I'm SOOOOO disgusted ! I mean don't get me wrong I love this place and order from here a lot but today they just let it get out of hand, there were so many nasty flies near the lights and they were crawling around the tables EVERYWHERE. And they kept the doors wide open to let more and more in. What's even more disgusting is I ordered food to go and when I opened my bag there was a fly dying on the top of my drink! I called to let them know about the problem and all they told me was "ok sorry". I really really hope this problem is addressed because I come pretty regularly and I wouldn't want it to happen again. read more

Tapioca Express - Disgusting..... - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

This is my go-to-spot for an Almond snow bubble with boba. I've tried other places but this place makes it the best. I have been here over a dozen times to order this drink and they have never disappointed me. The location is small but busy. They have about 6 tables and most of the time they are occupied with students or people on laptops, so I always order to-go. I have also tried some of their food. Their sausage and rice combo was just okay, I may or may not try it again. On the other hand, my fiance and I do enjoy their popcorn chicken. We usually stop by here late at night, so the popcorn chicken is the perfect size and taste for a late night snack. read more

Stopped by here while visiting an old buddy of mine in Monterey Park... I was looking for a joint where they served tasty popcorn chicken and my friend recommended this place being that it's the original location for Tapioca Express. Without hesitate hearing that it's not too far and also it's the place it started it the craze I decided to go for it... First of all, I used to come here quite often to eat! (This area got the most concentrated Taiwanese style food that I love and also it's probably the only place around Southern California so now I try to come at least 1-2 times per few months.... (quite a drive for me for food!) So as I remembered this place had horrible parking! Despite it's got sort of a parking structure it is always super crowded which makes parking a pain. I was fortunate though remembering how the parking was and found a spot on the sidewalk so I decided just to park there instead... just a very short walk but it's worth not having the headache of getting into the structure and fighting with people over parking... The place is super small! (I used to come to the Lollicup so I never seen this place) The menu is pretty huge and lots of snacks available so that's an upside. Since no one is waiting so I proceeded to place my order of 3 popcorn chicken and one taro icy. (It's not all for me in case you were wondering... man... what a pig!!! =P) Service was decent and speed was pretty quick. However, after tasting the chicken I realized that I've had much better elsewhere. (There is this one place in Arcadia which had double the portion and tastes so much better with fresh basil! I'll yelp it next time I'm there because I forgot the name!) The taro icy was ok...I like the fact it's not overly sweet, but yet, it's so creamy that I couldn't really taste too much of the taro... (I'll yelp another location with awesome taro icy where "REAL" taro were used in making the drink, and not powder flavoring. Again, Don't remember the name but will share as soon as I go there again) It was a quick in and quick out trip for me but perhaps I can try their other items on the menu...but as far as popcorn chicken I don't think I'll get it again there... 1 positive note and 1 negative note..... Positive: While looking for this place I found Boiling crab of Alhambra! Gotta try it next time but man the parking looked like a horror movie...... not sure if I have the patience for the parking or the wait! (one of the fellow yelper Anna mentioned that 2 hr. wait was the norm?? I think I'll go to the original in OC if that's the case...) Negative: After the food came out, why they gotta yell out my order? I mean I was standing in front of the guy and he took my order.. he could of hand it to me instead of screaming out of the top of his lungs "3 orders of popcorn chicken spicy!" Man... how embarrassing because that is not all for me.... I'm like totally turning red for being such a pig! LOL! next time I'll bring people with me if I'm getting more than 1 order! read more

The first establishment that I believe that started all the boba craze... Tapioca Express. I remember back in high school driving 15 miles for a strawberry snowbubble milk tea.... My taste buds have changed as I have gotten older and I either order a green tea or a black tea as I try to avoid the dairy sweet crap. Parking lot can get packed, lots of fobs, teeny boppers, people loitering outside the shop because of its size. read more

Tapioca Express was a Shalyn W recommendation. I completely understand why it's addictive. Nice for a change, but equivalent to fast food in prices too. My aunt likes it as much as me. Chinese fast food.... Great! read more

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The T.E. Crunchin Chicken has a lot of breading. I had the chance of tasting the crispy chicken and it tastes good medium spicy.

This Tap Ex location is pretty tiny compared to a lot of others I've been to, I come here because I'm usually in Alhambra and if I need a quick drink I'll stop by. Depending on the hour of the day, parking can be a nightmare, and the terrible asian parkers/drivers around here scoping for parking don't make life much easier either. If you come early or late enough, parkings a breeze though. Service here is pretty quick, even if there is a line, the longest you'll probably wait is 10 minutes for your order. The Taro snow bubble and almond is good; taste is consistent on most drinks here which I like. The popcorn chicken is good and crispy, the fried tofu is always hot, spicy, crispy and they give you this sauce that goes with it to dip..yum! I'd only come back for the snow bubbles/fried tofu though. They take credit now, if you don't have cash, there is a $5.00 minimum which is pretty much 2 drinks or 1 drink & 1 snack anyways. They do offer wifi, but if you're seriously trying to study, this place would probably not be ideal..lots of loud people come through every couple of minutes. read more

I go here every night to the point they know exactly what im going to get. I love the service here... I would totally recommend my friend to come here. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

I've stopped by 4-5 times so that makes me a solid fan. The black bubble tea with a double dose of boba is super good. Their avocado soy milk snow tea- reeeaaally tasty. Drinks are really good. Service is good. Prices are comfortable. Free Wi-fi and cleaner than most tea spots within a 1 mile radius... read more

I come here a lot and they don't jip you out on the snacks. I always order the fish cake mild spice and it's always the perfect amount of spice! The honey green tea is my favorite drink, simple and refreshing! Customer service is what drives me to be a regular here all the time! Shalyn is very nice and friendly and provides the best service!!!! read more

I always order grapefruit juice at this location. There were two new guys today. They added tons water to the grapefruit juice. It tastes like water! 3PM August 30th 2015. I will never go back again!! read more

Tapioca Express - Watery grapefruit juice - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

Much like any other run of the mill boba shop, but I have always received good service here and is why I am bumping them up to a solid 3 star. That, and they have Wu Long nai cha, unlike some of the other Tap Ex. The snacks always seemed a tad better than the other Tap Ex I reviewed as well. Dunno. It isn't the best quality tea ever, that is a given... but it ain't bad. For better actual tea, do yourself a favor and check out CoffTea just a little bit east of here on Valley. This particular Tap Ex is even smaller than CoffTea as well. But I do like this joint, maybe just because I always got good service, even for a white guy, unlike many other tea shops in SGV. Only con I have experienced is the wanna-be-gangster-boys that hang out there seem to be some real idiots. Spitting and smoking outside, throwing their cigarettes all over and acting like they are 10. Could really do without that, I would say the 'group' that frequents here are even worse than the group that hangs at the Las Tunas store. read more

I regretted taking my family here today. We ordered 2 simple drinks and the wait was nearly half an hr. I understand of there were a crowd but we were the only people I the shop. Stay away from this place. Bad service bad attitudes bad experience read more

Even though they have a lot in the back, it's not very convenient. The lot is always crowded, has small spots, and serves many different retail establishments. The orders: For me - large milk tea boba, easy on the ice. For Princess - large strawberry icy boba The bobas were nice and fresh - slightly chewy. The milk tea was not too bland and not too sweet. Princess insisted that I try some of her strawberry icy, which had a slight hint of lychee flavoring. Service was quick and friendly. They also knew how to make change - YAY! read more

I'm hella mad. I've been coming here for a good ten years, and I have always LOVED this place to pieces. Every time I was at my auntie's place, I would walk on over to Tapioca Express and leave completely satisfied when I take the first sip of my drink with their smooth, chewy balls of perfection. I came back last week for the first time in about six months to complete disappointment! The first day I was just likeeee, "What the fuck happened?" HOPING that I came on a bad day. I had to come back again for a second time to confirm it... I haven't had disgusting tapioca milk tea in a loooong ass time. Their boba is now chunky and soft, basically falls apart in your mouth. Not. Down. I am a sad panda. read more

SO much better than the one in Focus Plaza. Unlike the one down the street, this Tapioca has Thai tea with grass jelly AND calamari rings. Those are really delicious (but i prefer my Thai tea w/ grass jelly at Lollicup since its cheaper, more flavorful and next door). Mmm calamari rings - $2.99 for like 5-6 pretty big rings. Chicken is decent too! Nice service. Pretty small place though. Parking is pretty small, but it hasn't been a problem for me the 5+ times I've been there. Great place to stop by everytime I'm in the area. Check it out read more

HUGE disappointment. I know I said I would make this my go-to boba place because of the prices. The prices are very attractive, if you compare them to other tea places (e.g. Tea Station, Tea Zone) but the past few times I went, I didn't get what I paid for. I went to TapEx today for lunch, thinking that I would order a food + drink combo meal: Crispy Chicken + Rice + Tapioca Jasmine Milk Tea. It woulda been $3.99+ Tax if I got the regular green/black tea that it comes with, but I decided to upgrade, so it went up to $5.85. Decent. Well, seemingly, they aren't consistent with their crispy chicken combo. Where's my egg? Oh well. That wasn't the downer. The real disappointment was the tea. It tasted like almond for some reason. Bleh. This wasn't the first time... and since i paid for the upgrade, I went back to tell 'em. Well, i stood there for about 5 minutes and the "barista" (if you can even call her that) ignored me. She wasn't really doing anything. She just decided to move to the other side of the cashier, who was finishing a transaction. She finally came to me and asked me what I wanted. I explained and it turns out that she wouldn't make me another drink because "it would be the same thing". She said they pre-make all the tea and then just get it out of the same bucket. Eww. I'm drinking tea that was made out of a bucket. Okay, maybe wrong word choice, but I knew what she meant. So I asked if she could just make a fresh jasmine milk tea and she refused. (really? you just add milk and boba... that's all!) Ultimately, i didn't want any of their other drinks, so I told her I'd like to downgrade and just have the regular green tea. She told me she'd never done that before, but she would do it for me. I guess that was nice of her... What can I say? She did what she said she would. It just so happened that the tea she gave me was in a used cup - the label ripped off, and a plastic cap over it. Thanks TapEx. I hope you invest and make millions with the dime that you saved by not giving me a new cup. Why didn't I notice the used cup before I drank it? (sigh) Excuse me while I get tested for mono + herpes. Who knows where that cup came from.... Next time I want to get my chicken + rice + tea combo, I'm going next door, to trusty, corporate Lollicup. The portion of food is greater and fresher, the tea is made to order, and service is the best I've had around these parts. The VIP discount doesn't hurt either. :) Never again, TapEx. NEVER AGAIN. read more

So disappointed with their watermelon juice! When I normally order it at any of these boba places, it is just liquified watermelon; nothing more, nothing less. Here it was 4 pieces of watermelon, with the liquid sugar, blended with water, and topped with ice. It was so gross! It was barely watermelon flavored water. I also had a taro milk tea and my friend had a regular milk tea. Those were okay, nothing terrible, nothing special. With that said, I definitely won't be back here since everywhere else makes those, plus their watermelon juice is actually juice. read more

Hey popcorn chicken lovers!! I've been to many places for popcorn chicken, and this place by far has THE best popcorn chicken. I always get medium spicy. It's the perfect amount of spice that gives it a kick, and you can still enjoy the taste of the chicken. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

The way you rate a Boba place, I think is by their milk tea (most popular) and the green / black tea. That is the base for which they make alot of drinks, so if they can't accomplish something like that, then maybe it's not so good. This Tapioca Ex makes decent green tea, a bit on the bitter side and the sugar tastes a bit off, but probably because they use real sugar instead of fructose. Or, maybe its cheap fructose!! One star off for bad service. I got some yogurt thing which was kind of not good so I asked for a refund. The guy said 'no'. I usually try not to judge an establishment based on their crappy employees, because sometimes its not their fault that they hired a moody person. Bad thing is, there are too many young people here and 'cool' people watching everyone else, and there's not alot of room and they always have the music so loud. You're right next to the blenders. The bathroom key (was, or maybe still) is attached to a plastic jug. All in all, I'd pass. They used to be cheaper too, but as with everything else prices have gone up a little. Mediocre customer service. There was a really nice girl who used to work there, let me borrow her cell phone one time, she moved next door to Lollicup! read more

Okay.. do ppl know they sell snowy here? Not just shaved ice, but snowy... like from Class 302, PaPa Walk, Tasty To Go, Fluffy Ice? And it's good. And the girl who served me hooked me up with the toppings. I got mangos, kiwi, mango jello on one side and the other side, I got red bean, green bean and four different color mochis all over. All this over the milky flavored snowy. Heck yeah.. $6! PaPa Walk's always good.. but this is half the price and as good. Screw the long lines at Class 302. This is my to-go spot for snowy.. oh, but there's no seats.. because ppl like to park themselves here for hours.. they play cards, read chinese mags, like ppl do at cafes.. but for hours on end. read more

When I used to work a mile away, this would be my go-to place for boba. The place is somewhat cozy and there's a couple of tables and seating for about 10-15 people. If you are coming with a group of more than 3 or 4, I suggest taking it to-go. There are two entrances, one from the plaza and one in front of Valley Blvd. I've have been here many times and the quality and the price of the boba does not disappoint! I usually get a large green apple or peach snow bubble and it was less than $3.50 after tax! I prefer the peach snow bubble rather than the green apple because the green apple can get a bit too sweet and artificial in taste. The service is good and they are very friendly. If you have an urge for some quick boba and on a tight budget, this Tapioca Express location is the place for you. read more

This location isn't like the other tapioca express. First off the sitting area is a bit cramped compared to other locations. Additionally, I saw the person making my drink lick the spatula after she made a snow bubble I ordered which made me very uneasy about coming to this location again. read more

i have become a regular at this place for one reason and one reason only: The boba is cheap! Me and my boyfriend together is only 5.67 I get the jasmine green tea or black tea. Both are good especially if you're thirsty. Love this place. Staff is great. You can't go wrong with this place. read more

Comes to this place a lot, however I just want to have $20 exchange for $10 and $5s here today, the cashier refused to help with it, and her attitude is very rude. I will definitely not come back this place read more

Okay well, I got to write a review on this one because this is where my cousin first introduced me and my family to boba and I been a fan ever since. I been going to Tapioca express for the last 7 years now and man I am loving it. anyways I first had the Finland juice and it was super good. But anyways I used to get two of those drinks when I visited my aunts place. But now since there is one in Cerritos, I go to that one =) Anyways it is super good super fun and the service is still great. read more

My taste buds have become refined, but my love for sugary starch globs in a refined sugar ice liquid has not changed (much). Summary: Nothing amazing but just a cheap staple I can count on for my boba fix. Parking: Hit or miss in the back lot, up stairs, or just park on the street to avoid the Asian chaos. Service: Fine, they take my order, I wait and get my drink. Nothing stellar but they are usually friendly enough. Also the check I.D. for card purchases to prevent identity theft. Always a nice touch to me. Beverages: $1.99 for boba milk tea. Oh yea, 400+ calories in a cup that I could inhale in minutes. Add pudding that is like a jello consistancy for some change and increase the fat? Of course I would! Lately I have been getting Honey Green Tea with Grass Jelly. My favorite drink of all time is still Passionfruit Green Tea with Lychee Jelly. Sugar upon sugar for my diabeetus one day. read more

Great little spot for some boba or snow bubble... tried the hazelnut snow and it was not that great...flavor was there but wayyy to milky in my opinion. Another disappointment was that they were all out of the Asian style creme brule! and that's the only dessert that they serve!! IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT TAKE IT OFF THE DAMN MENU! ... what a tease... oh yea its cash only! read more

I've spent most of my weekends here as the "kicking spot". Quality of the drinks are on point. Parking is decent but it can get bad at times. From all of the boba places I've been to, hands down this is the best price ever. A big fan of the mini boba so if you wanna change it up I'd highly reccomend that versus the large boba. Late night munchies isn't a problem, the popcorn chicken is on point! I never really have had much issues with this place, all the employees I came across while ordering has been always nice and polite. Have yet to have had an issue with any of my orders. The only downside is as I mentioned earlier is the parking, also the indoor seating is quite small so if you come in a big group you're SOL. Alot of significant moments were spent here so this TapX will be a part of my life forever! read more

That is the place I go often. They are drink is cheap and taste good. Most the drink there is only cost 2- 3 dollars. I think they make the best crispy chicken on that area. By the way, the have the A back for health inspection. read more

Nice boba stop. This Tapioca Express was the first store to open before launching its franchise elsewhere. The drinks here are generally good. I usually get green tea (w/less sugar). Jasmine Green Tea is a taiwanese kind of cold drink. To make it right depends on brewing time and the kind of tea stock. I usually get it with less sugar so I can taste the right brew or if it taste like chlorinated green tea. Every boba shop makes green tea, but their not always good. This Tapioca Express usually gets it right most of the time. Another good place is Quickly next to the bowling alley near New Ave. across from 168 Market Another favorite is Barley Milk Tea if you like pulpy drinks. read more

BEST BOBA HOUSE EVER. I literally drive all the way from Glendale when I crave boba just to come here. They have things other boba house just don't have or don't want to accommodate to. As in, they can make almost ANY milk tea vegan with soy milk (they also don't charge extra for it either ). They have best spicy fries around. Idk what it is about the texture, but they're so good. They're also the only boba place I've seen that have a oolong-green mix and agar as a topping. read more

Bobas always fresh and also friendly service. Snacks are fairly good as well. Parking in front or in the back.

HI EVERYONE AVIOD THIS SHIT HOLE PLACE. They serve mold . AND THEY THINK ITS NORMAL AND OKAY. Like wtf .. after 3-4 hours my drank sat on the table and it turned into mold and the next day I called them and asked why r they serving customer MOLD or why does this even happen and if it's drinkable and they said no so I'm like okay can I get my refund and they said NO even tho they served me this piece of crap. Wtf . 2/7/15 around 9pm. Never ever coming back to this place. And they expect me to get this settle and resolve the same day to get a refund when THEY WERE CLOSED BY THEN. So is it my fault I couldn't reach this establishment? They only way I could've communicated back to this shit place and its the next day . I hope this place closed down. Tip for everyone is to get boba next door it's worth paying extra few quarters for better non mold drinks . read more

Tapioca Express - THEY SERVE MOLD HERE . - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

Tap Ex is a place I go to for quick boba that always satisfies my cravings. I usually come here after I get my haircut since my barber is really close by. Their afternoon happy hour deals are legit! It's a popcorn chicken rice and green/black tea (which I usually upgrade to tapioca milk tea) combo at a nice affordable price. The chicken is always solid (especially with the sweet and sour sauce they have - costs 25c) and their boba milk tea has a nice coffee taste to it that I really enjoy. The boba is not as fresh as other places but at this price, it's a good deal. read more

Fav place for spicy crispy chicken and Green tea + milk.

Okay I'm biased because I only get one drink here, and I happen to love that drink. Normally I am pretty skeptical of the chain stores because I'm just not a fan of chain stores especially boba places because their drinks are mediocre at best. However, after trying a countless number of places with lavender tea I have to say this place beats half n half, very sad but true because they actually use real lavender here so you get all the fragrance that comes with the flowery drink. Also I'm happy because I pay only half the price, so it's definitely a lot cheaper and they still make my order with a quarter sugar. The milk tea is standard but oh so good when its with lavender, (but you don't get to choose black/green, it's always black). The lavender tea is delicious in cold winter when you ask for it to be served warm. Also depending on the person taking your order, they will gladly make you a sample of something if you're unsure. read more

Just picked up an icy coffee ($3.65), and although I've always have been a customer of Tapioca Express vs others...today they lacked on quality and attention to detail. My regular size drink seems to be almost an inch empty from the top. I wish they would be more attentive to details such as that, because I feel like I didn't get what I paid for. read more

Tapioca Express - An inch missing from top of drink...is it worth what I paid for? - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alhambra, California

Just strolling along in Alhambra looking for a place to get boba and I came across this place. It's good! However, their card minimum made me get a snack from the menu. I got the squid balls. Let me tell you, they are amazing at mild. Pretty cozy space. Parking is right inside. These guys are open late and have fair prices for items. Quick and friendly service. Try this place out for yourself! read more

Love going there for my favorite icy red bean drink, use free WIFI. but .... there are times they'd play RAP music that has un-appropriate lyrics. "pop that pussy" . "bust that ass". "suck my dick". don't think professional place like that should play such music. other than that, its a nice and affordable place to go. read more