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    Tapioca Express

    3.2 (497 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

    Order Tapioca Express Takeout or Delivery

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    TAPIOCA EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Front
    John M.

    Nice place that we haven't come to in nearly 3 years. Got Wintermelon SB AND mango sb and HK milk tea.

    They definitely don't mix the drinks well.
    Keri T.

    They should rename it Tapioca Slow. Three employees behind the counter, only three orders ahead of us, and yet it took a full 30 minutes to get three non-blended drinks and an order of fish cakes. Ironically, the fish cakes came out faster than the drinks. Maybe the staff are new, but there was zero sense of urgency. To be fair, the drinks are solid and the food is tasty--but the sluggish service and muggy atmosphere really drag down the experience. If they could match the quality of their menu with some actual hustle, this place would be a win.

    popcorn chicken! so damn good
    Michael C.

    I grew up with Tapioca Express in California and was very happy to find this location still kicking, especially with all the trendy boba shops popping up left and right. If you want to know what it was like to get a Taiwanese snack in the early 2000's, this is the place to be. My first order of business is to try the popcorn chicken. The seasoning is spot on with the requisite fried basil, so you know it's legit. The chicken is also cooked well, although if I'm picky I think they could up the dark meat, as the white meat pieces were not as juicy. Still, I would this chicken up against any Taiwanese restaurant in the eastside. I also got the minced pork noodle, which was just ok. The noodles are actually cooked very well, but the pork is just fine in terms of texture and flavor. I did enjoy the pickles, possibly the best part of this dish. The restaurant interior is an endearing time capsule. There's a wall of comic books and cafe style seating. This is truly a great place to just hang out and kill time. I hope to come back and do just that, while trying more of the extensive menu.

    Menu
    James A.

    Founded in the San Gabriel Valley in 1999, Tapioca Express has expanded to 29 stores along the West Coast through a franchise model. We stopped into their Redmond location in the Overlake Center strip mall, for a short sit-down of beverages with a lot of boba (tapioca pearls). It's a large space inside, with far apart tables with plenty of seating to encourage a longer stay. You place your order with a friendly staff member, and your name gets called out a few moments later. All of the drinks are within the 4 - 7 dollar range, with an upcharge for added boba. My daughter and I tried two different drinks. The italian soda (mango flavor) was different so decided to try that with boba. it was OK, would have been fine with free refills if ordered at a sit-down restaurant for that price, but just as a drink by itself, there are better choices. The other drink was a Yogurt frost, and it definitely tasted very strongly of yogurt (i.e. fermented milk), approaching Greek yogurt taste. The generous amount of tapioca boba given really did add a lot to the taste and texture, and was super glad we included it. There are other stores in this mall that we have been to, but first time in this particular store. Note that the mall's topography is different, where one end of the mall is probably one to two stories above the other end....the outdoor mall wouldn't be practical in snowy/icy weather.

    Alex N.

    Amazing place to get Taiwanese snacks, my favorite spot to get popcorn chicken. The drinks here very good too, very quick and casual. Super friendly service, I would come back.

    Popcorn chicken
    Nathalie C.

    My go to spot for popcorn chicken. I always get the 3 star spice and they always come out delicious. Perfectly fried, chicken always juicy, seasoning is top tier. Service was fast, I got the popcorn chicken in less than 5 mins. They also have a lot of drink options and snacks.

    thai tea
    Ariella N.

    I really wanted to like this place, but did not meet any expectiations at all. Pros: Large dining area, opens late, many bored games to play and manga to read. Cons: Service and drinks aren't that good. We waited 20+ minutes for our food, and there weren't that many customers at the time. When the server finally brought it out, the guy just left it at the pickup table without saying anything. Thai tea (no modifications) was watery and not sweet at all, if anything it was just slightly bitter. I don't think we drank more than pictured. Food was ok, we got the tonkatsu plate and the pork chop noodle soup. Both were thin. Katsu tasted better than pork chop, and pork chop tasted like popcorn chicken if that's your thing.

    Pork noodle soup
    Piko L.

    Always love their food because it's comfort taiwanese food. The popcorn chicken always hits the spot and their soup noodles are delicious. Their prices are fair and the staff is helpful, and attentive, which is really appreciated, especially during a cyclone that hit the Seattle coast and sent many cities into a days-long power outage. The owners were kind and helped everyone find an outlet. The drinks are an amazing treat and they'll offer sugar and topping adjustments to everything! Love coming here to do some work on a quiet day. Thank you tap ex staff for being so kind

    Bessie C.

    Popcorn chicken with basil is our fave! Lots of parking available and tables/booths for seating. They even have comic books and board games. Friendly staff! Order at the counter and seat yourself. Menu is quite extensive with both food and drinks.

    Mango Yogurt Frost
    Alekkz D.

    I used to be an addict to Tapioca Express way back when it was Edmonds but unfortunately the building caught on fire or something and I thought all hope was lost. I was driving past this area few months back while volunteering with a dog shelter (I live in on the west side btw so to come all the way out here takes me roughly 45 minutes). Back in Edmonds, it was 2 minute drive and I would visit 2-3 times a week no joke haha!! I'm now sitting here on my 2nd visit to the Redmond location and I can't believe I went 3+ years without my Mango Yogurt Frost and popcorn chicken! I probably can't come as often but I'm probably going to be around at least once a month (although this month it's already the 2nd trip). Glad that Tapioca Express still exists nonetheless! I love the yogurt frost!!! No where else compares to how delicious it is.

    Black Tea with egg pudding
    Kumar V.

    I will come here every time not for their Boba or Tea but for their popcorn chicken. I haven't had better popcorn chicken in this area before. In fact it's my second favourite place for popcorn chicken. The best one which I ever liked was in Irvine, CA. The ambience is pretty average. Tables are not super clean and feels sticky. Not super clean environment but gosh those popcorn chicken! Just amazing.

    the inside of a restaurant
    Sahitya M.

    I haven't tried their hot tea before and I was surprised how delicious it was ! It's a non diary milk tea with hazelnut flavor and it was absolutely above and beyond my expectation! The only problem I had was it was barely lukewarm I would have really enjoyed it if it was a warmer. Overall I love this place for the boba ! They seem to have a lot of food options as well, may be something I would try in the future Overall a decent place for both hot and cold tea ! They serve not just tea but coffee as well

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    Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #99…read more Moge Tee is a chain from Mainland China that also has a couple of locations in Michigan which I've visited and mostly enjoyed. They have a bit higher quality tea than most boba shops that came before them, but have since been overshadowed. This particular location is inside the Nan Noodle restaurant, making it a convenient place to order from while slurping on noodles. They have a kiosk for ordering near the front door. When we visited, there was only one worker who was cranking out a huge order of drinks (I'm talking 20+ drinks). Unfortunately we were behind that large order so it took over 30 minutes before our drink was ready. Dahongpao Bubble Milk Tea, Large, 50% Sugar, 50% Ice ($7) - The taste of the milk tea first starts out very nutty, a bit roasty, and quite sweet (distinct and separate from the sweetener). It then descends into something that's almost a little stale and tastes mildly of rancid fat. I feel like there's a chance that the creamer they used in the drink is old and/or on the cusp of going bad. It's not a super strong taste, but it's there, giving the drink an unpleasant aftertaste. The boba is very good however. Golden pearls, smaller than average boba with great chew and bounce. They are soaked for a while in sugar solution, giving them a sweet taste that penetrates the top layer of the boba. Due to the soak, some of the boba sticks together into larger balls, and the exteriors have a softer velvety layer rather than being smooth. Milk Tea Rating: 1/5 Boba Rating: 4.5/5 I have to assume that their drinks don't normally taste rancid... Maybe something was just wrong with my taste buds that day? Then again, given my disappointment, I visited another boba shop right after and that one tasted fine. Note: My rating of 3 is because the boba and milk tea have equal weighting. The boba is very good while the milk tea is terrible due entirely to the rancid/stale aftertaste. Bathrooms - Two larger ones, shared with Nan Noodles.

    This place shares space with Nan Noodle, and is located right at the entrance when you get in. You…read morecan place your order just on the kiosk nearby, and you can customize your ice and sugar levels for most drinks here, which consists of your regular milk tea flavors. I got the Oreo milk tea, which started off as foamy on the top with Oreo bits but dissolved while I was driving home. Taste is all right though even at 50% sweetness and regular ice it was still too sweet for my liking. Nothing too special here, though some friends have told me that their cheese foam drinks are worth a try since I enjoy my cheese!

    Happy Lemon

    Happy Lemon

    (252 reviews)

    $

    It's bubble tea and waffles. You can't really expect a Michelin star meal here…read more That said, when there is a line it goes pretty quick when it's mostly regulars, and only gets bottlenecked by people who have never bubbled their tea or bubbled their waffles before and don't know how to order. Or who haven't used a touchpad POS I guess - which is surprising but it happens. ...hell I work in tech and only this month used my phone to pay for a thing at a POS but I digress. Never was a priority. I've ordered there consistently. I usually get the same thing. I'm more of a no boba milk tea person. Service is consistent. Prices are decent. I guess the low reviews are people who are expecting Din Tai Fung levels from a small place in the mall? Then again I don't boba I only milk tea so what do I know. People are super picky about their balls and how they want their balls to taste. I say set your expectations on your balls and stop being a ball buster. Good grief people have gotten so artisinal about their boba balls it's like they expect each one to be flow in individually by a drone or hand selected and blessed by the Pope. Or do like I do and go for the milk tea and not worry about it. Can't go wrong with milk tea. Or maybe the low reviews are people who are over complicating their orders and expect Frank Lloyd Wright and Gordon Ramsey both to be back there assembling their bevy for $7. For what it is, and for the price, I have no complaints.

    Keeps messing up my orders!! The drinks are good and all but…read moreout of all the happy lemon locations I've been to, this has been the most disappointing. Both times I've ordered from here, a few drinks will be done wrong! I didn't document the first time but I have for this second time. Almost half the drinks I ordered were done wrong! First drink, f3 + salted cheese - they added boba Second drink, f2 +lychee and boba - they forgot lychee Third drink, f3 + salted cheese - they forgot salted cheese

    Tapioca Express - taiwanese - Updated May 2026

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