I had tapex on a Monday night and the experience was amazing! The cashier Eva was very attentive and welcoming, and provided me amazing customer service when asking what was popular here. There is a reallly extensive menu with combos, snacks, blended drinks, and regular milk teas. I got the recommended Triton MT and it was so delicious! Perfect hint of flowery and a subtle milkiness. I really recommend this place because of the crispy chicken snack - so crispy, crunchy, and the sweet chili sauce is amazing. Usually, I mix sweet chili and sriracha together for sweet and spicy. read more

Tasty Thai tea snow bubble! That comes with hardly any boba ;( But prob one of my favorite Thai tea slushes especially since kung fu tea doesn't make that! read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

It feels weird to review this Tap Ex LOL I haven't been to this Tap Ex in SO LONG! I used to be a student at UCSD a long time ago and I remember coming here often to get my boba fix and also get their pork buns. It's pretty decent for college campus food and it's also cost efficient. I remember getting Boba before GBMs or after classes with classmates. I went to campus over the weekend for exercise haha I walked the 4 miles around campus loop which is something I never even did as a student. Anyway, after my walk I wanted to get a drink so I ordered a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, the taste was ok but not the best I've had. There's a Tapioca Express on Convoy and I feel like if you are or were a former student at UCSD you probably never go to the Convoy one because you overdid your TapEx fix while you were at UCSD LOL read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Ever since Tapioca Express opened on the UCSD campus, I was turned off by the expensive drinks and food. As much as I liked boba and crispy chicken, I couldn't bring myself to spend nearly $10 for the meals with a drink. After an on campus event, the opportunity to hang out with old friends found itself at this location so I finally decided to bite the bullet and order something, and soon wished that I hadn't. I ordered my normal almond milk tea with boba, which came out to a fairly reasonable $3.45. The tea itself was decent enough, but the boba that they used was disgusting and way undercooked. It literally tasted like cardboard and was difficult to chew because the starch hadn't been fully hydrated. I definitely would recommend skipping it. I think it's great that there is a boba spot on campus. While the cost of doing business may be higher, translating into more expensive prices, the quality of the product tends to go down and is the case here. If you're on campus, it's not worth the drive to TapX on Convoy for boba so this is what you're stuck with. It may be crap, but it's all there is. What a bummer. Food: 4/10 Service: 5/10 Price: $ Atmosphere: 5/10 read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

I was never a fan of Tapex, because the first time I came and ate here, I got a stomach-ache. But it sucks that I end my Tuesdays late and I live on campus, so my only option besides delivery was Price Center. Tapex was one of the places opened, so I came here with my boyfriend on a Tuesday night around 9 PM! We ordered: "Snack": Crispy chicken ($4.95) "Snack": Steamed Pork Buns ($3 each) -Hazelnut Milk Tea (hot) with boba ($4) Pros: -Order comes pretty quickly. I guess they are used to the constant request of crispy chicken, so they come quick! -Good customer service! Though they are quite understaffed, but the staff there was still smiling and calmly taking orders while everyone in the back was trying to hustle. -Good portion! I mean, food is decently priced so I'm glad the portion sizes are not bad. Chicken they always give a generous amount, and then bun was a decent size. -Pretty good drinks! I have to say that Tapex is not the most "authentic" boba place, but it is still a nice place where I can get hot drinks! Cons: -Small amount of boba. After watching them scoop, I realized that this place gives very little boba in comparison to other places. As well, the boba is kind of stiff and not as sweet and chewy. -Flavor is A-OK. It's crispy chicken is addicting, I have to admit..but the bun was very okay. It seemed like one of the buns you could get packaged from 99 ranch. Tips/observations: -Kitchen closes around 11 PM on weekdays (or even midnight) so make sure you order before then! -Surprisingly, they do not have taro milk tea (hot)! But their hazelnut milk tea is good! Overall, I wouldn't mind coming here again for the crispy chicken and trying another hot drink. read more

Tapioca Express - Combo A - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Always crowded with students who crave Boba tea. Probably the only place on campus which sells Boba. I've tried Matcha Snow Bubble, caramel boba tea, chicken wings. Pretty decent. Fries are good. read more

The tapex on Regents Road near vons is better. I have tried this place many times and have learned two things. Adequate boba and less than adequate crispy chicken. My hometown has a lot of authentic boba places which is probably why this place isn't as appealing to me. However, it does satisfy whatever boba craving I have. I like to get the triton milk tea (earl grey and black tea blend). Their actual boba isn't bad, not too soft or too hard. Their other drinks can be too sweet but you can ask for reduced sugar. I also usually get their crispy chicken snack and half the time, I don't finish it because of fatty chicken or just fried dough with no meat. I tried their crispy calamari snack today and was actually pleasantly surprised... When asked how spicy you want the food, a very spicy option is simply more spicy powder which ends up dying out your food instead of enhancing it. The service is pretty fast and they have free sauces (ranch and chili) and water. The reason why I say the tapex on Regents is better is because of their quality. Their chicken tastes better and tea isn't as sweet. This place is good for the occasional snack and boba.. but the fried food can easily become too much. read more

Tapioca Express - Large triton milk tea and crispy calamari snack - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

I only go to this location whenever I have a craving for the crispy chicken snack. At this location the cashiers are on point. They don't play when it comes to ordering. If you're holding up the line, they will make sure that you hear them. If you take forever ordering, they will have a bit of an attitude indicating that you're too slow. They also have signs to make sure that the line moves fast and efficient. It's more amusing than anything. So I at this particular time I ordered the steamed pork bun, large Thai tea without boba and crispy chicken snack with medium spice. I only ordered the steamed pork bun because I noticed a lot of people ordering it. I'd like to say that for $2 a bun, it's small. It also has a lot more dough than filling. This was disappointing. The Thai tea was good though it had too much milk. I like that they didn't add a lot of ice so I get more drink. The crispy chicken was not at all spicy. It wasn't even mild. It was just crispy chicken with flavor and that was it. They did have the fried basil in it and that was good. Oh and it seemed as though they don't fill the bag with chicken anymore. There was so much room to add more chicken. Sadness. In any case, I prefer going to the Regents location over this one. They actually add spice to their chicken at that location. read more

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Pretty mediocre but can't really complain bc at least there is boba on campus Peach jade green tea 50% sugar w boba: very mediocre, but kind of reminds me of teavana maybe bc of the half sugar. I can taste a more herbal flavor which is good. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

I love TapEx! I was happy to see that there was one on campus, but it's not the greatest compared to Eastlake's or Convoy's. Since it's conveniently on campus, that's just what matters the most. I actually haven't tried much other than the crispy chicken. At other TapEx locations, I always get crispy chicken, Thai Tea snow with boba, and the chicken/egg/rice combo. Surprisingly, I haven't tried UCSD Price Center's boba drinks yet. Whenever I crave TapEx and want something a little cheaper, I go with the mild crispy chicken snack. It's pretty good! Sometimes, I don't feel as if it's thoroughly cooked through, though. Actually, there are a few pieces that aren't thoroughly cooked. It's been that way all 4-5 visits. The line is ridiculously long come lunch time. Especially since that's about the time everyone gets out of class. Other than such peak times, there's not much of a wait. read more

Tapioca Express - Mild crispy chicken snack - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

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I have a complaint against a student staff. Her name is Ivy. I ordered my food today, and I noticed some veggies were left hanging outside the container. I asked her to help me get rid of those veggies. What made me really uncomfortable was: she used her hands with gloves (not new), and threw those veggies back to the container, and her fingers touched the other salad in the container. It's very likely she used that hand to swipe customer's bank card on the POS. I don't know if this was intentional, or just brainless, but this is definitely unacceptable. A person who is qualified for this job should at least have some common sense of hygiene. This is such a simple and basic task. After this happened to me, I don't really trust this store. Are all the student staffs properly trained? I don't know if my food is clean or not when they hand it to me. read more

Alumni here, c/o 2006. Came by campus for a visit over winter break, decided to grab a drink on our way out. What a disappointment...order two HK milk teas with boba and it tasted like sugar water. No flavor, boba were bland. I had the food/drinks several times while I worked as a staff after I graduated, at least the food/drinks were halfway decent from what I could remember. I just feel bad for the students stuck on campus that has to deal with this atrocity. Thankful for the student workers working over break, the owner of this place should go up to the top of Gilman and take a leap for ripping off students and staff with mediocre food/drinks at premium prices. read more

Came here with our organization after GBM and the service was quick and efficient! It's one of our favorite places to go after a meeting. Everyone ordered a variety of teas - both fruit and milk teas - and some people got their dinner, mainly their chicken meal! I always come by here on campus when I'm craving popcorn chicken!! If you're craving for popcorn chicken or refreshing tea, be sure to stop by TapEx right inside Price Center! Can't wait to come back soon! read more

Not comparable to the tapex in convoy. The calamari here was over cooked, the chicken was dry too. Also dont really like the sides here compared to other locations. The side salad... yeah no. The drink that came with the combo was good tho at least! I ordered a milk tolea boba with the combo. read more

I came back to visit campus after graduating in 2016. Got a Thai tea and it was THE worst Thai tea I've ever had. My lips were stained red orange from all the dye. I could also see spots of dye on the outside of my cup which could've definitely stained my hand or clothing. Never again! read more

I ate two meals yesterday, one I always eat and the other was crispy chicken from Tapioca Express. I woke up in the middle of the night will awful stomach pain and diarrhea. I'm 99% sure it was from here because as I was eating the chicken, I noticed some pieces looked super raw. I ended up tossing out basically all of the chicken. Be careful! read more

Great place if you want your quick fix of boba while you're on campus! Their spicy fish/squid balls are really good and go well with milk tea! Their customer service goes above and beyond to make sure you are satisfied with them! read more

Popcorn chicken, squid balls, and calamari are good here. Def not the most authentic place for boba but the snacks here are definitely a highlight and for college students that's really all that's needed! The food here is a bit salty but compared to other spots I've been to it's pretty good. Workers here are friendly and food comes out super quick. Everything's crispy and the portion sizes are HUGE and good for sharing! read more

Fast service. Nice people. Good food, I got a meal and you get a boba drink or any drink with it. read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy Chicken plate with Taro milk tea boba. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Amazing! The Mil Honey Tea with Boba was the best thing I tasted in a while! I drank it way to fast read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Service was extremely slow and my passion fruit milk was pretty tart and overall not that great. It left a very bitter taste in my mouth that's still lingering as I type this review. We also ordered a "Pudding Snow Bubble" and paid for boba pearls, but didn't get them. We had already waited far too long to have them fix it. Unless there wasn't another place around and I was dying for Boba, I wouldn't go back. read more

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Update: post pandemic: this place is even better! The milk teas are on par with some of the best boba chains now!!! I can taste the flavor of the matcha milk tea!!! Short ribs are great! read more

I wished my university campus had Tapioca Express!!! We found this place cuz it was the closest bubble tea joint to Blacks Beach. We ended up driving around UCSD campus and thought, "don't tell me they have a bubble tea place ON campus!" Lord, almighty...they do! After asking several students walking around where it was...we found it in their Price Center---very fancy food court! Anyways, drinks are as good as any Tapioca Express location.....just that the view is nice to me, surrounded by all the neat campus architecture-----being there made me feel like a college kid again. Being Asian, I fit right in since this campus seems to be loaded with them! Little do they know I'm twice their age. HEHEH. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

Im giving a generous 3 stars just because I enjoy their hot milk tea and hot chai tea. Everything else sucks boba. (See what I did there XD) Freshman year I always got combo A: Crispy chicken with rice, two potstickers and a drink. To me the crispy chicken was the most addicting and tastiest food on campus. Going to tapex with my friends was always a treat and I always enjoyed the pilgrimage from Revelle to PC to eat some. Sophomore year, I ate crispy chicken and experienced the worst stomach ache. I also did not enjoy the taste anymore. The chicken was dry, and there was more fried outer shell than meat. I just ended up biting into bits of crumbly fried batter. One time i brought the food right back becuase it was so bad, so they gave me a new plate. It was a little better, but there was still something off about how it was made. It just wasnt as good as before. So naturally, all the salty Spicy nasty oil ended up in my system and made me Firebend for the rest of the day (if u catch my drift). I usually ended up eating a lot of their spring rolls which were edible. They were a quick snack in between classes. Now I avoid crispy chicken altogether and usually get combo E, the pork combo. The one I got today had one miserable soggy Potsticker. I ate that little guy first to put him out of his misery. The beef is really tender, but also has a lot of fat attached to it. The rice is horrible. Its clearly not cooked well. Its soggy, almost like a porridge...obviously this place is not consistent with how they prepare or cook their food. The salad tastes soggy and old. I asked for half sweetened black tea because their drinks are usually freakishly sweet. Even half sweetened, I wince at how overly sweet my tea tastes. Not good. Things to NOT get: Food is not worth the suffering of your stomach Cold teas are wayyyyy to sweet Things to get: Hot milk tea or chai tea (thank god these still taste rich and satisfying, perfect for winter quarter) Cold drinks, partially sweetened read more

Tapioca Express - Soggy ass rice. Right out of a horror movie. Reeereeereeee x.x - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

This place gets 4 stars cause its freaking BOBA PLACE ON CAMPUS. Do most schools have this? Its convenient when you want to grab a snack or some boba! Other than that its pretty much your average run of the mill tapioca place. However, they do not have fresh fruit like the other locations. Their calamari sucks, their chicken is normal, they also got fried tofu! read more

When I first came to UCSD, I was excited that there would be a Tapioca Express on campus to fulfill my tapioca cravings. However, I would recommend going elsewhere if you can. The food and drink quality at this location varies substantially depending on which student staff makes it. Their Milk Tea drinks are also extremely watered down. I have tried their Thai Milk Tea, Almond Milk Tea, Triton Milk Tea, Milk Green Tea, and Earl Grey Milk Tea and every one of those drinks have been watered down. Also, if you add boba to your drink, do not expect much. They only give you about one to two layers of boba (~15-20 boba pieces). The quality of the boba at this location also varies. About 90% of the time, the boba will either be overcooked and soggy/overly chewy or be undercooked and slightly hard. There have only been a couple times when the boba was cooked perfectly. I have also tried their Mango Yogurt Slush, Strawberry Yogurt Slush and Kiwi Yogurt Slush and none of them really stood out to me. They definitely were not worth $5! Their Snow Bubbles are okay but often times, they use too much syrup and the drink becomes overly sweet. Also, their Snow Bubbles along with several of their other drinks are made using powders, making some of them taste powdery and not drink-like. Their food quality at this location has substantially gone down over the years. I used to love getting their calamari rings 2 years ago but they have since cut the portions by half. Their calamari rings are also sometimes overcooked and become hard rather than chewy. My friend once ordered their Sausage Rice combination and the Sausages were all burnt black making them completely inedible! If you happen to get their Fried Chicken combination, I would recommend getting the chicken grilled instead. You may feel sick after eating their fried chicken because it has happened to me along with several of my friends as well. The only item I trust on their menu is their Curry Pork Chop combination but even then, the curry portions vary every time I go. There was one time when they put a lot of curry on top and another time when they barely put any, making the Pork Chop really dry. read more

One of the only places I trust to eat on campus, besides Santorini. Food and drinks may not be the greatest and cheapest compared to other Tap Ex's but hey it's conveniently on campus. Lines may be long during lunch rush but if you skip those times, theres usually only 3-4 people in line. Keep in mind the manager specials that can save you a dollar or two (I know there's a crispy chicken rice bowl thats under $6 from Monday to Saturday before 3 pm). Nothing too amazing but it fulfills the boba crave when stuck on UCSD. read more

I've been to all 3 Tapi in this area (here, Regents, & Convoy), and this place is, by far, the worst one. Of course, I am VERY grateful for the fact that UCSD decided to expand their Price Center & Tapi is now available to everyone (I bet none of the undergrad kids appreciate this because people like me never had the chance to experience Tapi on-campus back in the days - the only reason I get to enjoy it now is because I'm still here for more schooling!)...but seriously, the place is mediocre at best. I only ever get crispy chicken because it's my favorite food item at boba joints, but this place doesn't do it justice at all! The first time I got it, the chicken was NOT crispy at all...I thought it was just a bad day...but NO! every time after the first was the same - every time the chicken was limp and NOT deliciously crispy like other Tapi places. The first time I ordered milk tea and started walking away while putting the straw in, I was like "OMG drinking milk tea for the first time on-campus - be prepared for heaven!"...I took my first sip and...(I swear)...it tasted like WATER!!!!! It was such a disappointment for me... I had to walk back to the store and immediately the girl said "Oh, I'm sorry, we gave you the very last batch so it probably didn't taste good." UMM...what?? So they actually KNEW the tea would taste like water and served it anyway?? This place does get busy since there are MANY students here at UCSD, but if I had the time, I would drive off-campus and go to Regents ANY day, any time! By the way, the closest parking is at Gilman Structure, and you have to pay twice the amount of money compared to all the other lots. I would only recommend this place if you're an undergrad stuck on-campus & are craving boba...if you're living off-campus, don't bother coming here - go to Regents or the one on Convoy! read more

They have to serve a whole university of hungry poor college students. Of course, the quality is compromised. I still prefer the one near Regencia instead. O wells, this is still nice. Can't complain cause its on campus now! read more

I try not to get their food anymore because it always gives me a horrible stomachache and food coma after. My friends and I have this thing where if you say you just had TapEx for lunch... we know that it means you're not feeling too well. Despite staying away from the food, I think their drinks are pretty good. I have to admit, it really depends on WHO makes your drink. Sometimes they're on-point, but sometimes it's too sweet, not sweet enough, or down-right awful. I go maybe once every few months and I've had good experiences with their drinks after I stopped getting their food. I tend to order: Peach Jade Green Tea w/rainbow jelly: I loved the fusion between peach and green tea. It tasted EXACTLY how it would be if you mixed peaches and green tea together and it wasn't too sweet either. Mango Milk Tea w/Boba: It sometimes will have a fake mango taste sometimes but overall I've had good experiences with it. Almonilla Milk Tea w/ Boba: It's like drinking vanilla almond milk! So tasty! Sometimes it can be a little sweet but I'd definitely recommend trying this TL;DR: Food: Don't get it. Drinks: 3/5-- Recommend getting it without ice to maximize your tea! Price: $ read more

I wish my school had a tap ex on campus :( was here for my boyfriend's badminton tournament over memorial day week. I was surprised they were open on a holiday weekend.. AND open til midnight?! awesome. I just can't say no to popcorn chicken and boba. The popcorn chicken was seasoned just right and actually spicy, sometimes they don't make it spicy enough for me. Some of the pieces of chicken were too big for my liking though. Ordered the Hong Kong milk tea, which tasted like regular milk tea and my boyfriend got the Jasmine milk tea, which was good! I could actually taste the jasmine in the tea. Prices seemed a little more expensive, but i would definitely stop by here if I'm at UCSD campus again. read more

Tapioca Express - popcorn chicken and Hong Kong milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Do not get the shrimp and pork spring roll unless you enjoy large amounts of pork fat and not much actual pork meat in your rolls. If you want proof, just take a look at my photo. Man it was pretty disappointing. To me that just says the rolls were assembled with little care. And for the price they charge for two rolls ($4) you would think you're getting something that is at least presented nicely. I was able to see the pork fat as soon as I hold the spring roll in my hand. Normally I could consume a roll within 30 seconds, but I swear it took me at least 2 min per roll because I had to take my time to pull the fat out. The only time I ever really like pork fat is when it's on crispy bacon. This will be the last time I get spring rolls from here. Now the only reason why I'm giving this place two stars instead of one is because I use to enjoy the drinks before my recent pork fat experience. The crappy rolls really turned me off. If they can be that sloppy with the rolls, how sloppy can they be with everything else they serve?? read more

Tapioca Express - pork fat - Coffee & Tea Near Me - La Jolla, California

This place is sweet!! On my recent trip here at TapEx (which is on campus at UCSD) I got the Triton Tea which is yummy, it's a like a black/ earl grey milk tea blend. It's also fun how it represents UCSD which mascot is Triton!! Tapioca Express is so fun to get since there aren't too many (it doesn't get played out).. it's enjoyable to get a drink when near one. I've been to the location in Convoy and the Palm ave one. TapEx has great food and **drinks** (smoothies, milk teas, etc all different flavors). Some of my favorite items to get is Almond Milk Tea, Thai Tea, and Taro Milk Tea. Sometimes I order my drinks with boba if I'm in the mood which costs a little extra around $1/$1.50 I think. I love how their drinks are sealed tight that way if I'm on the go I can just toss it in my purse and not worry about spillage. When I am ready to drink I can just pop the straw in and drink up.Their crispy chicken is also a yummy snack to get when hungry. The service here is nice, I never had a long wait in line and got my drink fairly quick. I came twice this past week, first time to get some boba in the beginning of the week, and second time because D'lush told me they were closed... It's okay I'm glad they were "closed" because I got TapEx again for the win. (: read more

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Alan is the sweetest ever. He's super conversational but very efficient. He took my order and he's the kind of guy who you think about for days because he has such good energy. I had a coupon for a free drink and he was super quick to take it and was so nice about it. I love coming here after or during work but I've never seen him until today. read more

Coming from TX, its next to impossible to find really good boba. And by boba, i mean just the pearls. Tap Ex had some of the best pearls I've ever had. The tea, eh could be much better. The price? Way too expensive. I got combo number one and was reminded very much of a place back in TX called Tapioca House which was very similar. Chicken is better here, but sides are worse. Could be better, could be worse I guess. read more

The thai tea here was pretty good, I'll give them that. But what they're really known for? PPC. Their Pathetic Popcorn Chicken. Mostly crumbs, and had an "interesting" flavor to it. Don't ideal taste of what popcorn chicken should be with this stuff. read more

This joint is always crowded. I can't say it's anything spectacular in terms of its boba, but the convenience factor is there, especially if you live on campus or have class all day. When it's crowded, you'll have to wait a while, but I have to say everyone who works there does a good job of doing things as fast as they can. If you're waiting, it will never be because they are goofing off or forgot about you. read more

It seems like the quality of boba varies from Tapex to Tapex (that's short for Tapioca Express, for ya'll who didn't know). This place is, as my stars show, a-ok. Not the best, nor very "great" but if you're in UC San Diego and you need a fix - this is all you GOT sucka! Go cheap with the milk tea and boba, or ball out with an avocado flavored one with minimal boba (or mix it up with lychee). Enjoy. :) read more

I ate here a LOT when I lived on campus. I would order crispy chicken medium spicy & almond milk tea with boba almost every day. (Shoutout to Alex for remembering my order after a week!) Then I discovered boba life off-campus and never went back. I die a little on the inside when someone tells me they want to get boba or food from the TapEx on campus. I just assume they haven't tried any other place in San Diego. The drinks are a little watered down, the boba is not very good, the crispy chicken is overcooked, and the spice levels aren't always consistent. The only thing I love about this TapEx location is the baristas are very friendly & hardworking, and it lets student organizations on campus hold food fundraisers. Otherwise, I would recommend going off-campus if you can, unless you are desperately craving boba. read more

Second best to the one in Clairemont. The drinks are usually spot on and the crispy chicken is usually juicy, with a minimal amount of batter sized pieces. read more