I dropped in here with my boyfriend last Saturday with the intention of getting some bubble tea to go... After 20 minutes of waiting - while the people behind the counter walked around making themselves drinks and chatting we inquired about our drinks and got the laziest rudest responses I'd seen in any establishment- asking for our receipts and then while we were telling her that we wanted a refund she just turns away to finally even start making the drinks. We had to yell across the counter for her to come back and just give us a refund instead since they had already wasted a huge chunk of our time to not make drinks that take 2 minutes to do. I will note that there were other people there who were getting their orders at a reasonable time but they were all food orders that - with the amount of activity from the employees - were probably just chunks of meat tossed in a microwave. The rest of the establishment was sporting dirty tables that no one there had any intention of wiping down at any point during their shift and my boyfriend left with a huge syrup stain on his jacket just from brushing against the counter. The place was not overly busy where you would expect some wait time or some mishaps on orders it was literally just a business that had no interest in customer service or any type of service. read more

I've been to many milktea places and many Tapex. This is the worst Tapex I've been to. The milktea here tastes like water. It's super diluted. Doesn't taste like tea at all. The only reason I come here is because it's the only milktea place that's nearby. I hope Sharetea opens a new store here so I can stop coming here!!! read more

I ordered a bubble milk tea here. I lived and worked in Taipei, Taiwan, for 1.5 years where it was invented and run a food blog, so I know what good bubble tea is. The quality of the tea is good here for sure, and the ratio of milk to tea is pretty good, but the pearls are not that good; they are bland, not sweet at all. If they improved this, they would have a good bubble tea. Otherwise, if I'm in the area, I'll just order a milk tea only and say no to the pearls. read more

One extra star for quick food to table. Liked the noodles in soup (sorry, forgot the name)... it has been a month I was there. Will go again. read more

I'm still fairly new to the area so this place has been the only boba spot I've been to as of yet. I've been here 3x-- the first two times were ok as far as flavor; I always ordered the taro milk tea that comes with lychee. Well I went again yesterday to order the same thing and first of all, I noticed they were done with our order in less than 1 minute--very impressive, I thought, but then when we left and I had the first couple of sips, I thought...where are the lychee?? On top of that, the flavor tasted so powdery. Whoever made this batch doesn't know what they were doing or rushed everything to a careless manner. I was tempted to go back to complain or right their wrong, but we had to go about our day. Anyway, I think we'll stop going here; we have to try other places anyway that make their products better. Plus, every time I walk in to this place, it smells of harsh chemical cleaners everywhere, or a public restroom with that chemical smell. Yuck! read more

The milk tea tastes like tea. Got jasmine milk tea and it tasted like green tea. The more non traditional flavored are better but the OG has got to be good read more

Terrible customer service. They forgot about my food and when i asked about it they didnt even apologize and just looked at each other. Will never come back! read more

Service sucks here! The girls behind the counter are just plain rude and act like they hate their job. I hate coming here bc no one is nice!

Great yogurt Frost they did forget the bubble tea in my son's drink but they quickly fixed that. It's pretty healthy in that it's much less sweet than other bubble tea. I really don't like how sweet other bubble teas are. Cleanliness is just ok could be better. Prices are very reasonable and they are pretty fast with drinks. I have tried any foods. read more

This place used to be so good. Now their classic boba tea taste so nasty. Never coming back.

Stopped by this afternoon. I was in line when I saw one of their workers sneeze into both palms, then proceed to make drinks. I left immediately. read more

Horrible customer service. The lady who is at the cashier is rude. I asked before finishing payment to change it to soy and she gave me attitude saying I have to tell her before paying. I didn't pay then seitvh my drink completely, plus I am the one paying the money for your product. Beware of horrible customer service. read more

This place is awesome for being open so damn late everyday. You really have no other options for late night eats on the Eastside, and in the spirit of Taiwan food carts and cafes, they offer a bunch of small plate food options and decent bubble tea. I would totally give them more stars, except the service here is TERRIBLE. I don't expect much from a place where you order at the counter, either wait and pickup your food/drinks to go yourself or have it dropped off at your table. Even then, just kind of amazing how slowly and lazily the staff moves around, how long they continue their private conversations before even acknowledging your presence at the register, and other stereotypical dismissively rude behavior. Very strange, and I didn't take it personally, as they seemed to act the same way with the people in front of me and behind me in line on both occasions I've been in. Sure, it was late, maybe within the last 1-2hrs of their night, but not like it was in the last minutes, so I really am stumped as to why, other than assuming they operate under the 0 f**ks given philosophy? read more

Wish I could give no stars. Any place that serves undercooked pork should be out of business. Be careful of what you order here.

First time here since I was looking to Taiwanese up my day a little. I was not aware that Tapioca Express sold food since all the ones I've been to in LA didn't. I got the TW Railroad Bento which was pretty good although not the best lu rou fan or pai goo fan I've had. The boba milk tea was average since I prefer Hard Wok Cafe's but everything was pretty cheap. I would go back to try some of their other foods and desserts if I was in town but I'm happy with what I have in Seattle for the time being. read more

Little too sweet for my taste. San Diego has Tapioca Express and they are day and night. I had better ones in other places.

Never going back!! I don't know how they run things in California, but in the Northwest, and ESPECIALLY in Redmond, we are NICE and customer service IS important. I don't recall a time when I've had worse service. Apart from inflexibility regarding my drink order - i.e. light ice, the attitude I got from the girl (I think her name was Nicole) was rude in retrospect I should have immediately left! Instead, I'll warn fellow patrons to be prepared for the worst tasting bubble tea in our area served with a heavy dose of attitude if you have any questions! Instead, please try COZY BUBBLE TEA - less than 1/4 mile down NE 24th - they rock and - wait - you CAN customize your tea there!!! read more

It's a nice place to go and have a boba tea or even lunch. The employees are overall cool

I've been here over 5 times and it's been consistently delicious. I keep telling myself to try the other items on their huge menu, but I can't help myself around the popcorn chicken and variety of bubble teas. I will note that the spiciness level is higher here than other places as 2-stars is borderline for me. I keep coming back for more so I have to give 'em 5 stars. read more

I got a chance to try the food here. I had a pork veggie noodle bowl. My husband had the railroad bento. Both were ok ... not bad. My bro-in-law had a curry katsu rice plate which looked pretty good. read more

Me and my fellows have been coming to tapioca since their pre-opening. From everyday to once or twice a week now. We are probably going to find a new place after the changes they made. Our food is ok but the drinks are not as good anymore. I am an ex bubble tea barista so I know quite a bit on portions and ingredients considering I was a few years. I left annoyed because the foam went down an left my drink 3/4 full and 2/3 of that being ice. read more

To be honest, I've never been a huge Tapioca Express fan (when I lived in and visit CA) but if I have a boba craving, theirs will do. It's not bad, but just a matter of preference. I like my boba a bit more on the less-creamy side (with more tea flavor than sweet) and Tapioca Express' boba is definitely sweeter/creamier (which is good if you like it that way!). Nonetheless, I came anyway to check out the new digs and see how it compared to the CA locations. It's pretty nice -- clean, spacious, trendy, and the food is plentiful, fast and tasty. I ordered the ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball), a favorite dish of mine since childhood, and it had just the right amount of stickiness, meatiness and spiciness. My husband ordered the fried chicken and that was equally good -- tender, juicy and the perfect amount of crispy batter. The portions are generous too and we got our fill. I would have given it 4 stars but took away one because I found the service a bit lack-luster. No one is expecting red-carpet treatment or anything but the girl at the counter didn't even return my hello or even a smile. She almost seemed kind of annoyed to be getting another customer. I've been to other boba/Taiwanese eats establishments where the staff is genuinely friendly and show their appreciation for your business with simple gestures like this... Didn't really get that vibe here. read more

I love strawberry frost yogurt in this cafe. You should try it!! There is lots of strawberry syrup in it so I could enjoy it with yogurt.

come here mainly for bubble tea. popcorn chicken is alright and too often is the boba unfresh and stale. inconsistent in the milkiness of the milk tea. however, the prices are fair and the boba isnt horrible. sometimes the service is lightning quick and sometimes is poor. decent place if in Bellevue looking for quick Taiwanese. read more

I really appreciate that they stay open late; a fun place for late-night cravings! A little on the understaffed side, as there can be quite a wait, but their offerings are affordable. Not my favorite place for bubble tea (or "snow bubble", which is their frozen blended version), as the drinks seem to be on the watery or powdery side. I do love their shaved ice offerings though! Ambience is cheerful, bright, and clean and a good place to sit with friends. read more

I used to love this boba place, cause it was open late and their menu has a lot of variety. The past couple of months tho, this place has gone downhill. It seems like the employees there don't care about customer service. They are extremely rude and short with customers. Then there are issues with what they have in stock. They are always out of longan tea, avocados, lichee jelly, grass jelly, mangos and boba!! What boba place is out of boba?? I mean, late at night and they are out, ok I will understand but I went in at noon today and they are already out of stock. I ordered two drinks and they messed them both up. I had to go back in after I had already left, and have them fix my drinks. As I was leaving, another girl had come up to the counter saying her drink was made wrong as well. Seriously, this place needs to be on an episode of Undercover Boss or it's gonna be out of business soon if they keep up like this. It's so sad too, cause I love their food and all of their drink options. Save your money and frustrations and find another place to go to. read more

Agree with some reviews that it's hit or miss. Sometimes the bubble tea is great, other times you will be told that they are out of the regular size boba - how is this possible at a bubble tea place? Something to keep in mind is that it's super loud in there due to the blenders and echo, so don't plan on having any kind of conversation, unless you like shouting. I do like that they offer a smaller size drink and not only the large size. read more

I love this place!!!! The spicy fried tofu and Taro bubble tea are amazing.

The food is okay. We like the relaxing atmosphere here, which reminds us of casual eateries in Taiwan.

Compared to other popular bbt places like on the ave or international district, the cost of the drinks here are a little bit pricier. Generally I wouldn't mind even if it costs more if the quality is good but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with my green tea milk tea. It was listed on the menu as a favorite so I thought it would be a good first drink to try from there but it just tasted a little...off. It wasn't terrible but something seemed to be missing from it. The good thing about this place is that there are a lot of snack and food options in addition to a huge selection of drinks, tapioca, jellies- anything you could probably ever want in your bbt. I also like that you can pick what size you want, unlike many standardized one size fits all cups most bbt places have. It is open late and the store itself is pretty spacious and accommodates large groups. I will have to come back sometime though and try some other flavors to see if my opinion about this place changes . read more

I am a traveler and visited this place randomly searched from yelp! Found it out to be excellent! Must go... especially after dinner for a bubble tea!! read more

So my parents and I decided we wanted some boba earlier this morning. I stayed in the car and my mom walked in and ordered four things: strawberry tealush, caramel frosti milk, grapefruit green tea, and a railroad popcorn chicken bento. Google says that this location opens at 10am, and my mom walked in at 11am. The railroad bento came out in ten minutes, but my mom waited forty minutes for the three drinks. When she asked what was going on, they said that the boba wasn't ready yet. The drinks were made twenty minutes prior to this and had all melted and were out in the open without lids. My mom had enough and just asked for the drinks without the boba. And instead of making fresh new ones, tapioca express gave us our almost completely melted drinks without any apologies. Thanks tapioca express!!! Maybe tell your customers that you don't have boba next time instead of making them wait for forty minutes in a pretty much empty store. read more

I like the variety and the food options but the service is lacking. On moderately busy nights, food is received faster than drinks. Sometimes they don't call out your drink when it's done and often times, people who came after you will get their drink before you do. read more

The first 2-3 times I really liked my bubble tea, however the quality and service has gone downhill. I always get the same bubble tea, and it is always watery and they are extremely stingy on the tapioca. I get maybe 10 in a drink. Before I'm done 1/4 of my drink I have no bubbles left. Also, why does it take 20 minutes to make bubble tea? There are 2 other people in line, and at least 3 people working. At least if the quality was good I wouldn't be so annoyed.. read more

Tap Ex is one of those places that you go to it because there's nothing better nearby. It's open late but even that won't make me go back there again after numerous bad experiences. Food: The food they serve is mostly fried though they do have some noodle soups. Beware, the vegetables in the noodle soups don't seem to be washed because I bit the end off my quartered bok choy to separate the leaves and found lots of small winged bugs in between. Drinks: I feel like it's mostly powdered and syrupy based- they do claim they use fresh fruit but it's only a portion of the drink as they also add in the syrup of that particular fruit to make it sweeter. They also seem to consistently run out of boba around 9-10pm, even though they're supposed to be open until 12 or 1am. Kind of strange how they let themselves run out of a popular topping... Service: Now this is the biggest thing that bothers me about Tapioca Express. The running joke in Asian establishments is that it's considered good service if you even get your food- service is notoriously bad. Tapioca Express is different. There's a female manager who gives you a condescending stare when you ask for boba and they're out that night. She acts like she hates her job and is taking it out on customers. I don't even think I've ever seen her smile. I know the place gets slammed on certain nights but Pochi's in Lynnwood sometimes has lines out the door and all the people there are cheerfully taking orders. The final straw was last night- we went in ordering a drink with boba, the receipt clearly stated "large boba" and when we got our order, they had filled it with the small kind. When I asked about it, the guy who took the order simply said, "oh we ran out of the big boba so we substituted it with small". It struck me as an odd habit to just substitute one topping for another when the textures clearly make them different. If they had been upfront about availability, I would have rather chosen another topping or left it out to save on the extra charge. When I asked about a refund he called over that same female manager who gave a condescending stare and stated she would only refund the topping charge. I know for a fact that other bubble tea establishments will completely refund your drink if you're not satisfied. It would be a great gesture on their part to keep a customer satisfied and going back. Pochi's, Sharetea and Looking for Chai are much better drink options to go to and worth the drive. read more

Same owner as the TE at Shoreline, same menu. Same fried Taiwanese munches, served with nice cold tea. The eastside, with TE, Facing East, Boiling Point, DTF, and the soon to be arriving Kiki bakery, now has fantastic Taiwanese food. read more

This place opens late and has decent food and snacks for reasonable price. Definitely one of the better choice around Bellevue and Redmond area. read more

Really great drinks but the food was terrible ordered popcorn chicken was not what I expected it had way to much basil on it

Reasonable price for their food. My usual is their chicken Katsu curry. Fills you up without having to pay a leg and an arm for a meal. Not bad. Good hang out spot too read more

tapioca express has more options than any other similar shop in the area, and lower costs! absolutely delicious and my favorite boba in the area. read more