Tapioca House has a slight edge, I think, over its very close neighbor, Coco's Cafe, on two things: 1) They offer a punch card for frequent visitors. I am a coupon and punch card hound. I am always struck by a craving for bubble tea so if I'm going to shell out dough for it, why not get rewarded for continuing to patronize them, right? Standard issue -ten purchases/punch and then you get to redeem it for a free one...No punch card at Coco's Cafe. 2) Their prices are slighter cheaper than Coco's Cafe - food and bubble drink-wise. I think that this is partly due to the fact that the food is served in/on styrofoam and you don't get the complimentary soup and you get plastic utensils whereas at Coco's they have real plates and flatware plus the soup. However, their meals/entrees are served with two small side dishes - one time it was stir fried cabbage and stewed egg and another time it was fried green beans and stewed eggs. You should probably ask before you order what the two sides are if you're picky. Lastly, I must say the food quality can vary greatly. Although it is a deal for the combo meal that Steven mentions, I went once and had some decent pork chops and the next time it was very tough and chewy. So sometimes, I do what I winded up doing tonite - eating at Coco's and then going next door to get my bubble tea (and card punched). I also like that they have big pearls AND small pearls - small tapioca boba and the lychee jelly is also yummy instead of tapioca boba sometimes especially w/ the fruit flavors. Sometimes the large pearls can be a little much on the chewiness and the small ones are softer and easier to chew/swallow. Lastly, there's a lot less ambience/colorfulness in Tapioca House. It seems a litle dingier and less clean...but that's kinda minor. Parking pretty much sucks so I don't go often unless I luck out and find a parking spot. It's still highly recommended for their bubble teas for sure. read more

The jasmine milk tea is so flavorful! Boba is perfect amount of sweetness. Having had the original drinks in Taiwan, this an authentic experience! read more

Beware of Tap House! It draws you in every time, tempting you with it's cheaper prices (compared to it's next door competitor), and tells you that it won't be worse...but I am disappointed every time with their drinks and leaves me regretting the decision to come. The drinks wouldn't be that be either, but their tapioca pearls that come in most bubble tea drinks are consistently tough and chewy, and I am forced to skip ordering them. I have tried some of the food and most are not that good. I -am- a fan of their spicy fish cakes, however, and is the sole reason I come! Great snack food! I am not usually a reviewer of a restaurant's interior, but being inside Tap House, I feel very uncomfortable. It's a very cramped area, bad lighting, and just not a good vibe overall at all. I understand there are many many people who say that the reduced price more than makes up for the drop in quality (or no drop in quality according to some). Go compare for yourself, and if you agree you can probably be very happy with Tap House. read more

Okay place. Was not very clean and looked messy. The floors were sticky. Good boba selection/ menu but they are basically out of half of the menu. Good prices but not very good environment. I ordered a milk tea with boba and asked the worker who did not seem very interested if it came sweetened. they said yes and I left with my drink. The milk tea was not sweet but the boba was good. I will give the worker the benefit of the doubt... maybe they were having a bad day but customer service was not good. read more

Why Tap House is better than Coco's: 1) The combo meals: your food includes a milk bubble tea; Coco's makes you buy a drink separately. 2) The prices: slightly cheaper. Used to be a lot cheaper, until Tap House raised it's prices :( 3) Frequent buyer stamp card: Coco's does not have one... 4) Food is more authentic...in my opinion. It reminds me of my mom's cooking. Minus one star because...service is slow, but so is Coco's. Interior decorations could use a touch up, and they need more seating. read more

ONLY REASON I AM A FAN: it is extremely close to campus, convenient, quick, and inexpensive. The tapioca is honestly hit or miss, while the drinks are usually pretty good! Food-wise, I've started to shy away from the Crispy Chicken Nugget meal and head towards the Crispy Pork Chop. For some reason, the Chicken Nuggets just aren't doing it for me anymore. The Chicken Nuggets now seem to be made differently, and that's not okay with me! The Pork Chop is made really well and is typically moist and crunchy! The things that make me most sad are that they no longer offer milk teas with the combos, but ONLY green or black tea. If you get whatever drink you're used to getting now, they'll charge you an extra $0.50. read more

I'm probably fond of this place because of the many fundraisers I've attended here. I love that you can hang out at Tap House or just get a quick meal to go. I also love how many times I embarrass myself here by saying hi to someone who looks like someone else. Freakin Asians. The only thing worth getting here is the chicken nugget meal. Get it spicy! Their drinks are okay. I only get them because they come with the meal. read more

The only place on UT campus I frequent. I always have a tapioca craving.. and tap house is the closest (and cheapest) option I've got. Their tapioca is a hit or miss. You should probably ask whoever's working if it's fresh or not before you dive in. Some days, it's really good, others, just hard and not worth finishing. I tend to lean toward their combos instead of just a drink because it's $7 for a combo vs a $3-$4 drink. Their chicken nuggets and dumplings are good. I never understood their spicy scale because it's really just spicy or not spicy. A 1, 3, or 5 level ends up being the same to me! read more

This place is known for its cheap Asian food near campus. I personally don't care for it too much. The interior feels small and darkish, and there's this creepy walled off glass roomway or stairway on the left of the entrance that kind of creeps me out. For about $6-7 you can get a meal and a drink at this place which is a pretty good deal. If I had to describe the food, I would say it tastes like someone made it beforehand and then they microwave it for you and put it into a styrofoam box for you and charged you money for it. The portions are really mediocre, but then again you get a drink with your meal. The drinks are ok and tastes like typical bubble tea; it's good, but it's not bad or great. For the price, it's ok. I personally prefer Coco's as I feel like the quality is much better. I wouldn't come here to sit down and have a nice meal, but if you live around campus it's a convenient place to grab a mediocre meal at a reasonable price. read more

Tapioca House gets props from me for being SO DAMN CHEAP. The food is not going to win any awards, but it is fine. Simple Asian cooking - reminds me a lot of food my grandmother (who did not have much money) used to make. I had the grilled pork chop combo - a couple of thin, but pretty large, slices of pork on a bed of white rice with a couple of sides (I got green beans and a soy sauce soaked hard boiled egg). Came with either bubble tea or green tea, but you could get a milk tea with tapioca pearls and a number of their other drink selections for a $.50 upcharge. The total came to $5.90 (and I got an upcharged drink). For a filling meal AND milk tea, that is a steal - just the drink would run you $3 at Coco's. I will say that the quality of the food at Coco's is a little better, the milk tea at Coco's is more flavorful, and the atmosphere is more fun/hip. But you can't beat Tapioca House as far as bang for the buck. Parking here is a challenge. They don't have any dedicated parking, and there are only a few metered spots in front of the strip of businesses in which Tapioca House resides. But damn, it sure is cheap. read more

OK so the food here is still good. No complaints about that. My complaint is with the drinks. Since when did Tapioca House start charging an extra $1 for milk tea when you get a combo? I thought you can get any flavored tea with a combo, at least that's the case for the last 6 years I've been coming here. Now your only choices are black tea or green tea. And not to mention the tapioca balls I had with my drink were awful (some were cooked, some not). Here are some personal words to Tapioca House: "You were a common place to eat for me when I was a college student. I love you like a bro. With that said, pull yourself together and make me happy again!" read more

Coming to this place is just a flat-out miserable experience. The service is bad (the workers are rude, inattentive, and often watching movies on their laptops), the place is FILTHY (the floor is sticky and looks like it's never been cleaned), the lighting is bad, the place is cramped, and to top it off there's usually no A/C. So why come here at all? Tapioca House has drinks that are inexpensive and OK taste-wise, and you can get combo meals that will fill you up for a reasonable price. In terms of the drinks, they definitely have a wide variety option, but as you dwell away from the more traditional milk tea drinks (almond, jasmine) toward the more fruity ones, the taste tends to get more and more artificial. The tapioca pearls are very inconsistent; sometimes hard, sometimes soft, but usually lacking any real flavor. The crispy chicken nugget with rice combo is usually a popular option due to the quantity of food you get for the price, but I'd say there's probably a 50% chance you'll get a stomach ache later. The food is kind of gross in my opinion, but the cheapness and saltiness of it makes it at least a semi-sustainable form of sustenance for a cheap college student. read more

This place is not very clean and is cramped as well. Definitely not made for a group based outing. The only good thing about this place is the location, which is on Guadalupe street so easily accessible to college students of UT Austin. The food here is sub-par at best. The portions are medium sized and the drinks are alright, in my opinion. Many people seem to like the drinks here, however, so it could be just me. If you order a meal here, it comes free with green or black tea with tapioca. If you wish to have any other drink, there is an upgrade fee of about $1. The service is alright, it really depends on which college student you get. I would come here if I was really craving Asian food. It's not the best, but since there are not that many options, it suffices. Bonus: Be sure to ask for a stamp card. Every time you order food or drink you can get a stamp. After 8-10 stamps you receive a free milk tea. However, you have to ask for the card; they don't just give it to you. read more

Tapioca House should be reserved for desperate times, as in there are no other pearl houses in Austin that are open. It's great that they are open late, and that they have at least 100 drink options available, but they are; -very understaffed. only one person making the drinks and cashiering (maybe it's because it's summer break, and the college kids are gone). -pretty dirty. dirty floors, messy counters, (soy sauce in a siracha (hot sauce) bottle?! They also serve snack foods and noodle plates. Sticky tables, etc. -i didn't see any options for fresh fruit to be used for smoothies, juices, etc. everything i saw was imitation fruit flavored syrups in bottles. -one great thing was that the tapioca pearls were prepare properly and that the served a very good amount with your drink. read more

Come here for the food, not the drinks. My first time here I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie with boba. Explain to me why I saw the person making the drink pull out STRAWBERRY NESQUICK to make my drink. So the drink was very....gross. Second time here, my friend ordered a honeydew milk tea. It tasted like sour skittles. The food here however is pretty good; the calamari and rice plates are pretty good for a light lunch or quick snack. read more

Taphouse is a hit or miss. Their thai tea is good but they run out sometimes. Also it's a lot cheaper than coco's or kung fu tea. Their food is decent and also really cheap. NEVER get their mango milk tea or grapefruit green tea. The mango milk tea was just gross and not drinkable. The grapefruit green tea tasted overwhelmingly of tea and was pretty bitter, which makes sense because it is grapefruit. read more

Tapioca House - Mango black tea with rainbow jelly, black tea with boba - Taiwanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Good milk tea but I always get taro flavored milk tea. It's a lavender color but it's so good that I want to bathe in it! Good tapioca pearls in the drink. I always get the big tapioca pearls wherever I go. It wasn't too hard or too soft and had the perfect bite. Not the prettiest of places but if the drink is good who cares! read more

I give this place three stars... yet I'm pretty sure I've spent HUNDREDS of dollars here over the course of my college career. It's the "go-to" place for Asians when they're bored or thirsty, and it will ALWAYS be packed on Friday night. The food here is mediocre, but comes with a drink! Good for something cheap and quick in between classes. The flavored teas here are the best bet. Passion fruit green tea, mango black tea, Thai tea, and black tea with pudding are some of my favorites. If you're expecting phenomenal milk tea, you won't get it, but despite that fact, I still really like the regular milk tea, almond milk tea, and jasmine milk tea. I usually steer clear of the smoothies and slushies, but I've heard the mango smoothie is delicious! Even though the drinks aren't high quality, it's still my favorite boba place in Austin. If you're an Asian student at UT, this is definitely the kind of place where you'll always run into someone you know. It's kind of like the Central Perk for my circle of friends. My friend came in once and knew someone at each and every table, and the place was packed. With Asians, they say there's only three degrees of separation. You can find proof of this at Tap House. read more

This shits super lame .... I gave you guys another chance brought a new friend and you mess my drink up again .... Bullshit Thanks read more

Despite being a staple of mine whenever I come back to Austin, this place is rather middling in terms of quality. Their drinks are alright, but the tapioca is not the best quality. The baby tapioca especially has a lot of consistency issues, which is a shame because I love baby tapioca. It tends to clump together a lot, making it really hard to drink. I will say though that I love the cheap taiwanese food and snacks. It's nothing amazing, but cheap and good, and the combo with the drink is a really great deal. The one in Houston is MUCH better in terms of quality, but this is okay for the price if you're in the area. read more

Ok, so you won't get the best service from a joint near campus. I really like Tapioca House and often go there on lunch breaks during the work week. The main reason is because, like Coco's, the drinks are pretty consistent. I also like their $6 combos. We usually get the pork chop or chicken cutlet. My favorite drink is the jasminen green or milk tea with tapioca pearls. If I want to go really sweet, I get the Thai tea. Other standbys include the Green Tea Latte and Taro. They also make better Vietnamese coffee than other shops, though some of the staff is often reluctant to make it. Don't go there for the service. Go there to grab your cheap eats and tasty drinks. read more

I definitely like going here over anywhere else on the Drag for bubble tea. They know my drink (green tea with bubbles and mango stars) and are usually very friendly. I also like how they have a frequent buyer punch card, so that comes in handy. If you're not into bubble tea, the watermelon juice is amazing. For food, I'd go with the chicken nuggets... at spicy level 2. :) read more

I'm addicted to tapioca house. I've never been able to really get into boba before I started coming here, now I have to have it. It's weird, I get cravings for it. I usually get a tea right before class and even though I live on the east side I will sometimes drive over here just to satisfy a craving for kumquat lemon juice with boba. (my favorite) The frequent buyer punch card is a bonus and there usually isn't much of a line. The food is cheap. Some if it is gross (do NOT get the tofu and mushroom). But the egg rolls make a quick snack and the chicken is fine. read more

Crispy pork chop combo w spicy level 2 for the babies like me - tender, crispy, slightly spicy breading, pounded thin - possibly the best pork chop I've ever had. Tea egg is alright - add a little soy or sriacha. Green beans were clearly fresh and flavorful. Boba was soft and chewy yum. Don't know who all the haters are but this is clearly one of the best deals on campus ($7)! I'll be back, just sorry this was off my radar for so long, it doesn't really pop up on Yelp unless there's an ad! read more

Tapioca House - Pork chop and boba milk tea combo $8.61 after tax - Taiwanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Well, I haven't had any bubble tea in Austin that can compare to the west coast, but, following with my "best of" theme, Tapioca House is the best I've tried in town. Their bubbles are the perfect consistency of chewiness and slightly sweet. The tea itself is ok. The typical milk tea is very sweet and doesn't particularly taste of tea. But you can remedy that by getting plain tea with a little milk thrown in. Definitely get their fresh fruit juices with bubbles on a hot day. The watermelon, kiwi, and cantaloupe juices are made with blended fresh fruit and taste so refreshing. The price is also right. Cheaper (and better) than Coco's. And their workers are really nice, though somewhat slow. read more

What keeps me coming back is their late hours and their pricing. I recommend the mango milk tea, black tea, and their regular milk tea. I love their mango star jelly too :) Their drinks aren't always consistent though.... It depends on who's making it. Sometimes their mango milk tea is way too syrupy and sweet bleh. Their boba is not as good as Coco's or KF tea. Their black tea is refreshing and not too sweet and way better than Coco's black tea! Another bonus now: no minimum for cards! read more

To all the incoming freshmen who are about to embark on a (hopefully 4 year journey) of satisfying the late night munchies at UT, here are my 2 cents. This isn't like a coffee shop.. you won't be here studying. It feels like they don't run A/C. In Texas, you've got to be kidding me! The place isn't clean. Trashcans are usually full and the tables appear to have been wiped down a week ago. But this won't discourage most of us given you basically: walk in, place your order, wait and wait, grab your food (which automatically comes in to-go boxes) and leave! If uncomfortable, I recommend taking your food and eating it across the street at Dobie. You might ask, "Then why 3-stars?".. Basically for the price of $6.98 you get a full meal (entree plus drink). Given your options for food on campus.. this is a great deal. The hit entree is the crispy chicken nugget. I would like to guess 7 out of 10 orders are for that. They will ask you, "How spicy do you want it?" (its on a scale of 0 to 5++) The actual level of spiciness you will receive is pretty random. I've had orders of 3 spicer than 5. The tapioca balls vary from day to day (that is if they don't run out of them). They are usually OK by my compromised college student standards. Then again, you're eating here for the convenience.. not for a great dinning experience. Your drinks are made from artificial juices blended with ice, milk, etc. I suggest finishing your drink within 15-20 mins or it won't be as good. You've been warned: This place does get crowded and very loud which makes things worse when the staff starts yelling out orders. When they are frustrated, don't expect customer service.. With this said, I leave it to you to find better opinions nearby campus, but given the food is OK, cheap and close to campus.. it will become what some call "your college staple" read more

My friends and I were staying at a hotel downtown and we were on a quest to find boba in this town. There's actually not much that comes up on Yelp, and funny enough - we stumbled upon this place by accident. We lime scootered from downtown and were actually looking for a place north of here when my scooter's battery ran low right outside of this place. It was definitely a coincidence but we decided to give it a go. They had some Taiwanese small eats on the menu which I thought was cool - they actually looked really good but we weren't hungry at the time. We just ended up getting a couple drinks but they were decent. They don't have the biggest drink selection but they have your typical flavors and it was kinda cool that they had grass jelly available as a topping. If you're in the area, definitely come check out this hole in the wall. Also, I overheard the employees complaining about not getting any of the tips - so just know that it's probably going to go straight to the owner. read more

Indifferent employees. Horrible furniture. Food served in styrofoam trays. Yep, this place is owned by Asians. That said, I go here a lot for tapioca drinks. Nothing fancy, just the basics, like milk tea. The reason being is that the prices are low, the drinks are good quality, and they have stamp cards. Also, the chicken nuggets are actually, surprisingly, delicious and spicy. But that's about the end of it. If only they invested in better tables and chairs. Or actual lights. Or towels to clean with. Then I would actually want to sit down for once. read more

Nice for when i have chinese food cravings because its like one of the only asian stores around campus. I personally think the food tastes ok, its not great but is good enough to satisfy the authentic chinese food taste cravings. I dont really get drink but they taste ok to me too. Nice and convenient and pretty cheap too. tl;dr: cheap and decent drinks and food. read more

I am not a big fan of the bubble tea at Tap House just like I am not a big fan of Coco's bubble tea. As an avid bubble tea lover, I would have to say that the only place I would recommend going to for bubble tea is Teapioca! However, if you are on campus and have no other options, the bubble tea at Tap House is not as good as Coco's, but cheaper. Usually if you are unsure about what drinks to get, just ask one of the servers because they are usually pretty honest about which ones are good or bad! However, I do love the snacks here! Their fried tofu and chicken bites are pretty authentic Taiwanese tasting and perfect for a late night snack! The chicken is the unique Taiwanese chicken taste that is similar to the fried chicken meal here or the peppercorn chicken at Coco's. If you want some fast takeout, Tap House has some good meals that come with rice! Be careful when asking for the spiciness level on the food cuz it can get pretty spicy! Overall, like Coco's, I would only recommend coming for the food and not the drinks. read more

Service is usually just okay. I've gotten orders messed up a few times here. Turnover seems high asking their employees at this location. However, you can't beat the price. This is the best bang for your buck. Get the rewards stamp card; it's like 10% off. Cheap and decent quality. read more

Let's get one thing out of the way: This place is absolutely FILTHY! If you like a clean eating environment, do not come here. You will only be disappointed and disgusted. I got a red bean paste boba drink here. It was below average but not terrible. But for the same price (2.50 + tax) I can get something that tastes way better and is double the amount at the Tea Lounge. Like others said, the girl/ staff that works here doesn't care about the place at all. Avoid this place. read more

Food is okay. I like the Houston better, but it's a good craving pleaser if I can find parking to get to it. It's horrendous that I have to drive around to find parking to just get to thiS. I will never go here again.... would rather drive to Houston. GET CURBSIDE SERVICE OR SOMETHING! read more

Tapioca House - Finally I got to get some crispy chicken nugget. - Taiwanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

What can I say, this was the go-to place for boba when I was at UT. I like the drinks here but the food more next door at Coco's. The food and drinks are cheaper here and the food itself is decent. The chicken nuggets are pretty good and I also like getting the tofu pork with mushroom. read more

If you like impromptu high school reunions, allright tapioca drinks, and a place to hang out with your friends, then tap house is definitely the place for you! A staple on the drag and a good back-up for when you have really nowhere else to go with your friends. read more

Tap House serves the best bubble tea around campus area, but that's not saying much. My favorite is lavender milk tea which tastes delicious. The tapioca is inconsistent - it can be really soft/cooked well or sometimes hard. The fruity teas are a treat because they are made with super sweet artificial syrup which can sometimes be overwhelming depending on who makes it. The staff are usually really chill asian kids jamming to beyonce or asian pop. I had their pork chop with rice and it was pretty good. I'm sure their food isn't bad. However, the kitchen looks really sketchy and dirty to be honest. The place is really drab too although I don't think the owners even care. If you're at UT and don't have a car, I guess tapioca house is your best option for bubble tea, but there are definitely other places worth driving to. P.S. Get prettier colored straws! read more

My partner is from southern China, and Tapioca House is exactly the place to satisfy his hankering for spicy chicken tenders and milk tea! To date, this is his favorite place in Austin for pearl drinks. read more

Tapioca House - Taiwanese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The only reasons I would come to Tapioca House vs. Coco's Cafe is if I am feeling stingy or wanting a tapioca drink. With Tapioca House, you get what you pay for. While the drinks and food are cheaper, the food is definitely better at Coco's Cafe. The drinks, however, are pretty indiscernible between the two places. Overall, it's a pretty good place for a poor college student since it's open late and budget-friendly. read more

We literally ordered only boba tea and fried tofu and they gave us fried chicken like what..... how can u mistake tofu for meat