ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE BOBA PLACES IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. I came in with some friends around 8 on a weekend. As I order they tell me they have NO MORE TAPIOCA. They're called TAPIOCA EXPRESS, how da f do you run out of boba and not make more!??? They service is terrible and they have no respect for there customers. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COST! Would give one star if possible. read more

Wanted to try out this bubble tea place, their service is really slow. We ordered milk tea and honeydew snow, the milk tea is just ok. I like Oasis(Renton) one more, the honeydew is pretty sweet. 5$ minimum to use credit card.. they have more stuff on the menu maybe we'll come back and try out other stuff. read more

I've been here twice now and I'd say this is fairly mediocre/average bubble tea at least by my standards; I've ordered the passion fruit green tea with boba both times. At 100% sugar the bubble tea tasted too sweet for me so on the second trip I asked for less sugar (50% sugar) and that was better to taste. The bubbles here are ok, not the most pleasant to chew but I've had worse. When it comes to the Redmond area (let alone the Greater Seattle Area), I think I have other places in mind that I would go to rather than here but I wouldn't mind ordering from here if I have friends that I'm with who like this place.They do offer meals here that seem to be authentic Asian meals but I haven't tried any yet. The first time the service wasn't all that great (my friends and I waited quite a while for our order and it wasn't really particularly busy). On my second visit the service was much better (nothing beyond the ordinary but that's all I need really). Atmosphere wise it's clean and cozy enough with a cafe-esque feeling. There might've been free wi-fi as I saw some people with their laptops out but this is more of a hunch than an actual tip. read more

This is a great late night hangout spot for teenyboppers on the weekends. It kind of reminds me of Chinatown's Oasis but cleaner and brighter. There were at least 3 separate occasions where they've run out of something I've tried to order (boba, a flavor, a fruit, etc.). If you're going to have it on the menu, I suggest you keep it in stock. Also, it would be great if they wrote your name on the cups or called out the specific drink. I've had another customer take my drink because all of them look the same (especially when it's a hot drink in an opaque cup) and the employees just put the drinks on the counter and make you guess what's what. The drinks here are pretty good though. The food is decent. read more

it's always fun coming here when you're in edmonds...always upbeats, busy and great popcorn chicken. They dont have very many au-natural choices for their bubble teas (only avocado and banana) so I stick to the street food items. they also have nostalgic entrees like pork and rice ..fish cakes were fun and tastes the same as the popcorn chicken.. read more

WOW, this place is pretty legit for a bubble tea place. After being disappointed by another bubble tea establishment, my friend and I wondered into this place. They have a HUGE selection/variety of bubble tea and the food is tasty. The fried taro cake, I admit, I thought was weird, but now I'm addicted! Their popcorn chicken is good, and from the looks of their dishes they look yummy a well. I will certainly return. Prices are also VERY reasonable. read more

Title holder. Ambiance: 3 Food: 3 Drinks: 4 Value: 4 This Taiwanese chain eatery holds the title belt for the best bubble tea in Seattle. Though I'm not a huge bubble tea fan, I've had it a lot, in a lot of places (the best is still in Vancouver). I like Tapioca Express because their tea is good and it has excellent consistency (no chalky flavor). They also have a wide variety of stuff... In addition to drinks, they also serve Taiwanese meals (like the lunch cart bento) and snacks. The food is just decent though the price (at less than $7) is pretty reasonable. read more

Came in right before closing on the day of the Super Bowl with the bf. There were a handful of people, mainly couples (weird? 0_o) lol We were pretty hungry so we ordered popcorn chicken, katsu curry, and a honey tea. The honey tea was subtly sweet and was very refreshing! I loved the popcorn chicken! It was crispy and seasoned and I just love Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken. The bf thoroughly enjoyed the katsu curry and even had some left over to take home. I tried some of it and although it was a tad watery (I like mine super thick), it was more Japanese-style so slightly sweet but still very good. The best part? Because we were wearing our Seahawks gear, we got an extra discount!!!! The girl working was super cute and was so eager to give us our discount and drink and we chatted about the game for a good bit. I'll have to try a milk tea next time to get a better sense of how good this bubble tea place is! But so far, the food, drink, ambiance, late-night openness (is that a word? 0_o), and the service was great! read more

If I could, I would rate Tapioca Express as 3 1/2 stars. We stopped by on a Saturday night, and the place was packed. It is nice to know that there is a place to get bubble tea and Taiwanese food relatively late at night. The space is modern, although it can be a little hard to find in its location in the strip mall (next to Macy's). I ordered a honeydew snow bubble (real honeydew, ice, milk, etc.) and it was pretty good. I liked the fact that they use real honeydew in the drink, and it wasn't too sweet. The small boba was pretty good as well. A large drink with the boba will cost you around $5, but it isn't too bad. I have to agree with the other reviewers: it does take a while to get your drinks. I will have to come back and try their food next time. read more

Good boba milk teas and smoothies. This is one of the few good bubble tea places in the area. The food is pretty decent for the price. I like their Taro Milk tea with red bean or the Milk tea with boba. The staff members are nice, but the speed of service is slow. read more

Docking a star because lately my favorite boba flavors are either always out, or inconsistent this past month. Example 1: Came craving Oolong Green Milk Tea, they are out of it. Example 2, two days later: Finally got the Oolong Green Milk Tea, but it's watery. DX BLECK. Example 3; later in the month: Wanted Coffee Milk Tea, they are out of it. Example 4; yesterday: Asked for Avocado Snow Bubble with Chocolate, one of the Top 10 favorites on their counter list. Didn't get the chocolate, line was too long for me to wait another 20 mins to get it. I can't dock them too much, because they are open late, and the food at least has been good and consistent. Just been very disappointed in missing favorites lately. read more

VERY pleasantly surprised! In the Taiwanese populated areas of SoCal, Tapioca Expresses are the cheap and disgusting alternative to legit tea places like Tea Bar, TenRen Tea Time, Tenju, Tea Station, or Tenju. However the quarter sugar no ice yogurt pearl green tea I ordered tasted surprisingly similar to legit tea places in Taiwan or SoCal. Even the pearls were made very well, sweet and chewy. Downside: they got the order 90% wron. (Actually it was 100%. All 3 of our orders were wrong and had to be re-made, but I am giving them a handicap because my drink was more complicated.) read more

Want yummy Taiwanese on a budget? Yes, you can find it in Redmond! For about $7, I get the railroad meal with pork over rice, fried chicken, and sweet black tea. Decent price, yeah? What makes it even better is that it is all deeeeeelicious! Tapioca Express, I just have to ask this: Where have you been all my life? read more

I had the Japanese katsu curry. Soo yummmyy. My coworkers were jealous of the delicious smells coming from my to go container. It was pretty crowded for lunch so I recommend getting there early if you want a place to sit. My to go order was ready in about 10 minutes though. I had a regular milk tea with pudding and boba. Loved the pudding and the flavor of the tea but felt like the tapioca itself lacked any flavor. I tend to like it more if it was cooked in a bit of sugar water so that it's not just a stark contrast to the tea. The texture was perfect though. Wish I had been able to try more flavors! Can't wait to come back. read more

Oh so many drink choices! For first timers like me - Snow Bubble is a smoothie and Yogurt Frost is a yogurt smoothie. Still haven't figured out what Shaved Ice is though. Overall, this is a pretty nice place - there's a wide array of food and drink choices and I was impressed to see even a couple of vegetarian snack options on the menu. Its open until midnight which is great because all other juice/smoothie bars in the vicinity close by 9PM. While my mango snow bubble was great though, I was a little disappointed with the green pancakes (vegetarian incidentally). They started out tasting great but after having a couple I realised that they were really oily. Also, as many other reviewers have mentioned, the staff could be more helpful and friendly, especially since their menu is fairly confusing. read more

It's fine. They do have Okinawan milk tea....which is SUPER sweet, but in a way that is different from other boba. They use black sugar in that one. I tried the railroad bento, and was excited to do so. I didn't love any of it. The seasoned egg was a bit dry, the meat was very sweet, and the popcorn chicken was not as good as JazenTea down the street. I sometimes eat a lot of popcorn chicken...you can start tasting the difference, based on where you buy it (I realize all of this sounds kind of gross now...). Here, there was a tiny aftertaste that wasn't so delicious. They also ran out of sweet chili sauce..when I asked for more, the employees just looked at each other and said they didn't know if they had any. read more

Everything is good. Popcorn chicken, bubble tea with mini boba. You won't be dissapponted. Except for the chichi fries... that's just too much. This location is super nice but it gets suuuper packed so beware! read more

Warning: Be prepared for long wait times to get your drinks and food during the evening. The place has gotten busier and much more crowded. Recommendations: Jasmine milk tea, hot lavender milk tea, peach green tea, katsu curry, popcorn chicken (YUM!!!!!!! Soooooo good!) Their bento boxes here are satisfying and priced well considering you get a small sweetened jasmine tea with the meal. The rest of the food I can only call "okay". read more

This is one of the few boba places open late on the east side. They have various Taiwanese and Japanese dishes that aren't bad. Liked their railroad bento and katsu curry. Both were pretty filling. I got my usual taro slush. I like thick smooth slushes. The one here was thick, but it was kind of lumpy. I have no plans to get a slush here again. I also tried their normal milk tea, which is decent. Prefer the boba at Oasis, but this place will suffice as my go to when I don't want to make the trek to Seattle. read more

Okay seriously? Customer service here is so terrible. I've come here 3 times always expecting a better experience but nope. AND it's always the same girl. They didn't even call out when the drink was ready, instead just left it on the counter where it must have been sitting for a couple minutes before I had to physically walk over to check. Plus I ordered a drink with boba and even paid the extra for it. Once I was on the way home, only then did I notice they did not put the boba in the drink. What a waste because it made the Taro taste even more bland and powdery. It's unfortunate because TapEx was my favorite boba place in California but I will definitely not be coming back to this location. Oasis in Seattle is worth the drive instead. read more

When I'm busy at work, I just grab a sandwich and call it a day. When I have some time on my hands, I come here for lunch. Definitely one of my favorite spots in Redmond, it's cheap, quick and enough to food coma me :) The Taiwanese Railroad Bento as others have mentioned is a great deal. I've eaten at Monga Café thinking it could top this place. Hate to say it, but the popcorn chicken and pork rice here trumps that other spot easily. The bento comes with your choice of either popcorn chicken, breaded pork, Taiwanese sausage and a few other choices. I personally really like the popcorn chicken, it's salty, seasoned very well, super dooper crispy, and aromatic. It smells the way it should and eat bite is crispy on the outside and juicy and succulent on the inside. I tell myself to just eat what's in my take out box and not order a side of it because it's pretty gooood I must say. The fried basil smells sooo good and I can taste the five spice and garlic powder all the way through. It comes with rice topped with stewed pork, it's rich and hearty. It's like a delicious pork ragu, it's not overpowering and I think it's a nice compliment to the yummy pieces of popcorn chicken. This is not the highlight of the bento but it's nice to have and I eat it willingly because it's very satisfying and keeps me full. It's seasoned perfectly, there aren't spices that stick out aggressively, but the stew is nice and thick and warms up my tummy. Another plus is you get pickles and a tea egg. You basically get a complete meal anddddddddddddddddddddddd a small green or black tea. EPIC WIN! For $7, this is a steal. If you don't have a big appetite, I can see it being turned into two meals. I've also bought some squid balls and REALLY liked them. I don't know what they season them with but it's addicting. I would recommend you buying an order for yourself because it's not easy to share HAHA. I can't share... :) The green tea is bitter and sweet, extremely refreshing. Speaking of which I might run over and get one on my way home LOL. As for other drinks on their menu, my experience with them have been so-so, tethering on a 3.75/5. I wasn't a fan of their jasmine milk tea, I didn't think it had enough Jasmine tea flavor. I actually do like their peach jade green tea and the fact that their array of toppings is quite expansive, with... dun dun dun HONEYDEW JELLY. WHAT??? Yes, it exists here! I'm always happy that they offer grass jelly, I just wish it was fresh and super soft. Recently, I tried their cream float black tea, I was sooo excited because I've been craving it! I thought it was just okay. I am a bit bias because I had the most amazing concoction in Hawaii but this version did not impress me. The cream to black tea ratio was too sparse. I had a very very slim amount of cream floated on top, usually it's about two inches... should be a similar ratio to Thai tea. Also... the black tea on the bottom wasn't a straight black tea (usually its a sweetened black tea that can stand well on its own), but it was more like a milk tea with additional cream floated on top. Solid place for lunch and a decent place to get your bubble tea fix :) read more

Came here a couple of times now. The first I came here I ordered the taro milk tea with litchi. I really liked it! It was surprisingly good. I decided on this after thinking it was time to venture out from my usual of almond milk tea and pudding. My bf had the strawberry milk tea with boba. EWW I did not like it at all! It tasted basically like strawberry nestle quik. The place was packed with young people, some just socializing and others studying with their laptops. In LA where I moved from, there are a billion and one boba places that are amaze balls and open super late! Bellevue and the surrounding areas definitely need that here!! Until then, I guess this place will have to do! read more

Tapioca Express - Chicken katsu curry comes with egg - Taiwanese Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Authentic Taiwanese food! Both fried chicken and pork chop are great to me, tender and juicy and crispy crust. Especially, their taro milk tea which is a must order if you are a big fan of taro! read more

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Went here on a Saturday around 930pm and this place was pretty busy! We took it as a good sign. I had been to a Tapioca express back in Canada but this one had a lot more food options than back at home....too bad we had stuffed ourselves prior to coming here. We looked at the menu for quite some time as there was no one behind us and asked to clarify the difference between snow bubble and ICY. Apparently snow bubble is more of a smoothie and icy is a slush. My fiancée ordered a litchi icy, I ordered a matcha smoothie and my friend got a fresh grapefruit green tea. It took quite some time for the drinks to come and they actually forgot my fiancee's but quickly made it when they realized. Matcha and litchi were pretty good and my friend raved about the fresh grapefruit! Next time I am definitely going to try the yogurt frost which can be made with fresh strawberry, mango, kiwi or a combination..... Will be back again when we are in the area! read more

This place has the one benefit of being open really late compared to other businesses in the area. The food is ok at best - often I find the katsu a little too dry for my taste, and the beef noodle saltier, and the dumplings aren't fresh. But I can't complain seeing as they are convenient. The main problem I can't give this place higher than 3 stars is the slowness of their service. I might expect 30 minutes for 1 dish if they were some kind of fine dining establishment or made fresh food from scratch, but slow sit-down cuisine this is not. I swear i can make beef noodles faster at home if i had beef stock handy. It's quite loud in here and the wait staff will often get confused or overwhelmed when large groups queue in. When orders come they'll just scream a number instead of mention what's on the order. At least it's dependable and very affordable, making it a huge hotspot for college students. read more

This review is based on the taro smoothie I ordered this afternoon. I think they called it icy or snow. After confirming with the cashier that they used real taro, my friend and I dubiously handed our money down and waited. I didn't mind the wait because that meant the place was good. Unfortunately, our order came out tasting completely powdered. For a $5 drink, I expected it to taste like the taro root. I might come back again in the future, but if I do I will stick to the regular milk tea. For fresh taro boba, try Drive Thru Boba, Facing East, or Monga Cafe. read more

Omg. I want to own this as a franchise. Their popcorn chicken is so good it will convert vegetarians. The onion pancake tastes homemade and chewy/crispy the way my mom makes it which is a huge win. The minced pork stew is very authentic and savory. The mango snow is just perfectly sweet and refreshing. Best of all, their kitchen is open until midnight. On the eastside. In Redmond. How does that even happen? Shrewd Taiwanese people, that's how. Run there, don't walk. That msg laden heaven is waiting for you. read more

First time here and I love it. They have so many good drinks and good looking food. I just wanna try everything. I didn't try any food but I will definitely be coming back to try the rest of the menu. This place is very chill and is a great place to bring friends to relax and hang out while enjoy delicious drinks and food. read more

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I've been here countless times because it's so close to my home. It's average bubble tea. I find more cons than pros though tbh. Service: people behind cashier are very rude and always trying to rush you. If you try to add something before paying they will sigh and roll their eyes. I also didn't like how two of the guys making the bubble tea were sneezing and coughing a lot. Calamari was really really oily and had no taste. Bubble tea is usually just average - doesn't compare to Oasis or ShareTea whatsoever. I wouldn't recommend this place to a friend. read more

This place used to be my Go-To for Boba, i'm not sure if they are under new management or what but the last couple times i came in they were out of a lot of essential items. How does a Boba shop run out of Boba?? The final straw came when i went in earlier hoping they'd have all their ingredients. I tried ordering the Longan Tea and they said they were out of Longan, okay i thought so how about i order a avacado snow bubble? Nope sorry out of Avacados. At this point i asked if they had enough stuff to make a mango Tea Lush and guess again, all out of mangos. I promptly left and i don't think i will be going back anytime soon. read more

Worst tapioca express ever! All the workers can't speak English. All of them have attitude. This is the 3rd time I've came in and they've got my order wrong. Don't waste your time coming into this nasty grimey place. There's wayyyyy more better BOBA options in the area. Stay away from this place, save your time and your money. read more

Never waste your money on this place. Such a pathetic place. Ordered hot milk tea and came with some particles floating on the liquid. Tastes horrible, its not hot hot, just out of microwave for few seconds. read more

Tapioca Express - Did you see that particles floating! Never gonna go back to that place. - Taiwanese Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Tapioca Express or TapX the we call it in the bay had been my go to place. Recently moved here in Washington was surprise that they have a franchise here. Everything look similar as the ones back in the bay. Honeydew is one my favorite beside Thai tea read more

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If you're reading this, you're likely interested in the boba preparation. Let's cut to the chase. Their boba tea is good! They have a ton of flavors and a good variety of jellies. I usually have their ice slush and the fruit flavors are bright and sweet. The consistency of the ice slush is not too icy or bland. It's smooth and there's enough flavor without it being to sweet. Their popcorn chicken is also really good. I had with a level 3 spicy, but I feel that 4 or 5 would be much tastier. This place is open late which is always a plus. The tables and booths are clean and there are games. There's always people there so the atmosphere is good. I recommend this place and I think it's one of the best bubble tea places in Bellevue. read more

Great for bubble teas ! I had asked for fresh taro snow bubble tea and it was one of the best bubble tea. Make sure to ask for a low sugar option. Also be prepared for the difference in flavor between a regular taro bubble tea and a fresh taro snow bubble tea. read more

Great food, but their milk tea is horrible! The way I judge a bubble tea place is based off their original milk teas. Tap Ex's milk teas are supperr watered down and it doesn't take like anything but slightly flavored water. In my personal opinion, if a place can't get the original milk tea right, I don't want to try their other drinks. On the opposite side of the spectrum, their food is awesome! They are my go-to popcorn chicken place and their meals are quick as well as delicious. If I need something quick but not fast food, I usually come here. read more

They have really good bubble tea hear. That's the only thing I always get so I don't know anything else. It's not a place to have a conversation, when they make their drinks the blender is so loud you literally have to scream to the person you're with. One of these days I will try their food. read more

Tapioca Express - Strawberry banana snow bubble with tapioca. Amazing - Taiwanese Near Me - Redmond, Washington

Ordered kiwi yogurt frost at 11:45am. I beat the lunch rush hour at this place. Service was good, drink made perfectly. I gave it only 4* because they were inconsistent at times especially when theyre busy. Drinks I ordered taste different almost everytime. Generally, yogurt frost of any kind; kiwi, mango, strawberry is my usual ordered. Also Taro snow bubble is good as well. But dont take my word for it as it depends how busy they are and who made your drink when you ordered. Uh oh, radish cake 5* is tastee! Price in here is just ok. Not cheap but not expensive. Just go before noon or after 2pm and you won't be disappointed unless you're just having bad luck. read more

First time here. Not bad. It's clean and lively. Definitely a young people hang out. I had the Vanilla Milk tea and my daughter got the Strawberry Milk tea. Both tasted really good. Ordered Hubs the Mango. That was awful. It was so sweet it was undrinkable. Cashier service definitely needs improvement. We weren't even greeted. I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to order from the girl behind the register. The look on her face made me feel like I was intruding in her space and having to repeat my order told me she really didn't care to be there or didn't care to take my order. Other than that I would consider giving this place another try at another time and another cashier !However, if I get the same kind of attitude I would downgrade this place and not go back. Ok I went back. I really like the variety this place offers. The prices aren't bad either. However, the girl behind the register needs a lesson on politeness and get over herself. Just like the last time. Rude. She acts like I'm interrupting her day. I'm much older than her and not only does she have no respect for the customer but no respect for her elders. WTF. Won't be going back. To bad too. The guy that actually made our milk teas was great and the drinks were really good. But I don't need to pay $4 to be treated like crap. read more

You genuinely can't expect much from here. It's a quick stop for cheap snowbubble tea and snacks. I will say the prices are cheaper than other boba places. I remember this place use to be the spot for the younger crowd, now I see a decent mix of kids, professional and regulars. I do recommend their pork rice and the spicy fried chicken. It's actually really good when I need something quick. read more