Drinks are cheap here, both in price and quality. I ordered a honey jasmine milk tea, and it was horribly artificial tasting. The best aspects of my drink were the milk was perfectly frothy and the drink was quite hot. Nothing here is very fresh; it's all syrups and powders. My buddy ordered a tapioca something, and actually threw it away. The people working here were friendly, but service was super slow. In fact, there were two customers waiting when I arrived, and the employee was in the back. I almost walked out and regret not doing just that. The huge menu of daily specials hanging on the wall is absolutely pointless as they don't honor them in this location. The Friday rose green tea caught my eye but they said it's only available down south. Overall, I do not recommend this chain. JB Juice and TnL Boba are much better for boba, tea, and smoothie fixes. They use real fruit at both places. My LA and OC Yelp buddies are way lucky; they have sooo many decent boba tea places to choose from. Pros: - friendly - large interior, plenty of seating - open late Cons: - crap drinks - only one size cup - false advertising on wall - drink prep area not clean read more

Tapioca Express - I arrived close to opening time and these already desperately need a wipe-down. Ew. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

Be prepared for all kinds of attitude and slow service. Expect actual, visible disdain from the staff if you dare to order food, plus a half-hour minimum wait. The hate is palpable. Half of the time they tell you the kitchen is closed. Too bad too, because the drinks and food are tasty. read more

I was on a vacation with family in Carlsbad and kiddos were craving Milk Tea and me as well of course : ) The closest Milk Tea place from us was Tapioca Express in Oceanside 6-7 miles away. We stopped by right before lunch and they were not that busy. Very clean place that serves good boba tea and other assorted drinks. The service is fast and professional. The people here are nice. The drinks are all good, I have tried so many and not had a bad one yet. It's enjoyable to just relax here, and it's easy to get to and park. On this particular visit we all order different drinks and they were yummy "no complaints" I don't even remember what we each got but you may check the pics. Service 5 Stars Location 5 Stars Milk Tea 5 Stars read more

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Compared to the many other boba options in SoCal, this shop is decidedly sub-par. My gf and I went there on a Sunday afternoon. The service was not bad, a little slow but good from a distancing and safety perspective. However, when it comes to the actual boba tea itself, the product was disappointing for the 20 minutes of wait. The tea itself was not well flavored. Both my taro milk tea and her jasmine milk tea were too heavy on the milk without much tea flavor. Her jasmine tea for what we could taste was also too overbrewed and bitter The tapioca pearls themselves had pretty good texture, nice and chewy. However they had very little taste, without any of the usual brown sugar taste that most other places cook into the pearls. Overall, would not recommend read more

I've called to order and they don't allow it. Kitchen closes early, randomly they'll close the kitchen whenever they want, even when I go out of my way to get there because they won't take phone orders. read more

Clean store, varied menu and polite employees. I like to swing by here when I'm killing time before my brow appointment at Ulta. I like the basic flavors here, milk tea, Thai tea and even the chai tea with Boba. They have fancy blended drinks too if you're into that. The wait can be a little long if there is a line but I've never had issues with that personally. I'd always prefer this place to Starbucks any day. There's usually only one employee working so patience is a virtue. The tables are clean as are the restrooms. Plenty of seating and is a nice pit stop if you're shopping in the complex. Definitely check it out if you have a hankering for Boba! read more

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I feel bad writing this because the first lady helping us was so sweet. Nevertheless, the full experience was disappointing. We arrived and patiently waited a good moment to be served. I wanted some crispy chicken and was told the kitchen closed at 9pm (we arrived before 9pm by the way). The woman who jumped in, possibly an owner or manager, did not seem to care about that and seemed like she wanted to rush us through. We ordered a taro snow bubble and chai vanilla drink both with boba. The boba was hard, not fresh. The experience was unpleasant. I do not recommend this location. read more

My family and I were in vacation in Carsbad.. came in to Ross and saw tapioca express by the corner. It's a little bit hard to find but it's next to Chipotle towards the end.. near Men's warehouse and Ross. There's different stores so you have plenty of parking. We decided to check it out and ordered the mango green tea with small boba and taro milk tea with regular boba. It was good. Although, the boba on the taro was a little bit hard. Good customer service. read more

Tapioca Express - Mango green tea & taro milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

I was super excited when I took my first sip of my tea with aloe. Then came the shock. I drank all 5 pieces of the aloe in my first sip! Huh? It can't be! 2nd sip: no aloe 3rd sip: no aloe I found 1 last piece. Wish me luck. read more

Tapioca Express reminds me so much of my college years. We had one on campus at UCSD and I would get Tapex all the time. There's no dine-in here at the moment due to COVID, however they are open for takeout. I got a chocolate milk tea and popcorn chicken, both were pretty good. I like it when boba places have savory snacks and not just desserts. Not a bad place to get your boba fix or to get a snack. read more

Friendly employees and you have to get their yogurt combination frost drink . It's delicious I love it , I order it everytime I come here !

I like the wide variety of drink styles, flavors and options, but 1 of their ingredients gives me a stomach ache, which I never get at other places like Bubble Tea in San Marcos or Oceanside. The prices are ok, competitive to other places like Bubble Tea but more expensive and no rewards program. Other places you buy 10 and get 1 free. They have other things besides boba drinks, they have waffles and chi chi fries. Plenty of parking since this is located in a shopping center. The employees are friendly and will explain all of the options to you. read more

FYI: Located on the right side of Chipotle (hidden) They also offer small snacks and desserts (waffles) Tea, milk tea, slush, frostie, smoothies Highlights: * Depending on the flavor, they offer fresh fruit smoothies * Store is relatively clean and stocked * I Recommend: Okinawa milk tea, watermelon slush Dislikes: * Service is hit or miss depending on who you get * Bobas are flavorless and mushy, not my preference * Most of the drinks that are powder based taste bland * I don't recommend: strawberry milk tea (milk and tart strawberry jam?), jasmine milk tea, or almond milk tea Overall: I am somehow drawn to this place whenever I'm shopping in the area because it's so convenient to get my bbt fix. My first impression of this place was not great mainly due to the girl who took my order. Since then, I've gotten a lot better customer service so I won't let that experience cloud my judgement too much. The drinks are definitely hit or miss. The first time I came here, I ordered the strawberry milk tea and it was definitely not what I expected. I've tried other milk teas here and most of the time they seem to taste diluted or underwhelming. Then one employee recommended the Okinawa milk tea and that one has been my FAVORITE drink to get at Tap Express. It tastes like a mix between thai tea and original boba milk tea. People have different preferences for their bobas and for me, I'm not a mushy boba type of person. The bobas here are soft and bland, but I know my bf likes them that way. read more

My drink didn't really have enough flavor and the pudding was bland as well. I wouldn't come back again.

The place is not that good.The Taro and Thai Tea boba we order was bland and tasted water down.I could barely taste the flavor of the Taro.Workers look like they hate their job and did not want to be there.Feel like a waste of money and time.Very disappointed. Will not be coming back. read more

Awesome to see one of their locations in North County! Guess that is what everyone else thinks as well, this place is a mad house and the lines insane every time we come here! Some of the prices are crazy, over $6 for a fresh fruit green tea that was not even great or fresh, pass on that next time. No way to find a place to sit, plan on taking it to go. Once you order the drinks are made quickly, but just getting through that line takes forever. The green apple slush was great, the passion fruit green tea also not my favorite. I'll be back for the slush, the rest was forgettable. read more

Tapioca Express - green apple slush and passion fruit green tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

I've been a regular here for many years because I love the boba drinks here, but the service is terrible 9 times out of 10. Everyone who works here look like they hate their job and I don't blame them because of the lack of management/bad pay. Whoever runs this place needs to step it up. Your employees are clearly unhappy and there seems to be no supervisor or manager ever on duty. Additionally, the place looks shabby and unclean. Recently I feel that it's gone super downhill. Every time I get a snow bubble there's huge chunks of ice in it and the employees have a bad attitude. They don't want to be there and it shows. Maybe if the owner payed better or got a decent manager it would make for a better experience both for the customers and staff. read more

Omg yes! I've been trying to find a good boba place in the area. I had tried others and they were a disappointment. I got a traditional milk tea and a peach snow bubble with mango jelly and it was perfect! This will now be a regular favorite place to come to, especially during spring and summer. It's clean and they are currently complying to all Covid rules of social distancing. I went when it was absolutely dead, and my only complaint is that one teenage guy who works there sarcastically said thank you for waiting outside, I waited inside as there was more than 10 social distance spots open to stand in... which I thought was very rude and unnecessary.... other than that I will be back as it was so good read more

Praise to the Baby Jesus because it has been long overdue for a good boba place in North County! I've been to many Tap Ex's in SD, OC, & LA, and all of them are pretty consistent with quality and taste! I've never had a bad experience with them! I love to get my Black Milk Tea with Boba, but I have also tried the Jasmine Milk Tea, Peach Green Tea, and Taro Snow Bubble! All of them are delicious and I honestly can't tell you which one is my favorite because they're all perfect! They're even better with Boba in them too. I come here for the drinks, but on occasion I have been starving or craving a snack as well and decide to get the Crispy Chicken. OMG honestly perfect combo! Crispy Chicken, which is pretty spicy even for the mild setting, so bust out those napkins and prepare for some spice, with the sweet chili sauce to go with it to balance the two flavors out! Ultimately you get to experience the sweet, salty, spicy combo that's perfect for a mid afternoon snack! I also have to point out the quality of customer service as well. Although the girl who took my order thought I wanted Iced Black Tea with Boba instead of Black Milk Tea with Boba, she quickly changed my order in a heartbeat and apologized, which wasn't necessary but kind, and corrected the order. Wasn't a big deal, but that kind of kindness didn't go unnoticed! Thanks girl! I do apologize for not taking a photo of my yummy drink and food, but that would of required me giving up one of my hands to take the photo and well with the drink in one hand and the food in an another, I had to make a sacrifice! ;) read more

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

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I've had my fair share of boba. Especially since I'm from Orange County and frequent Rowland Heights, Cerritos, and other Asian heavy areas. So being in North County has been a struggle finding good boba and authentic Asian eats. I've been to this Tapioca Express a few times. It satisfies the craving but that's about it. Yesterday I ordered: - almond milk tea with boba - crispy chicken Not the worst, but not the best. read more

Firstly, the service was pretty subpar. No greeting, no acknowledgement. The only way I knew it was my turn to order was because there was someone at the cashier and nobody in front of me. The cashier didn't acknowledge me at all. The experience was very transaction-based. The bathroom was disgusting. Wet floors, no paper towels, and the toilet paper roll was left on the rails. The air had a sweet, thick, density to it. A few of my family members had to leave because they felt sick from the sweet-humidity. I wonder if there's any sort of ventilation? The drinks where decent at least. I would look for another boba place if possible. read more

I came this store today! I bought the Jasmine milk tea. The taste like mineral water with sugar and boba ?!? I have to speak out :"oops! what the f**k is this?!?" *Staff: a bit rude ! Take wrong the order! *Store: too difficult to find out ! *Price: too expensive! Over $5 for a "water" ?!? So badly! So disappointed read more

Tapioca Express - Jasmine milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

I came in on a whim while browsing the plaza. I love boba, but this place is mediocre unfortunately. I ordered two milk teas that did not taste very sweetened and were not mixed properly which sucks cause the drinks are obviously not able to be resealed. I did also order some lumpia which smelled delightful, but were a let down. Lumpia that taste like cat food. :( Sad face. Staff was nice and worked quickly, long line though. Price also little more than an average boba place. read more

.... I LOVED the boba this place has they have jumbo boba and regular size boba I'm a fan of both. Service is was good, order and go! I was new to this place so I didn't really understand what some of their drinks included so I think it would be nice to have more explanation of what's inside. They vibes are pretty normal, I didn't get to try the food tho :/ read more

After moving to Carlsbad, we have realized that it was a little hard to find boba near us. We used to live in La Jolla which was only 10min away from Convoy aka boba central. Then we moved to PQ and even then, it was close enough to Mira Mesa to get some quality boba as well. After being so desperate to find it, we stopped by this location. I have had TapEx about 10 years ago before other shops opened so I figured why not try it out again. SERVICE - Very mediocre and the cashier was not welcoming. We were standing there looking at the menu and rather than saying "Hey! Welcome in. Is this your first time here" or "Is there anything I can help you with", she just stood there and stared at us. When she took our order, she was less than enthusiastic. We actually didn't even know there were different milk options until someone after us asked and they told her about them. The cashier could have asked "Okay, jasmine milk tea? Are you okay with regular milk" but she did not. Oh well. DRINKS Jasmine Milk Tea (cold) - This did not taste anything like Jasmine tea. It tasted like melted vanilla ice cream in a cup. Jade Milk Green Tea (hot) - This did taste like tea and it wasn't too bad. Boba - The boba wasn't terrible. It had a good chew but was just plain. A lot of boba places do use honey boba but TapEx doesn't. Not a bad thing though. Overall, being desperate to find boba, this was fine to fill the void. Would this be a regular spot for us? No. But when desperate times call, maybe. read more

Some fake Blonde chick with glasses that was the register at the boba spot was rude from start till the finish which is fine we all have bad nights but this chick didn't even bother to tell me and my wife our drinks were ready she just put them on top of the counter and went back to mopping like sheesh we showed up like 25 minutes before closing time not 5 minutes looser read more

To much syrup in brown sugar drink- had it b4 at other places and recommend Ding Tea over this place anyday!

Grrr..my second trip here and they were still out of Jade Green Tea !!! I'm on a mission to get it one of these days ! hehe..I stuck with my first order from before: peach Jasmine flavored hot tea with boba ! Mmmmm... Same friendly staff and we got to play some JENGA !!! Super BRIGHT in there though. I wonder if that's part of their charm ?! read more

Super friendly staff . She went over different options since it was my first time . I got the Vietnamese iced coffee with Boba sooooo good ! I will be back . read more

I LOVE tapioca express! The drinks are always amazing, the boba is nice and soft and the employees are so nice. Even when there's only 3 people there and it's super busy, I never have to wait more than 3-4 minutes for my drink to come out. read more

Tapioca Express - Taro Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

I usually like tapioca express boba and the snow bubbles are my favorite. I was craving the vanilla cookie snow bubble and I tried this location for the first time. I came in after dinner at around 9:15, the workers were extremely rude and told me "the blenders are down" and after questioning why, they told me they stop serving anything besides milk tea after 9:30 (keep in mind this was 9:15). I think that drink specialty stores should serve drinks until closing and i have not had this experience at any other location. I will not be returning read more

This place makes me sad. It reminds me of everything that Oceanside is missing, like a good boba place. We walked in about 20 minutes before closing and the place was pretty quiet. My go-to drink at Tapioca Express Convoy is Coconut Snow Bubble, so why mess with tradition? My drink came out fairly quickly and the flavor of my drink was good, but the boba was horrible. For a place that has Tapioca in the title you would think they would make it a priority to ensure the Tapioca is good, but no. I'm no bobologist but I know good boba. I feel bad saying this, but this place doesn't have it. I wanted to like it so bad, but it just was not good. It tasted like they didn't take any time to sweeten the boba. It was a flavorless tapioca ball and after the first few I tossed the drink. read more

Tapioca Express - Late night boba run with the hubba. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

This place seems very dead. The employees seem to hate there job. Just feels sad and depressing in here and the drinks aren't even that great. First and last time here and probably wouldn't recommend anyone to come here read more

I came here when they first opened up and wasn't impressed with their drinks. We were really craving some boba after having some amazing boba in Convoy so we thought we'd give this place another shot hoping for better drinks.... sad to say we were wrong. I ordered their Thai Tea with boba. The flavor of the Thai tea was ok but my disappointment is more with the boba itself. In San Diego, I'm used to getting delicious, sweet boba. The boba here is tasteless. I got to the point where I would drink he Thai tea and avoid the boba. Service needs some work too. I'm all about customer service with a smile and I didn't get that here. Took my order and my money with making any eye contact. Or maybe I'm just really terrible to look at? If so, I retract my last statement. :P read more

Tapioca Express - Thai Tea Boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

Super rude employees. The woman who helped me was impatient and dismissive. It was a long wait not because it was busy but because the employees were all talking and giggling like sorority girls instead of doing their jobs. My drink was super watery and didn't taste like anything but watered milk. Don't go here unless you want to waste your money while receiving rude service. read more

There needs to be some change. Used to like this place until today. The employees were rude. The ambiance feels a bit run down too. When ordering a tea that we used to be able to ask to adjust the sweetness on, we're told that it's premixed now? Not great, tried it and it tasted like there's WAY too much sugar mix in there. Also, we ordered a strawberry ice that LITERALLY tasted like it was just liquid cane sugar with crushed ice. Sad to say, do not recommend this place. read more

My first experience here and I'm impressed! The young man working was very helpful and quiet but kind. Everyone has different personalities and I don't expect everyone to conform to the fake overly-friendly customer service that seems to be the expectation these days. You are A-Okay with me, Bradley! -Food and drink were fresh and yummy. -Service was fast. -Dining area clean, smelled good, comfortable, and well-ventilated. There's a TV with interesting Asian videos playing. Music is chill, upbeat, and playing at a good volume but it kept skipping and would stop playing like the wifi cut out or something. It was unpleasant. -Location is kind of tucked away where the parking is kinda slim but it's a huge shopping center so you're sure to find a spot not too far away. Lunch hour can get pretty congested, however. -Prices aren't bad at all! They are justified by the quality of their product, serving size, convenience of location, and overall dining experience. I'm glad my friend told me about this place because I wouldn't have known it was here if she hadn't. I can't give 5 stars only because the music issue and congested parking lot. I will definitely be back, though, and hopefully increase my rating. read more

I went at 8pm, but the kitchen is closed, so NO popcorn chicken. Just read others comments, they went at 2pm and kitchen was closed, too. Very disappointed... read more

First time here and I love it!!! I had a customized drink and it was fire!!! Wendy was very patient while I figured what I wanted to mix in my drink. Great customer service. Definitely recommend everyone to come get your boba fix here. read more

Tapioca Express - My kids strawberry banana with boba and mango jellies.. my drink is to complicated to tell you. Lol - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California

I came to this location because I was craving fried tofu. I would normally go to the Convoy location but I was in the area. I saw that they had Okinawa Milk Tea so I got one as well, iced. It was pleasantly mild in sweetness and the flavor was, well, tea'ish, and I enjoyed it. The fried tofu was a disappointment. They were cubed, not properly dressed or skewered, and didn't have the crust that I always look forward to getting. A little bit more experience in the kitchen is needed. Overall, it's a nice little shop hidden in the corner of this long giant strip mall. Definitely not as busy as the Kearny Mesa store. Hopefully the kitchen improves and I'll be coming here more often. read more

Tapioca Express - Okinawa Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Oceanside, California