long to try it but the calamari is BOMB. & I still haven't found a boba place with better crispy chicken read more

I rarely came here, but today I really want some popcorn chicken. I got the lvl.3 spicy chicken and the chicken was ok. However, the cashier had some attitude. She looked like she is not happy . I hope she will be happy soon. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

Wish I can give this place zero star. The owner was rude to us when we politely asked about our order that took over 10 minutes. He told us sit down and wait until he calls us. read more

The avocado snow bubble is really smooth and taste a strong flavor of fresh avocado! It is very good to order in the hot summer time! Also, I order the fried squid which taste very good, no too fried and salted. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

I've been meaning to start writing Yelp reviews for about a year now but kept procrastinating. The thing is, I feel like most places are okay, but nothing special. So after a long day of looking for a suit with the bf, we stopped by Tap Ex (as the locals call it) for a drink. I drink boba at least twice a week, and this place stands out as my favorite and most consistent by far in the Bay Area, so I decided to make it my first review-- and stop my procrastination habit. The boba (or "tapioca pearl") is perfectly chewy without being overly gummy (I've never had stale boba here!) and the milk tea usually tastes like the flavor it's supposed to (less artificial stuff here!) and perfectly milky instead of diluted with water. My only personal gripe is the "less, less" sugar level is still too sweet (they let you adjust the level) but I just don't like overly sweet things. My personal favorite / comfort flavor is the rose milk tea, but I've also had a bunch of other things including the mango tea lush (awesome for summer!), sesame milk tea (awesome for winter!), peach milk tea, and regular milk tea. The bf (who's been coming here since high school!) always get the "combo A," which is a regular milk tea + basil crispy chicken, which you can customize the spiciness level of from 1 (not spicy) to 5 (fire!). As for ambiance, it's a pretty local late night hang out spot, so plastic chairs and tables packed with lots of people and high volume. Cash only. -- Edit: Went back and had the strawberry snow bubble (man, the snow bubble was such a coveted drink in my high school days). The taste is definitely artificial, but not overwhelmingly bad-- a mix between milky Nesquik and strawberry jam of strawberry flavors. The texture is that of a slush. Edit and edit (whoa, edit inception): The strawberry flavor is like that of Asian strawberry milk candies. -- Edit: The barley flavor was pretty light and reminded me a bit of barley vitasoy. Definitely didn't need the little barley bits everywhere in there, which made the boba less enjoyable. Not sweet level was perfect though. -- Edit: The green tea brulee flavor was interesting. The "brulee" consisted of a cream layer that tasted like the "essence" of milk, if you will, and when mixed in high proportion to the green tea, really overpowered the tea (but I loved the mouthfeel of this). The green tea on its own was much too sweet (even though I asked for the lowest sweetness). If I ordered this in the future, I'd ask for twice the brulee, and drink it just for the creaminess as opposed to the tea flavor. The brulee was reminiscent of a less thick milk foam / cheese that many other boba spots have been doing recently. -- Edit: Got the caramel snow bubble. The caramel flavor was quite a surprise, much more bitter / deep roasted / smoky flavor than I was expecting-- almost as though there was some coffee in there. I quite enjoyed it, but definitely not for the sweet caramel lovers. I would get this again. I had my usual rose milk tea at full sweetness (way too sweet), but then it lasts longer bc then I have to sip it. read more

Tapioca Express - Rose milk tea boba and crispy chicken! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

The franchise is full of high schoolers because of how there is a nearby high school, prepare to wait for a line. The floor was sticky, was it even properly cleaned? The tables were dirty, you have to pay another one fucking dollar to use debit? Why do they not allow credit? Recommended to bring cash on hand! The cashier spoke monotone, barely heard him even though the area wasn't very loud. I the popcorn chicken was quirky, the food was oily from the perspectives of other people's orders. read more

Best drinks period. They are always so fast and efficient. Have never had a bad experience and yes it might be super crowded sometimes and the line to the door but man! They know how to get the line down and those orders down quick! Their chicken steak is bomb! Love coming here even if it means driving the extra mile. Always worth the drive! read more

Im sure if you've been here during pandemic you know that the lady at the front cashier is rude af. I went there recently and the lady yelled at a couple through the microphone "one person only in line!!!" She then yells at an older lady "what level spicy!!!" Ive been coming here for yearsssss and I have never experienced that type of service from here until this lady shows up. If you are a first time customer and you are getting yelled at for not knowing how to order obviously you're not going to come back. It was my turn to order and she left the register to go to the bathroom without saying anything. Worst customer service read more

Three starts for the drinks, it was really good and also the pearl were perfect. My friend and I didn't like the cashier, he was so rude to us. The order kinda got mixed up so we asked nicely to repeat the order but he looked at us so rude. I'll come back if he's not the cashier anymore or improve his customer service. read more

Off all the TapEx places I've been to, both SoCal and here in the Bay, this is by far the best one...their drinks and food are always good. Hence, this place is always packed....which is not the reason I'm taking one star off. For some reason, almost 4/5 times I go here, whoever works at the register (there's always this one guy and one girl in particular) seem to just hate their job...their customer service projection is they wanna stab you in the eye with one of the crispy chicken sticks, or the pointy end of the large boba straws (or several times with the small boba straws). This one dude (whose shirt always seem dirty) was an a**hole even right when their store opened on a Tuesday morning and we were customer no. 3...I'm guessing his patience with customers only last three strikes and we were #3 at 11AM. You can't even ask him his opinion or to recommend a drink/food you're interested to try out because he'll give you a smirk and roll his eyes like you're an idiot and you should just hit Jamba Juice. All the craziness aside, I'll give them the benefit and say they're just ticking time bombs since their place is always busy...and maybe our "dirty shirt" guy just woke up on the wrong side of his bed that morning. I still dig this TapEx spot read more

This has been my favourite place for boba drinks since 4 years. I have tried a bunch of places but I always feel like coming back here. Do not expect any great customer service or greeting but they are very very polite. Use can use debit card with $1 service fee or pay cash. My go to combo is Mango boba tea with lychee jelly and pepper chicken, level 3 spice. read more

The popcorn chicken is good!!! But i hated the cashier, she was so mean. They only accept debit and cash, and i had a visa gift card which is debit, and I asked her if i can use it, and she refused she was like "its a gift card" when it actually says on the card "DEBIT!! SHE DIDNT EVEN WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY IF IT WORKS. and when she was trying to get us out of tapioca express because we weren't "buying" anything my friend finally snapped and said to actually try the gift card. and IT WORKED. good food but really really bad service and bad facilities. ALSO THE BATHROOM LOOKS SO BAD read more

First time at this location.... Love the one's down in SoCal, but this one... Five stars for the product, but service and friendliness...three stars.... Come on guys...boba shops are a dime a dozen, and they're all yummy! So be nice to all your customers... Or they'll go to the shop down the street... Came back the next day... Got the same drink. It's still yummy, but the service is still unfriendly:( I'll try not to let it ruin my experience- read more

Tapioca Express - A grumpy lady served me a yummy treat - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

Today on 05/06/22 I was ordering a tapioca drink which means tapioca milk tea... the lady in the cashier says " I don't understand your order..." in a rude way... so I look at my girl trying to figure out what was she talking about and my girl says the milk tea so I said tapioca milk tea so the cashier ask me what size still keeping that unnecessary tone of voice I replied with a large but then I flip my card like I usually do and she now said" oh I can't give your order I won't accept it." I'm like wtf... she was mumbling in her native language with her workers my girl said watch your attitude cause it was that awful she replied back with "FUCK YOU!" And ofc I said something as well I said "shut up H*E". read more

This place gets pretty busy- long lines out the door but service was pretty efficient however don't forget to bring your cash because they charge $1.00 extra fee for using debit card. I ordered the avocado smoothie and it doesn't taste as fresh as the Avocado Smash at Che-Lo which is a couple of doors down in the same plaza. I ordered a bento box of the chicken steak and it was overly seasoned with a lemon flavored salt. I also ordered the croquet and it was pretty good, again- flavored with the same lemon salt seasons. Overall, it's still a decent place to visit compared to other Tapioca Express from Sac. read more

Been going to this place for a long time but haven't been for awhile with all the new boba spots popping up. Decided to go tonight and they once again they reminded me why I left. Should've known when I walked in with absolutely no line. I ordered a chicken and boba. Small drinks, over seasoned/not thoughrly cooked food, and priced $1-2 more then others. They also charge $1 if you're using a card. If you really need a boba fix and it's late, come here. Other then that, steer clear read more

The female employee is ridiculous, asking people living in the same house, same family to be separated in 6 feet, social distances is not required if u are with somebody in the same house. That is the public health department law and even police is knowledge that. It is a difficult time but Your employee are being extremely rude and disrespectful. Instead of being polite!! Read the law and stop being ignorant and abuse customers!!!!!!! CDC社交距離不適用於同居的家庭成員和夫妻。 請仔細閱讀條例，不要用這種蠻橫的態度對待客人。你們的無知不是對待客人無理的理由。態度極度惡劣 read more

They seriously need to smile more up in here! As the person taking the order, you set the tone. You give out the vibe you want people to feel. Walked in here today with a smile on my face and the cashier tried to crush it with her serious demeanor. She looked like she didn't even feel like engaging. I wanted to ask about certain drinks but she looked like she didn't want to answer any questions! *smh* I wasn't gonna let her kill my vibe though! Lol! My order was fine as always but customer service was definitely lacking. read more

The young skinny lady cashier has no good and professional customer service at all!!! She doesn't smile, always frown, and don't say "thank you". And because their music is so loud, when you asked her to repeat, she gives me bad attitude and rushing me! Their boba is good but with this kind of bad behavior, it makes me not want to come back or recommend this place to my friends because their customer service SUCKS!!! They should put this lady in the back, where she belongs!! read more

Great place for boba tea with good service from friendly lady cashier who works for the night shift , highly recommended !

Like a first love, Tapioca Express will always hold a place in my heart. Joking aside, I had my first milk tea at Tapioca Express and I still return here every now and then. Yes, numerous (and better) boba spots have opened up but Tapioca Express remains the OG boba spot. Tapioca Express makes the best popcorn chicken I've ever had. It's definitely a once in awhile type of snack. Although other boba spots may give you a bigger portion, no one has beat the perfect crispness and seasoning of Tapioca Express' popcorn chicken. I still wish they offered a bigger portion because it's addicting. I like a bit of spiciness, so I go with 0.5 level of spicy. Don't underestimate how spicy it can get! Their drinks are not my favorite but they aren't bad either. My first drinks here included the passion fruit snow bubble, plain milk tea and Thai iced tea. They have expanded their menu over the years, so if I find myself here I'll order the soy milk tea. I do wish they would let you adjust the level of sweetness like so many other boba spots let you do. Service is not the friendliest here, but it's been that way for as long as I can remember. Service is straight to the point. I can understand the lack of warmth though, considering the long lines and rush of high school kids. Tapioca Express was thee kickit spot in high school and I find myself here with friends every so often. Tapioca Express, or Tap Ex as some call it, can be Asian Central and not much has changed about that. Not complaining! I always have a stamp card in my wallet and try to bring cash. Tapioca Express will forever be the original boba spot and I'll continue to return every now and then. read more

"Hi, can I get chicken, tofu, calamari, and a mango snow bubble?" The guy goes.. "HUH? What was that?" So I repeated it. Then he smirks this time and says "Sorry, whaaa?" And he's hella smiling now. Like...smiling like I'm stupid. Then he says in the most obnoxious way "We don't sell tofu. If you want to know what food we have, look at the menu behind you." Whoa!!! guy got jokes. lmao. I applaud him. He won that. But, I'm your customer. You know I'm going to make you my bitch. Or else I wouldn't be typing this review. So I tell him (not ask) I TELL him, to get me chicken, calamari and a mango snow bubble. Then I flick my money at him. and 5 dollars falls on the ground. He stares at me, HEATED. Guy is BUBBLING right now. He asks if I threw money at him. aka asks a stupid question. I look at him and tell him to pick it up. He does. _______________________________________ Seriously though, what the fuck makes you think you can talk to me like that lol. If you don't have something on the menu, then you better fucking still act like a beautiful person and say something nice to me. You don't act like you're better than me just because I ordered incorrectly. And the fact that he made me repeat my order three times just so he could rub it in. OOoooo girl. lol. I bet he felt on top of the world. Then I buried him in it. read more

This is my go-to place when I'm craving boba. The tapioca balls are always consistent - perfect texture and flavor. Their menu has lots of items so there's something to please everyone. The milk teas can be a tad bit too sweet sometimes, but they have great flavors. Favorites: lychee, pudding, passion fruit, and mango. Snow bubbles are perfect for those hot summer days. They're super refreshing and will cool you down in an instant! Favorites: green apple and orange. They also serve great snacks: crispy chicken, fried string bean, oysters, and mushroom, among several others. I usually get the crispy chicken here - like the boba, it's always consistent. It's tender but can be quite spicy depending on how you order it. You can order spice levels 1-5, with 5 being the most extreme. I've had all levels and had to suck down my drink within minutes - it can be that spicy!!! Plus the chicken is deep fried and super hot when it's served so it makes it that much more painful to eat - but delicious! FYI - Bring quarters if you're into buying those little Disney character key chains. They have about 8 machines here. There's both indoor and outdoor seating. read more

I'll give the place 3 stars for having good food options available (but 1 star for the tapioca drinks they offer). I typically order the calamari or popcorn chicken level 3.5 out of 5. As for the drinks, I order the passion fruit green tea, no milk, unsweetened. For some reason, not matter how many times I tell them unsweetened, the drinks always come out super sweet to a point where it hurts my teeth. They really need to work on that. Also, I don't like how their drinks are not made fresh to order, they basically just scoop it up from the storage can when a customer orders it. They do accept cards, however, it'll be a 50 cent charge if it's under $5. fyi. read more

TL;DR?? Not too impressed by the quality of their milk tea unfortunately especially with plenty of boba places around. Price-wise, it is dirt cheap (comparatively SoCal prices) and everything else was negligible. Better to bring CASH to avoid extra costs. Prices: A Tapioca Milk Tea quality: C Pearl/Boba Quality: B+ (love chewy!) Service, Location, Ambiance: B This is one of the cheaper boba places I have been to that is NOT Quickly's. Regular list of milk teas are all under $3 hallelujah! However upgrade to a large is $1 and toppings are additional $.50. So it all adds up quite quickly... My friends and I visited around 8:30PM after we finished our dinner at Mizuumi. There was not a line but since the doors were flung wide open, we were freezing the whole time while trying to peruse the menu and drink options. I opted for the large Tapioca Milk Tea and it was quite sweet. I mean this has got to be THE sweetest regular Milk Tea I've tasted from Tapioca Express. I've been to MANY TapExs and the flavors vary slightly but this place basically dumped a bucket of C12H22O11 (sugar) into my milk tea! I can't stand Snowflake's $5 per boba cup prices but the quality at this TapEx was disheartening. There is another boba shop in the same plaza and across the street there is Snowflake and a future Mr. Green Bubble. Too many options to give second chances unless my friends take me here. read more

Tapioca Express - Store counter - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Union City, California

Honestly, I used to only go here because it was the only bubble tea place that I was really close to and easily accessible. But as more bubble tea places opened up that were CLEARLY better, this is definitely not the place to get your milk tea. Although at times, the flavors that this place serves is part of my high school memories. Original tapioca milk tea: Too sweet, not enough tea, too much milk. To be fair, I've been to other Tapioca Express locations and they do not have their milk tea this sweet. Crispy popcorn chicken: Why do I get a look when I say I want 0 spice? I don't think there is much of a difference between the levels of 1-3.. while 4 and 5 you can taste the difference. Yes, I was a stupid kid who wanted to taste it at its worse. XD Customer service is key in your business, learn to work with your customers not against them. Tapioca milk tea has been and still is a big hype. More places are coming up, if you don't fix the customer service then your doors will close unfortunately. read more

This spot is convenient for me because it's near my bf's house so I usually stop by after work to grab a quick bite. I'm sad they don't sell fried calamari tentacles because that is the best. Instead they sell the rings which I don't really like. They have a snack combo with the fried calamari rings and a regular sized milk tea (you can only get plain milk tea) and it's about $7. I guess it'll do, right? read more

I love their boba drinks and crispy chicken. You can choose regular or spicy. There are many diffferent kinds of drinks to choose from and it's a good place to hang and chill with friends. I got mango milk tea with small tapioca and fell in love with it read more

One of the better Tap X's out there, but definitely has the worst customer service out of all of them. I've been a loyal customer since 2006, back when I was a junior in hs. I am now 24 and I can truly say, their customer service sucked back then, and it still sucks today. That is one of the reasons why they're getting a 3 star from me, and not a 4. The workers there seriously don't know the meaning of good customer service. All of their workers don't smile at you, and they all give you a dull stare, and monotone voice when communicating with them. One of the workers there with some what spiky hair, all he does is smirk at you and talk to you like he's better than you in life. No offense, but you're working at a Tap X. I know you hate your job, but don't take it out on the people who are paying you your paychecks. BRING CASH!!!! They do accept debit cards there, but there's a surcharge of $1.25.....the hell?! It was only .49 cents about a month ago, and you're going to tell me you think it's okay to take a big jump like that? Their drinks are pretty good, but pretty damn pricey. It's about 4 dollars and something change for a drink. I don't really eat their food, but I do recommend getting their chicken and calamari. Their chicken and calamari come in between levels 1-5 of hotness, 1 is not being hot, and 5 is "ahhhhh my mouth and throat are bleeding"!!!! Here's a fun game you can play with your friends or a date there; challenge everyone to eat a whole bag of a level 4 or 5 chicken with drinking anything. The one who lasts the longest gets a free drink from the other person. My personal favorite drinks that I'd recommend: Taro snow bubble: if anyone reasons my reviews, they know that I determine if a place is good or not, base on how they make their taro drink. Their pearls are soft and chewy, and did I mention, good? Honeydew snow bubble with pineapple and aloe Vera and pearls: it has a sweet and fruity after taste to it. The pearls actually help balance the level of sweetness Strawberry mixed with kiwi snow bubble: I figured out this mix back in 2006 and instantly fell in love with it. It has a sweet fruity taste thanks to the strawberry, but the kiwi relievers that somewhat sour aftertaste that balances out the flavors perfectly. read more

Terrible service.. the folks upfront are very rude especially the short guy who takes your order. Listen.. It's 110 degrees outside and I asked him if his A/C was working.. He said that it was working but there's just way too many people inside. Uhmm.. I didn't feel anything blowing inside or any attempt of any air circulation. I looked at everyone's faces and it seemed that everyone was suffering because of the weather.. it was 110 outside and it felt like 115 inside of this place. No apologies were given from the people who workrd in this place. On top of that... they were just very rude. Horrible customer service all around! Stay away from this place!!! read more

I really don't like the service here. I was out the bill cash and I give them quarters. The lady say I don't take them, so those a tree not money!!!!!! Wtf The owner should put a sign says we only take bills Fu k read more

this place deserves no stars at all in fact they should have -5 stars ..i usually love tapioca express but not this location ...this was our first time at this location and the experience was horrible..customer service was bad we asked a simple question about soy sauce or any kind of dipping sauce for the dumplings that we ordered and the cashiers answer was" no dipping sauce" and then walked away ....we asked for mild seasoning and they made it too spicy we also tried to inquire about and item on the menu and thr cashier completely ignored us!!!! we will never return to this location!!!!!! read more

I've had bubble tea all over the bay area. Hell, when I moved to Melbourne I tried bubble tea there as well. At the end of the day, nothing can come close to my precious Tapioca Express in Union City. Location: Tapioca Express is located in El Mercado Shopping Center, only a quick walk away from James Logan High School and the BART Station. As a result, right after school hours beware because it could get CROWDED (I'm talking about 3 - 5 PM). Customer Service: Tapioca Express is really not famous for its customer service - the people are not very friendly. Thankfully, that's not what you come here for and at the end of the day these employees still know how to provide quick and efficient service. Trust that your food will get out FAST. Recently, they also strangely enough have upgraded to those little buzzers that buzz and flash when your order is ready. Kind of funny seeing as how the shop is so small you can probably hear them calling for your order easily. Food: I haven't been here in over a year and when I came back I'm so glad the quality has not dropped. My recommendations? ~ Honeydew Milk Tea - A delicious sweet drink that should be a favourite for all fans of honeydew. ~ Pepper Crispy Chicken - Like Rita K. said, this place has the BEST. Always absolutely delicious. ~ String Beans - Always deliciously perfect and soaked in spices and flavour. ~ Calamari - To be honest, I actually normally hate squid and calamari. But for some reason, I love the calamari here at Tapioca Express. The calamari are always chewy and delicious. TIPS: ~ Snowbubbles are usually pretty difficult to drink because it ices up quickly. If you order a snowbubble, get it with boba pearls and it'll melt quicker. ~ For the snacks such as pepper crispy chicken, string beans, and calamari, you request it at a spiciness level of 0 - 5 (5 being the spiciest). Trust me when I say that you need balls of steel to handle 5. It's not weak. You can also order .5s such as 2.5 or even 0.5. ~ The snacks also come with basil inside the little bags and they add a lot of flavour and are actually really delicious. The best part is that there is no extra charge if you ask for more basil. I do it all the time. --- Quick service, delicious food, and incredible drinks. You really cannot go wrong with Tapioca Express unless you place huge value on customer service. They're not awful, just not friendly. Your food gets to you quickly so you don't have to deal with them too much. An absolute must-go if you're in Union City. read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this TapX yet! Hate their employees, love their drinks. Okay, I don't really hate their employees but they have crappy customer service. I always feel so rushed when I'm ordering because they stand there eagerly at the register, waiting to punch in your order so they can "help" the next person in line. What ever happened to hellohowmayIhelpyouyoutotalis$3.67thankshaveaniceday? Now it's just hello$3.67nexxt! Geez :(. However, I do not care that much about their unhappy cashiers, because their drinks are always perfect; their boba is always chewy with a hint of sweetness while I chew away and that is, ultimately, what matters to me. My main drank is a Milk Tea w/boba, but if I'm feeling for something different, I'll either get a Matcha Snowbubble, Mango Snowbubble, or Peach Snowbubble. All with boba!! That's what makes the drink. yee~ read more