The year was 1996. I had flowy locks of hair that were wildly styled by the wind. I was in the SGV and wanted my after-school drink. Tapioca Express was my preferred spot for my boba milk tea. Fast forward to 2026 and I came here to Cerritos Towne Center for my nostalgic favorite. I taste a little tea, but mostly sugar and non-dairy creamer. Boba is fine and this drink does the job. These days I want something more tea forward; however, I do like that it brings me back. Nice thing about these locations is that they do have some good Taiwanese food options if you want a snack to go with your drink. read more

Like many reviewers, tapioca express is a nostalgic place for me. My mom used to bring me and my siblings here after school to spilt a milk tea and a snack. The plaza is no longer as busy as it used to be so I'm sure that contributes to the pricing of their menu but I paid 16 dollars for a large popcorn chicken, as pictured. I think if you look at tastea or itsbobatime, the portion and pricing doesn't compete. read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy Popcorn Chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Located in the middle of Cerritos Towne Center, this spot offers tons of drink options (milk teas, fruit teas, coffees--you name it). The drinks are consistently good and hit the spot every time. Our usual orders-tapioca milk tea, frosting milk and taro smoothie. They also offer snacks and food items if you're in the mood for more than just boba. We love their popcorn chicken. It's always freshly cooked-hot and flavorful. The staff here is friendly too. The inside is clean with glass walls that let in a lot of natural light. There is only one table inside, so it's more of a grab-and-go spot rather than a place to sit and hang out. Just noticed that prices have gone up a bit, probably due to inflation. It's slightly pricier than some other boba places nearby, but the convenience and variety make it worth checking out if you're in the area. read more

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I didn't even know there was a Tapioca Express in Cerritos until I looked it up. It is actually hidden in the Cerritos Towne Center next to the movie theater. Unless you are going to the movie theater, one wouldn't know it was there unless you searched for it. They should provide additional signage throughout the strip mall. It was typical tapioca express franchise food. I ordered their pork chop rice combo which also came with an iced green tea. It was okay, although it was pretty pricey for the combo itself. Inflation is reflected in the pricing. The selection of food at this particular location appeared to be quite limited. Not only that, when I went to find a trash can, there were none nearby. read more

Tapioca Express - Pork Chop Rice - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

This is one of the boba places I used to go to when I went to nursing school and I haven't been around the area in 10+ years, but man has this place gone downhill. I cannot believe I paid almost $10 for a drink! It wasn't even crazy customization or anything! IT'S A THAI TEA! I figured maybe they imported the leaves from Thailand and the tariffs were really hitting them hard, but no. It's something I could've made at home. I asked for half sweet and I feel like they just watered it down. Like, you can't even see the milk! The difference in the regular and large size is 8 ounces and they upcharged a whole ass dollar! A (Trenta) 30 ounce at Starbucks is only $7! This some crazy work! I don't know if there's a place to report them or what cause for $9 for a 24 ounces Thai tea is diabolical! I definitely won't be back here ever again. I'll be back for Ross, Kohl's, Bath & Body Works, Ulta, and Trader Joe's. read more

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I absolutely loved my visit to Tapioca Express! The food was so delicious. I had the crispy pork chop with a side of tempura shrimp, and everything was amazing. The pork chop was perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside, and it came with egg, cabbage, and pork stew that was full of flavor and super comforting. My cold green tea was refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness. Everything tasted fresh and was beautifully made. The restaurant is cute, clean, and has both inside and outside seating, which made it such a nice vibe to hang out and enjoy my food. The staff were kind, friendly, and really made me feel welcome. I will definitely be coming back again to try all the other food and drinks on the menu. Tapioca Express is such a great spot for anyone who loves Taiwanese food and boba tea! read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy pork chop - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

their popcorn chicken is already pricey and then they charge extra for the sweet chili sauce?! the drinks aren't great. I rarely come here. it's only out of necessity if i'm going to the movies and don't have enough time to go to Lollicup or Class 302 first. But seeing the different extra charges, I'll forgo boba in the future. read more

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

I hate to give 1 star for TapX. I grew up with TapX. I used to go so often during my high school years. It was one of the few boba places with good prices with quality drinks. They also provided great deals for food combos. This is my first time at this location. Although service was alright but the tea was disgustingly sweet. Not to mention the ugly price. $7.50 FOR A L JADE GREEN TEA THAT TASTED LIKE WATER WITH ROCK SUGARS!!!! WTH??? I was so thirsty, but I didnt wanna drink my tea. Even other places with high-quality tea don't cost as much or about the same price. I m more sadden than disappointed. Old is not always better... I gotta believe this now. read more

Tapioca Express - Jade green tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

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Always good drinks to get here when needed a snack, something cold, or warm, and make tummy feel happy. read more

Tapioca Express - Brown sugar frosti with egg custard. No boba. And my almond coffee in the back. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

My favorite place to get a classic milk tea when I'm in Cerritos! Brian is the best and provides such great customer service. My best friend and I love coming here for the welcoming service and delicious milk tea (our order is always a milk tea with boba). The store is always so clean and the drink quality is always great. My last visit here, I ordered food and got the chicken and tofu, both mild spice. The food came out hot and not too spicy. Also, the boba is always fresh when I visit and I haven't been disappointed yet. Can't wait to come back here again for my milk tea! read more

I used to love Tapex but prices here reflect inflation and location dues. There are other boba places that charge better for drinks and snacks. At almost $11 it was disappointing to get this bag at maybe a quarter or one third full. read more

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

It's painful to write a poor review. I don't often post below average reviews but I feel it's worth mentioning. I came on a Saturday late afternoon. I ordered an almond milk tea. I didn't ask for a sugar adjustment and added boba topping. The drink was not even hot - it was lukewarm- cup wasn't warm to even warrant the hot sleeve and the drink was not tasty. I have other almond milk tea to compare this was the worst. In addition- we ordered large crispy chicken- it was dry and not worth upgrading to a large - it was a size of a small order. There are other worthy bobas - don't need to stop here read more

Prices doubled and portions halved. $14 for a "large" popcorn chicken. It's disgusting how greedy the owner became read more

Tapioca Express - Sad amount of chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Food and drinks has always been great. If we want something out of the ordinary taste for food, we come here. Service is fast and they are friendly. read more

Tapioca Express - Menu as of 12.2024 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

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Spent $13 on the crispy chicken (popcorn chicken) and the order had maybe 19 pieces of chicken. It feels like a small quantity for such a big mark up... read more

Stopped by Tapioca Express in the Cerritos Towne Center for a snack they sell various Taiwanese cuisine items and drinks. I got their Crispy Chicken meal that comes with a drink choice of green tea or black tea. Crispy Chicken meal includes crispy pepper seasoned chicken, vegetable, Taiwanese pork stew, egg and rice. The flavors of the Crispy Chicken Meal were good but slightly salty for my preference. No Tapioca Express patio seating. read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy Chicken Meal - crispy pepper seasoned chicken, vegetable, Taiwanese pork stew, egg and rice. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

I've gone to this location since I was a teen, like since 2011 its one of few cerritos Towne center stores thats been arround so long. My gl to is the crispy chicken large with a side of rice. My order is always flavorful. Prices have gone up but so has price of food cost evreywhere they not gauging keys just reality these days. I dont order the meals Becky want my choice if milk tea or snow bubble so I get large crispy chiken snack and side always in just combine it and order drink of my choice. read more

Tapioca Express - a person holding a skewer of food - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Dang why so expensive lately? Disappointing. I've been coming here for years and I've witness their price gouging over the years. Popcorn chicken was half way full and price was unbelievable. And no you didn't give me the wrong size of bag you knew that your prices went up and it's sad for the community what you are doing. Also when they ask if you want their dipping sauce they don't tell you that it's extra charge until you get your receipt . Yes this is inflation! read more

Tapioca Express - Wrong order! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Nastiest matcha I've ever tried. Honestly the first red flag was it being brown looking not even green.. I was soo disappointed bc I've been craving matcha for a while now and finally caved in only for it to end up tasting nothing like matcha at all. I had to throw away after two sips couldn't even finish it.. Seriously how can you mess up matcha?! Also the boba balls were very chewy :\ read more

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

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After a long and strenuous hike my uncle, my dad and I decided to fill our belly with a drink from Tapioca Express. And Express it was. The drinks came out super fast and barely seemed like a weed at all. My dad had his first Boba and enjoyed it and personally if he can enjoy it so can you lol Nice place small place in a local shopping center. read more

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Growing up in Cerritos, I'm pretty familiar with the Asian food options in this area. I am so happy that Tapioca Express has stayed around all these years. I love their drink options from their refreshing teas to their yummy slushes. I often crave their combo boxes, the squid balls and their Taiwanese sausages. My favorite is their popcorn chicken and stew meat over rice. Honestly, the flavor is awesome and the fact that you can customize the level of spice makes it easy to please everyone in my family. I enjoy just picking this up and sitting under the covered patio in front of the theater on a nice day to eat. The staff is always friendly and the food quality is consistent. read more

The only shop near Cerritos that consistently makes fresh boba daily and has some pretty nice milk teas/snowbubble. I've yet had old/hard boba in my drinks for the times I've come here. They are a bit pricey, so I recommend sticking to their popular drinks because they have a lot of iffy flavors. Here are my top 3: Milk Tea w/Boba Taro Milk Tea wTBoba Snow Bubble Milk Tea w/Boba read more

The workers were nice and drinks came out pretty fast despite our large order. The only downside was that the drinks were a lot sweeter than ones I've tried at other locations. The Jasmine Milk Tea had the classic floral taste that I really like from Tapioca Express but it was too sweet, I'd recommend adjusting the sweetness. We also got the Mango for the first time and it was really yummy, tasted similar to Vietnamese yogurt dessert. read more

Tapioca Express - Mango Yogurt Frost - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

The food here is A-OK. It's consistent and the food is decent for the price. I always get the fried porkchop that comes with a tea egg and minced pork with rice. It comes with a green/black tea. All pretty good but not spectacular. So this place gets an A-OK. read more

A wonderful selection of drinks and on a normal day the service is quick. The quality is always consistent and the service is great! I love coming to this location and also brining in others to join me! My favorite is the rose vanilla milk tea, but I always mix it up since there's such a wide selections of drinks! read more

I am so disappointed. This is my childhood. I have so many memories with TE but they haven't been doing so hot over the years and so many other boba spots have beat them in variety and taste. I ordered the barley milk tea and was surprised there was actual barley bits in it? I've never had that before and it made the drink more difficult to consume. The milk tea had no flavor and the boba itself wasn't sweet. read more

Tapioca Express - barley milk tea and taro milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

This place is pretty good because they offer many many drinks from smoothies to milk teas, boba, fruit drinks and also hot drinks and also food items from popcorn chicken to many different finger to go foods. It's kinda hidden right next to the theater on the right so if you never been to Cerritos town center it's hard to see from the parking lot. Another to to find it is it's behind islands burgers. read more

There are so many boba spots in the area that I can't say this place stands out at all. They have a good selection of drinks and I'm not a boba person so I won't be helpful on that topic. I did notice their food was decently priced so I figured why not! I don't know if you are like me but at these spots if there is popcorn chicken that is usually the one I will try first! Has any place gone wrong with popcorn chicken? Not for me. Their chicken was good! My son loved it! Unfortunately for the portion size and price of $6 I don't know if I'll come back for it. They have a choice of regular or Large and I ordered the regular. I did not think it would be this small of a portion. Oh well. NEXT! Their drink that I tried was ok. Like I said I'm not a huge fan of this place but it's not bad it's not great. You will just have to try it for yourself. read more

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

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This spot has been here forever. The Mrs. frequently goes for their Crispy chicken snack and their various Milk tea's. Most recently the Mrs. was shopping at Ross, so Ian and I ventured here and ordered the following: Mango yogurt frost with exploding mango boba ($5.55). This drink was delicious. I love me some exploding mango boba. I think I like yogurt based drinks better than ice cream based ones! Crisp Chicken snack ($5.20). I asked for the chicken spicy and each bite had a nice kick to it. Tapioca Express Chicken has always been consistently good all these years. The good thing about this place is the multiple employees working. I was helped by no less than 3 employees during my 5 minute stay here. Employees were on the shy side, but had good recommendations when I inquired into specials, and popular choices. Menu is extensive and some of the drinks are on the pricier side. They prepare everything after you order. So, place an order, relax, and enjoy a refreshing drink! read more

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I've been getting milk tea with boba here, my standard order, for quite a while. Turns out I've never left a review/rating for them. It's due time. This location is in Cerritos Towne Center. You can't see it from the main parking lot; it's hidden back by the movie theater, behind Islands. They have an enormous menu of options to choose from as far as drinks. So many options yet I have never strayed from milk tea with boba. Boring, I know, but I like the way they make it here. If you like your boba to be on the soft side this is the place to go. The owner is exceptionally friendly and the workers are quite nice. Sometimes they are really busy so no time for idle chit chat! A couple tables are located inside and lots of patio tables are available. A cute, informative short video that talks about this specific location's various offerings can be found here: https://youtu.be/AHQ8mi9wxho read more

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

My first experience here was not great and so I decIded to give it a second chance. Honestly, one of the worse drinks I have had. I ordered a large Lychee Green Tea with Lychee Jelly. I feel like it's really hard to mess that up considering it's tea and syrup. Tell me why did my drink taste more like lemon than lychee... and there is lychee jelly in it to enhance and support the lychee flavor! I basically paid $6 for a drink I could not enjoy. It's been 3 hours and I haven't found myself to finish... It would be cheaper for me to walk around the corner to get a larger tea at Starbucks... which, I will be doing so next time I am desperate for a tea. read more

This TapEx has been in the town center forever, they've moved to a larger space. It looks like their menu has expanded and although they've got some fun new offerings like mangonada, I think I'll stick the the classics of Thai Tea & Mango Snow Bubble. read more

Tapioca Express is a nice place to drop by especially before and/or after watching a movie next door. They offer a variety of drinks and snacks. There are several tables both inside and outside to dine at. A few of our favorite items are the following: Squid Balls Chi Chi Fries Passion Fruit Tea Watermelon Juice Service has always been GREAT!! Tapioca Express is hidden away so you won't be able to find them from your car when you are driving. They are worth finding, though, so go there now! Yup, I am a fan! read more

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Food doesn't taste good, we order the squid calamari as shown on the picture they gave as squid balls , we order a green thai tea they gave different once and 18 pcs they served 12 pcs only read more

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

My wife makes me go here once a month, expensive but good quality drinks. Service is good no complaints, location is clean and legit

"And I'm on tonight You know my hips don't lie And I'm starting to feel it's right All the attraction, the tension Don't you see baby, this is perfection." - "Hips Don't Lie", Shakira When it comes to fried food and sweet drinks, my hips certainly don't lie. I used to frequent the Tapioca Express In Lakewood, located on South St. and Woodruff Ave. Having closed many years ago, I missed their crispy chicken (aka popcorn chicken) and pork chop plates. Many a day were they my go-to dinner or mid-afternoon merienda. Usually whenever I'm at the Cerritos Town Centre, I hit up Yasai for some hardcore sushi action, passing up Tapioca Express, The Great Steak & Potato Company etc. Hearing my stomach rumbling with hunger pains of yesteryear, I finally indulged this Tapioca Express so they can show me what they're working with. Yup, had to order the porkchop plate & crispy chicken plate, mild spice with both including choice of iced black or green tea. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tapioca-express-cerritos?select=4sz-I46LklKyf6Cn8MZ_xw#4sz-I46LklKyf6Cn8MZ_xw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tapioca-express-cerritos?select=4sz-I46LklKyf6Cn8MZ_xw#ls8KZT32kJA9uY_pi59TQA Greasy, yet good. The porkchop was tender with each bite, the chicken moist and sized in perfect poppable bites. Both were seasoned well, even if they were supposed to be mild. The cabbage was soggy, but the soy sauce egg was as delicious as I remembered. The ground pork reminded me of corned beef and the few slices of Taiwanese sausage were the combination of both sweet and savory. Maybe my nostalgia has rose-tinted glasses, but the plates didn't taste as good as I remembered. Or, it could be my taste palate has become more refined over the years. Yeah, foodie snob here ;p Service was a little slow, with the late dinner crowd filing in for some cold boba drinks to indulge in and cool off. I was told the wait was because the porkchop takes a little longer to cook. Can't blame them for making sure it's cooked thoroughly. Don't want worms in the tummy! There are a few tables inside and outdoor tables to dine al fresco. I'd recommend ordering food and/or drinks to go. Overall, Tapioca Express is A-okay. Nothing extraordinary, but not a bad choice for a boba drink, coffee or an order of crispy chicken. Recommend! read more

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

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Frozen mango yogurt is the best here!!! Can't get it anywhere else. This location has been here for a while, same taste as before.

This place has been my favorite since 2012. Food and boba drinks are always good but the prices went up and I just don't think their increase is reasonable for the amount we get. $17 with just these two read more

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Compared to other boba places, this location's food is a subpar. We got fried calamari and popcorn chicken combo. The quantity was small and the calamari was over cooked and too dry. It was evident when I opened the combo box that their workers were told to prepare / slice a certain thinness for the Taiwanese sausage. There are plenty of other places, or even other Tapioca Expresses to go to for better quality of food or quantity. read more

Tapioca Express - Fried for too long so calamari shrunk and was dry. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Cerritos, California

Friendly service and reasonable pricing. Unfortunately, my regular milk tea with tapioca was somewhat disappointing. It lacked actual tea flavor and was overwhelmed by sugar and cream. I thought the physical space and signage were somewhat dated. Overall an okay spot, but there are better and more inviting places for bubble tea. read more