We (wife and me) had a great experience at always popping. We wanted to try the popcorn and tea. The guy behind the counter "Ed" was really funny. Good personality, helpful, and funny. He welcomed us, and helped us get a great milk tea and popcorn. For some good popcorn and a laugh go see Ed! read more

Always Popping - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This place offers a variety of different flavored boba drinks, including smoothie and slushy styles. I've gotten it a few times with my wife and we both agree that the boba is hit or miss in terms of flavor. They have popcorn as well that I have never tried, but it seems expensive for what it is. read more

Always Popping - Piña Colada snow bubble with boba. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

What a cute and unique concept that surprisingly i hadn't seen before. Boba and pop corn is such a great combo. And they have such a large selection of popcorn flavors! There is a combo you can order ; 16oz popcorn & boba for under $10. Or you can order a la cart from the menu. I just oder a Thai tea and my cousin order a pink passio. Paradise smoothie. Great quality too. If your looking for boba or popcorn in the area, highly recommend! read more

See all

I got the Brown Sugar milk tea with boba, it was absolutely delicious!! More than half of the cup was filled with tapioca pearls !! Service was amazing, whoever was working there on August 8 at 4:00 pm deserves a raise the guy there was so sweet and kind he complimented me and made great conversation!!! The whole vibe of the place is cute like a vintage little shack on the outside and a modern cafe on the inside. read more

My eldest daughter and I were on our food adventure. After ramen, poke, and smoothie, we thought we enjoy some popcorn and drink at Always Popping. It's located on the first floor at Carlsbad Village Faire Shops. Very cute and nostalgic shop with black and white checkered decor. Ambiance feels like the 1950's or 1960's era. They sell different and unique flavors of popcorn along with the traditional flavors like cheese and carmel. They also have merchandise for sale. My daughter chose the caramel popcorn plus strawberry lemonade combo for $9+. I thought it was a pretty good deal. Service could have been better. No smile nothing... just meh. Wait time was fine. Popcorn portion could have been better. They could have topped it off, but they didn't. Unfortunately, the popcorn tasted stale. Carmel flavor did not taste like carmel. Lemonade was watered down... one tasteless drink. I was excited to try this place based on its biz name, but I was very disappointed with the outcome. Sorry, I would not recommend them. Go somewhere else for better quality popcorn and drink. read more

See all

I liked the play on Always Poppin with the popcorn and boba haha. We got the taro and brown sugar, our classic faves. It was good but the boba started to get too big for the straw. Was overall good though. read more

Always Popping - Brown sugar boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

I asked for an extra large kettle corn with no salt and the person in the store would not make it because she didn't know how. I spoke to the manager by phone and he said I had to come back an hour later when someone else came in to work. Terrible customer service read more

$15+tax for a tiny bag of popcorn. They had you pay first so you don't see the size until it's too late. My fault for not asking but I did not expect this! read more

Always Popping - Medium bag of popcorn - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I tried Always Popping for the first time today and I am OBSESSED! It's a super fun concept. They legit have every flavor of popcorn you could ever imagine and they also have a bar where you can season your own. There's a great deal where you can get a cup of popcorn and a drink for only $10. It's a perfect treat after a day of walking around the shops! read more

See all

Was trying to find another Boba spot hidden somewhere in this same plaza but my one year old was drawn to the green space and other kiddos playing out front of this space so we didn't make it that far this time. I got a Mango fruit tea with strawberry bobas, and it was fine, not overly sugary, not mind blowing. The service was great! It looked like a young girl working solo and she was very tentative, helpful and quick! Would try here again. read more

This is a tourist-focused snack bar. That's fine, but their quality of product just doesn't justify the prices. As soon as you walk in, you'll see that their walls have a rainbow of colorful prepackaged popcorn. But look closer. You'll see typos on tables and different colored popcorn for the exact same flavor. To me, it makes me wonder how long some of their stock has been sitting on the walls and if they're fading their color over time. Add in the fact that most other reviews point out that their popcorn tasted stale, I'd recommend sticking with their beverages. - Service was nothing special. - Boba modifications (less sweet, less ice, etc etc) are a .95 upcharge each. - The boba drink wasn't bad. read more

Always Popping - Both "grape" ??? - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

At a distance I saw a "popcorn" place! Who doesn't enjoy popcorn?!!!! Anyway, I was excited to purchase some. There were a variety of unique flavors of popcorn... Apple, lemon, watermelon, grape, unicorn... etc For me, I wasn't too excited about "flavored" popcorn. I chose the garlic parm popcorn. When I opened the bag to try it out, it tasted old. Greatly disappointed. I do have to say, the only positive thing was employee Selina. She was very kind and welcoming. read more

See all

Always popping is a really cute concept with specialty pop corns and boba. This spot is aesthetically pleasing with every boba option you can imagine. In regard to options they have every type of boba flavor you can imagine. We ordered a brown sugar boba. The actual tea was very tasty. The boba was bland, 7 out of 10. The popcorn seemed overpriced but was very cute. I really think this concept is unique. read more

See all

Service was lacking, attitude was poor especially after asking for the restroom code.

I enjoyed my Thai tea with no boba. Got my grandma the watermelon one and it was 10000% way too sweet for life. My goodness. Didn't try anything else but they seemed to have lots of options of popcorn. read more

Always Popping - Thai tea no boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Horrible establishment. I go here 2-3 times a week as I work near by. The boba is inconsistently good it either tastes good or it tastes like water. Staff is nothing but rude and stingy. There are some lovely ladies in there but every man I have encountered has needed an attitude adjustment. Even though I'm in there every week spending my money, if I dare ask for a water they grudge it roll their eyes make snarky comments. The ginger worker is the worst. I will not be returning. I will not be returning. They do not deserve business with attitudes like that. Makes me sad to say because this used to be one of my favourite places. read more

Boba tea pretty good Service could be better, but still fine. Ambiance not good, but not bad I would come back, maybe! read more

I entered into this store because it offered both popcorn and boba special. I chose Pink Passion Paradise with Kettle Corn. I approached the counter and was greeted with a tepid attitude. The young lady was neither friendly nor rude so I think tepid best sums it up. As a matter of fact none of the employees looked happy to be there so one star off. My boba drink was made quickly and it was delicious & refreshing. Popcorn was very good too. I bought another bag of Kettle Popcorn and our grandson chose Rainbow Popcorn. Thanks for giving me a carrying bag for my items. When I think of it I wasn't thanked for my purchase. I'm old school and taught courtesy & manners. Methinks I expect too much. The interior was cute, orderly, and clean. Unfortunately, the vibe was more on the downside. I probably wouldn't return since there are many other options to choose from for Boba & popcorn. read more

See all

Came here after dinner in the same center. My friend is obsessed with boba tea drinks and thought it was so convenient it was just next door. We walked in and they had their drinks listed on the wall. I went for a small Thai milk tea without boba (I was so full from dinner) but I was also looking at the brown sugar milk tea. I might have to get that next time! But when I ordered the staff was friendly. The sizes available for the teas caught my eye. Usually it's like a 12oz or 16oz they offer. They also had a 32oz size and I had no idea that could be an option! I loved my drink! It was so creamy tasting! I'm not always great at finishing my boba drinks but this one was gone by the time I got home! Definitely worth the stop in if you're in the mood for some tea! read more

See all

This place is awful, and I urge you to stay away. When you first come in, there is a smell of burned sugar. Probably from the billion choices of popcorn flavors. We did not try the popcorn, so we can't speak to that side of the business. I ordered Thai iced tea with boba while the hubby ordered a coconut drink with boba. We paid with card and the tip choices start at 20%. Tipping culture has gotten out of control! I was given my drink with one of those soda lids. The straw couldn't fit, and obviously, I was unable to stir the drink. The hubby was given the drink with it sealed properly where he stabbed his straw through the film. I asked for the same to which I received a response about how the machine doesn't always work. Ultimately, she took my drink and put it through. I took the drink and started to shake it to mix and I get Thai icead tea all over me. She was right, the machine doesn't always work, a part of the film didn't seal. I made do with what I had since these were surprisingly expensive compared to other places I go to. I take my first sip and hate it. I though I got a bad sip. I take another aip- it isn't getting any better. I ended up throwing my drink away after just a few sips. read more

Always Popping - Thai iced tea and coconut boba milk teas - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

My friend and I ordered acai bowls, just to then be told their strawberries molded. Then the worker told us they were out of acai after we already ordered. So she refunded us, then messed up the refund because of another item we purchase. So then I had to pay again when honestly they should've just comped my bag of popcorn for wasting our time. Bad customer service and the worker was not friendly or prepared. read more

Amazing customer service. The ladies working were so helpful. They answered all our questions and were very friendly. We had the mango tea with popping mango, and taro milk tea, both were excellent! read more

Came here to grab a drink, ordered a chai tea boba & it was really disappointing. It tasted like chemicals, like strongly. I'm not sure if I just got a bad flavor or what but this place just wasn't a good boba spot. read more

They have a lot of flavors of popcorn but I didn't try any because it was so full from dinner at Campfire. The guy who works here I was having fun dancing so three stars for him. Apparently they have Boba as well and it's a very popular store a cute little shopping center! read more

Always Popping - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We were eating lunch in this plaza and thought we'd stop here for a sweet treat. We ordered the 16oz boba/popcorn combo, selecting the mango fruit tea (with boba) and the rainbow popcorn. Rainbow popcorn: this is a combination of some of their fruit flavors - green apple, watermelon, blue raspberry, grape, banana. I did think a couple of the flavors (watermelon and apple) were ok, but overall it was a little weird and felt borderline on the stale side. Maybe it's something kids would like or I'm just more of a savory popcorn person. I wish they had at least one savory option for the combo. Mango fruit tea: tea was ok but felt very syrup-ey. Boba was a good texture however, it had zero flavor. Overall it was ok because of convenience of location but not something I'd seek out. read more

See all

Excellent Boba and excellent customer service. We first went "hooked on poke" in the same shopping center, since they had boba, but they were so rude. I was happy to find another boba place so close, and I was so glad we went there instead. The ladies working were so nice and helpful. read more

Nestled inside of an enclave, Always Popping is a nice spot to get some popcorn and milk tea. Folks are friendly, and the shop is clean and tidy. I ordered a X-large Brown Sugar Milk Tea and a small Taro Milk Tea. The Taro milk tea was nice. Typical powder taro milk tea mix flavor. The drop off of the taro flavor is fairly quick, so no cloying flavor. I went with regular sweetness and it was perfect for me. The Brown Sugar Milk Tea was in the X-Large size... which my daughter and I referred to as the "tub of tea". There really is a good deal of milk tea... and considering we're at the beach with lots of places to walk to in the sun... definitely a good deal! Only gotcha was that the plastic lid seal on the x-large isn't quite perfect and a leak develops/remains unsealed, so keep an eye out for this. Only happened on the x-large size and not the smaller sized cups. Daughter had the Banana Milk Tea, and like the Taro, definitely has the powder/mix taste. But the banana has that banana candy/bubblegum kind of flavor and lingers a while on your tongue. Good for fans of this flavor, but was definitely a bit strong for us. Nice place for boba milk tea. read more

See all

Stumbled on this place after breakfast on Sunday morning. Cute little store. The had all kinds of drinks to chose from. They have a special with a drink of your choice and popcorn of your choice for $10. I thought it was pretty expensive but tried this place out since I'm fan of boba and popcorn. The boba was not as fresh as I would like it but the popcorn was tasty. Thank you Always Popping for the cute ambience and tasty popcorn. read more

Man, I am the type of reviewer that gives the benefit of the doubt (e.g. "maybe they had a bad day" or "maybe it was a bad batch of ingredients) but my friend and I were perusing the Village and we were stoked about a cute store that served boba/bubble tea! Though we noticed the cute decor, it seemed slightly bare (no indoor seating area, 1 popcorn machine, and 1 machine to seal the boba.) There were two staff members, and when we were giving our order he was writing on his palm (which is interesting) but it gave off the vibe that things were not really in place. My friend ordered iced tea w a splash of lemon and popcorn, while i ordered the smallest Thai tea. Both drinks are not super complicated, but they tasted awful. I can't speak for my friend (only that i saw that she threw her drink away after a two sips.) My drink was warm, bland and very underwhelming. The popcorn we ordered was also stale. Really did not feel satisfied w the food and drinks. Maybe they had a bad day, but it's hard to find something good when all three items fell below par. read more

$21.50 for a bag of kettle corn. Basically stale plain popcorn with no flavor. What a disappointment. This place had 1 job, pop and season the corn. Fail. 1 star. read more

Always Popping - So called kettle corn - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Such a great concept..boba and popcorn. We got the xl cheddar cheese popcorn..its so good..so much flavor and nice bag to keep it for later. They have so much diff variety of teas and popcorn. Friendly staff and plenty of parking in the carlsbad village. read more

Always Popping - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Cute spot inside this shopping center in Carlsbad Village. Service was very friendly and our boba drinks were good but the rainbow popcorn we bought was stale. read more

See all

Came in with 10 min to close looking to order a quick drink tonight. Doors were open and we checked the hours online- got two steps in and the girls working told us they were closed. Such a bummer. hours might not be accurate :( read more

I came in fully expecting to get a boba and popcorn. I ended up getting something that was not a boba and no popcorn. My go-to boba drink, which they have at every boba place, is a honeydew. I ordered a honeydew snow bubble with pearls (you have to ask for the pearls). It was supposed to be a slush. It was not slush. More like the consistency of water. Still tasted good, just not the Taiwanese drink that I have grown to love. I sampled the popcorn before trying any and all the flavors I tried were stale. I passed on buying a bag of stale popcorn. This is a very cute place, great concept, and the store smells amazing. read more

Always Popping - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The wait was forever for popcorn that is not fresh. Service was rude. Waited 20minutes just to get change for the toy machines. Awful

Went to grab a drink after lunch and this place was super fast! Employees were kind and efficient! My tea was delicious!

Okay I am used a certain type of milk tea and I should have know. Just from the pics I knew but ordered anyways. The milk tea was white and had no flavor, I ended up throwing it away. I even offered it to my family and no one wanted it. My son got a brown sugar and that was mediocre compared to other places. I would stick to their popcorn, And pass on the boba drinks. read more

Poor service, poor quality items. Not sure how this place has as high of a rating as it does. It's purely a tourist trap as the stale popcorn and (sickeningly sweet) boba drinks are not very good. Pass on this if you're in the area and go anywhere else. I have only met the owner once when they opened and its been a year or so since they opened. We go an average of twice a month to eat at Gonzo's and we always come downstairs to hang around the fountain for a bit and step in here to see if anything has changed. My kids like to get the cheap little toys from the quarter machines. I just went tonight and had an incident with the little toy machines and was trying to get a toy for my daughter when the toy never came out after depositing the quarters into the machine. There were two high school girls manning the store and as l tell them it didn't work l get an excuse of: "We don't actually own the machines." I stopped her halfway and said l understand you don't service or own the machines but you agree to let them stay here for money in return. The least they could have done was offered to refund me the quarters. But instead they then tell me, "Yeah we know, that specific machine has been having problems." Which further angered me because they know it's an issue and have done nothing about it. I told them if they know then the least they can do is to put a sign over it saying it's not working. Which they then thankfully did. I asked where the owner was, in which they responded he is often at another store there in the center. I am actually surprised they're still able to make rent as there aren't ever many customers in there. And l would bet good money they don't get repeat customers based on what I have tried there. I agree with someone else who said something is off here. I have always felt this place to be off as well. And tonight's incident sealed the deal, we won't be back again ever. I love boba but this place isn't even on my radar for boba. TapEx is my preference. read more

This is a cute store, but there were major issues. First, make sure to look at the menu that has the higher prices. Yes, they have 2 menus up with different prices. Go figure. The total amount charged came to $8.50 (quite high). I had only looked at one menu, assuming the 2nd one was the specials for the day, and I pointed out that I was overcharged about $1.50. The girls pointed out that the prices were correct based on the second menu that was up that I didn't go off of. You would think that they would have offered me a partial refund, but no. Nothing. I even asked if I could have a larger than normal sample of their kettle corn to sort of make up for it, but they said they couldn't because they'd have to charge me for the price of a cup (really??) and only gave me 10 kernels. Then I tried my Thai tea. I have been to many places before to buy Thai tea, and this was the weirdest (read: grossest) tea I have ever had. It was definitely not drinkable, so I asked to switch to a strawberry iced tea figuring that it was innocuous enough, but it too was very gross because it has rosewater or some lavender flowery thing in it. Anyone coming in to buy either one of those, I would highly recommend that you ask for a little sample first. . read more

Friendly staff!! The staff were kind and super attentive. When you walk in you can smell the popcorn right away. It's a cute little shop with great lighting inside. The space is small--there is no indoor seating, however there is plenty of space outside as the shop is located in a small shopping center in Carlsbad. They use non-dairy creamer for their milk teas and most of their popcorn is also dairy free. I purchased a strawberry milk tea with boba as well as lemon flavored popcorn--the drink was sweet with fresh boba and the popcorn was likewise fresh. They do serve the popcorn in a bag that can be sealed right there by request. There are many flavors of popcorn that you can't find at your typical popcorn shack. If you don't know what flavor of popcorn to try you can ask for a sample! If you have a sweet tooth this is a great place to stop by for a snack! read more

Always Popping - Strawberry Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all