Great summer memories here! I took the bus everywhere during college. Hopped on a bus after work to go to my friend's apartment so we can exercise together. Afterwards, we would walk here for spicy crispy chicken and boba for post workout nutrients (I do not recommend this plan for others). A yummy treat somewhere in the corner of this quaint place. Tasty, summer memories. read more

Your average Tapioca Express located at a corner of a shopping center. I prefer this tap-ex over the convoy tap-ex since there are always parking, lots of CLEAN tables to sit at, great place to study, and the drinks taste better as well. The baristas were also really nice. They bring the drinks out to your table if its not busy! I will be coming back here more if I'm craving boba nearby or need a place to study at. read more

Worst customer service ever! I've given this place multiple times to redeem themselves and the always disappoint. They always get my order wrong- it would be ok if they would be somewhat remorseful but they are not and give a mean look instead! I want to also mention that they charge me for their mistake! Really!?! Here's some free advice tapioca express...just be nice! I won't be going back here. read more

Not as good as their Mira Mesa sibling since they do not have the Grapefruit Green Tea, but still pretty solid. Perfect for grabbing a tea and hitting a movie at the AMC 12. The food is bad enough to make me want to stay hungry but the tea is what you expect. The prices are moderate for the specialized tea places. Basically if you have a craving go check it out. read more

+ Very quick service + Friendly staff - Drinks tastes okay, have had better I usually stop by here whenever I'm in Mira Mesa, and that's only because my friends come here as well. I don't know any other boba spots around town, so yea lol. The service here is friendly and quick.. I always have a honey-dew milk tea at any spot I go to. And for all the times I've been here, they've tasted okay. Not as sweet as the other spots I've experienced. I'd come back again though because on service alone, they're great. read more

Ew! Came to this location for the first time... my drink tasted just like water and my friend's drink tasted so weird, she ended up throwing it out. Not only were the drinks bad, but so was the service. I have never seen a worker as cranky as one of the girls who works here. While waiting for my drink, I watched the girl behind the counter take someone's order and after a bit of confusion on the customer's part, the girl called the customer a bitch under her breath. It wasn't like the customer was being deliberately difficult nor was the confusion a big deal (she just didn't know the right name... bobble instead of bubble... and repetition of the order...) But wow, if I could hear you, I'm sure the customer who was ordering was too. Could you be anymore rude? Grow up. read more

Meh. Typical standard TapEx menu, that's priced slightly higher than the average. Food portions can be small now, they were really generous with the crispy fried chicken when they first opened. Now its a small sad looking fried chicken thigh. Open late, tables can be on the sticky side and service can be a little slow. Sanitation could be a little more stringent also. Definately would recommend other tea places over here. read more

BOBA is a hit or miss. They should improve on the quality of their boba. Also, thai tea and other milk teas need to be brewed a lil' longer to get the full flavor of the teas. it's always watered down. clairemont location is better.... read more

Gross. What was I thinking? If you like plastic and powder go here. If you like to eat/drink things that originate from Earth, don't go here. Seems to be a hit for the 16-18 crowd. If you want to pretend your studying and flirt instead, go here.. looks like it would be fun for that (bonus star!) Hey, everyone needs somewhere to go. read more

Went here after the Yelp party and was scared I was going to get annoyed by all the damn kids. Not so, this location is way less pretentious and is just a cool eatery with boba and asian food. 4 stars for good food, good service, and clean bathrooms (which I think I dirtied up on my visit my bad). Looks like normal cafe action from the looks of it and it was busy when I came in but that's always better than the opposite. Just don't go in here trying to expect bougie asian food, this is cheap but satisfying stuff. Oh and I had the green apple tea which tasted fine but wasn't as cold as I would have liked it. Oh and because I have worked over a grill and at a boba shop I guess I"m able to say: get there earlier to fire up the grill! read more

$1.99 Boba after 1pm. If that's not catering to the cheap ass Asian in me, then I don't know what is. How this place gets only 3 stars, I don't understand. Boba is seriously #1 in the world...who doesn't like non-nutritious glutenous blobs of drink decor. If you like small soggy balls in your mouth like I do, then this is the place for you. I like how they ask if want regular or mini boba. Mini boba? That's blasphemous...you should never get mini-boba because that defeats the purpose of what boba is all about. I'm sure the mini-boba is actually regular boba discards. I never drink mini-boba because although it's physiologically impossible, I still 100% believe that mini-boba is indigestible and will find it's way into my kidney's and out my urethra, resulting in kidney stone like pain as I piss out little white boba bb's. Regular boba for life. read more

Okay so I've been to various cafes or whatnot around La Jolla for the past 5 years. This place is the only place that I've stuck with for an extended period of time and will continue to do so. I LITERALLY come here everyday =) Yeah there are times when Tapex is crowded but it's the same with every other place. The general atmosphere, free wifi, yummy food/drinks and super nice workers. love it The workers are really friendly and if you're not satisfied with your drink, they're more than happy to fix it for you! All of these guys are college students, but I honestly think they're way better than workers who work full time at other places =) I've heard people complain about the music being too loud but at the same time, there are other customers who are obnoxiously loud. So loud music doesn't bother me at all. PLUS i like the music they play. I'm super sad that I'm moving so soon.... what will i do without Tapex?! Can you guys move with me pleaseeeee read more

This place has really good crispy chicken snacks. They also have day-time happy hour specials.. which I guess is really convenient for college students and nearby companies that are craving something quick. The staff is super friendly! I would highly recommend their jasmine milk tea or peach black tea with lychee jelly. Their potstickers and wings are pretty good too. read more

The boba is super clumpy and wouldn't work drinking it with a straw and the mango green tea is eh ok. The kids working there do not smile or even say hi, which is rather weird. Took me a long time to get my tea despite not too many people. Parking is a problem too. read more

this place isn't that BAD, but i guess it's not that great either. Then again, the only thing i've ever tried here is taro milk tea with egg pudding and a viet sandwich . Lol, yes the ONLY tapex that sells viet sandwich. It was pretty decent too. Honestly, I guess this place COULD be cleaner AND bigger, there's always way to many people here and not enough seat. but seriously, overall, the drinks are pretty decent. They even gave me a free drink once because they messed up on my order. lol:) read more

This place is legit, and direly needed in this type of student-run La Jolla community. Walk in any given evening and you will see fellow UCSD students studying, playing cards, or just blowing off steam. Points to note: Weekdays before 6 is their 'happy hour,' which involves $2 snack-size fried chicken AND $2 thai milk tea with boba! Strongly recommend. I also believe that if you come in after 9 or 10pm, its buy 1 - get 1 50% off on all their teas! Perfect for a chill date night... which I will keep in mind if ever given such an opportunity haha. This place is my go-to spot for GRE and SAT tutoring. I usually go for the fried chicken wings snack and/or the taro snow bubble, which is blended with ice cream for added deliciousness. If you see a studly (nerdy) Indian guy tutoring someone intently alongside these items, you know what's up! read more

I usually get my boba at the Tap Ex in Clairemont area. I keep forgetting that there's a Tap Ex in La Jolla whenever I'm there. Prolly cuz whenever I'm in La Jolla I never pass the UTC Mall area unless I'm heading down to the beach or to get dinner at that one plaza where BJ's/TGIF area. The tap ex pretty much the same as the one I usually go to for the most part. But this location definitely has a better parking size for their customers. It's a bit smaller than the one located in Clairemont area but that's about it. The boba is the same unless they totally mess up your order. That's pretty much it. They have a wide variety drinks to choose from if you're tired of getting the exact same drink all the time like myself lol. read more

Tapioca Express - Thai The with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Spicy. Crispy. Chicken...wait, I prefer non-spicy...then again, some kick to, a light kick, nothing too extreme. Mild. Spicy. Crispy. Chicken. This dish is a childhood favorite of mines. Did I eat during my childhood? No, I did not, but what I mean is that I first tried it in my undergrad, which was quite sometime ago, just like my childhood. Spice is the variety of life. I miss it - the mild spicy crispy chicken, I mean. read more

Tapioca Express - Missing egg and basil? Then give me more crispy chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I think people's expectations are too high for this place. I mean anything with the word "express" in it's name is bound to be average or worse. Also, the quality of your boba is all based on luck. If you get there right when they make a fresh batch it's not so bad. Besides the fact that it's conveniently located down the street, I enjoy going here to hang out with my friends. It's a good place to get a gathering of people and sit around eating ridiculously spicy foods. There is a minimum of $5 to run a credit/debit card which is annoying because I never have cash on me. There is a 50 cent fee to charge less than 5 bucks and I pay it nearly every time I go. read more

This place is actually pretty decent. I usually go here to get my crispy chicken fix when I'm craving it or as a place to hang out when me and my friends are trying to figure out where to go for the night. Its a chill place and I've had some good experiences here which is why I like the place. The workers there are pretty helpful when they want to be. I remember asking for the weirdest drink they had that still tasted good and they suggested a Thai Tea with Strawberries. It's actually what I order whenever I go there and the same employee is there. When I ask for it from someone else they give me blank looks like "How do I make that?" Overall "A-OK" For me read more

Apparently, some smart a** flagged my last review of this place & now let me review it again. I "love" this place so much that I want to "express my love" in a quote from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "wiped off the map!" Unfriendly staff (who are 17 year olds), ok boba teas, boring menu. Man, I am counting down the days already! read more

Great place to come for late night snacks and tea. But can you get better somewhere else...like...Convoy area. Late night spot for La Jolla.

Friendly, fast service. The milk tea is delicious, and if you come before 6pm M-F, it's only $2! They usually have my order ready before I manage to put my credit card back into my wallet and find a seat. Plus, free WiFi. Highly recommended. read more

Happy hour special before 6PM Mon-Fri! $1.99 tapioca milk tea and $1.79 half order of crispy chicken. Drinks come out really quick snd this location is usually not so crowded. They fill up that half order of crispy chicken and it's pretty good with the right amount of spice (medium has just enough spice for me but I like it spicy). The downside is that it's tapex and the drinks are not very good. Not very good hard boba, watered down powder tasting drinks, and sorta pricy given the quality of the tea. I would pay $2 for a tapioca milk tea during HH but not the full price. Sort of expected given that it's tapex but if college students are buying it why mess with it? Me? I'll stick with Tea N More or Tea Station. Suddenly I want.....to go somewhere else? Don't come here to study or even on a date it gets pretty loud....especially when a group of Chinese people are there. read more

Everything's just sort of alright. The passion fruit green tea has been consistently delicious, but I can't say the same for the tapioca. The tapioca is just barely passable. They have some good lunch/snack deals. Watch out for the salt content in the fried foods, though. I'm Taiwanese. Sometimes I need tapioca. Until I find a better place that isn't on Convoy, I can deal with this. It's honestly not that bad. read more

Thank goodness this TapEx was a bussable distance from campus, otherwise I would have had to rely on the disgusting on campus TapEx to supply me with popcorn chicken combos. Unlike UCSD's TapEx, this place has palatable food, though average at best. Drinks are also alright, but sometimes the green teas are too sweet for my taste. However, they do have a Happy Hour --$1.99 Tapioca Milk Tea before 6 PM on weekdays; buy one get one half off after 10 PM-- which is great! Overall quite an average quality boba place, nothing really stands out to me except the teeming hoards of college students fed up with the on-campus TapEx like me. Food: 3, Drinks: 3, Service: 3, Environment: 3, Price: 4 read more

(+) - happy hour deals (~) - milk tea If you must, come here during happy hour. I wouldn't pay more than 2 bucks for the milk tea. I've had it here a couple of times, sometimes its not so great, at best it tastes average. Even when its made ok, theres still something about the taste that I find strange. But then again after having had milk tea in HK, everything here tastes sub par so I'm probably slightly prejudiced. In any case, if you're willing to shell out more money, tea station has better (overpriced) milk tea. read more

Not all franchises taste the same. Even when franchises are barely 2 miles away. The drinks here are.......... metallic tasting? The prices are the same, I'd rather haul ass to Kearny Mesa to get... the other Tapioca Express' drinks. Man, I miss L.A. :( read more

I was a dedicated regular here for a few weeks in May 2007. I was drawn by the late hours (usually midnight), free internet, and plethora of power outlets, (and cute girls). However, despite all those draws it is a terrible place to work. I've never been to a cafe that was louder than the average bar, but this is one. I did come here with some friends a few times and it was all right as a hang out place, but so damn noisy. It really is like studying or talking inside of a jet engine. I would usually just get the standard tea (you know, leaves in hot water) and not the boba milk teas. Their selection of regular teas (black or green) paled in comparison to their milk teas (over 50 flavors), but I don't even know what their "milk teas" are made of...they're non-dairy. The food is gross and will shorten your life; don't bother. I quickly shifted to the Living Room in downtown La Jolla, but if I needed the internet in a cafe after 7:00PM then this was one of the few places I knew. Oh, and did I mention that I was usually the only non-asian person in there? I lived in Japan so it didn't bother me, but my friend's girlfriend was a little on edge about it so if you are sensitive to that sort of thing then consider yourself "made aware". read more

I'm not a big pearl milk tea fan but I love this Tapex! I like to get the jasmin milk tea and the calamari. (I haven't really tried much else so I can't comment on their other foods or drinks.) The jasmin milk tea has a full bodied taste that is way better than the location on campus at UCSD. You have to try it! I usually drink the jmt when i'm trying to stay awake studying for a midterm. Also, the jmt is best hot as compared to cold. When it's cold it tastes watery from the ice cubes. The calamari is delicious. It is kind of greasy but share with a friend so you don't feel as bad! However, they often run out. From my experience, they have calamari in stock about 50% of the time. =( Customer service: No problems. Always quick and polite. The free WIFI is a definite plus!! +++++ I definitely recommend it! read more

Yum! This is one of the best boba places I've been to. (And trust me, I've been to a lot.) It's also a bonus that they're open so late. I went here after seeing a movie at the Landmark in La Jolla with a friend and I'm so glad I did. He ordered a honeydoo boba tea and I got a plain milk tea. Both were amazing and very decently priced. The only drawback was that the place was FILLED with students and their Macbooks but luckily we were on our way home when we stopped by. They've got fried chicken wafting in the air too. I'll make sure to try it out next time because it spelled delicious and to come back during Happy Hour because the deals sound amazing. I love this place! read more

I came here when they first opened and I've re-visited two years later. Nothing has changed! The food is way too expensive, the boba milk tea taste like watery chocolate milk, the tapioca balls have been overcooked and have no flavor, and the spicy chicken doesn't taste good at all. Just drive a little further and visit the Tap-X on convoy. read more

The worst boba ever! I ordered two larges and it tasted horrible! On top of that it was like they made a small and just added a whole bunch of ice to make it fit inside a large. I'd write more things about them, but frankly it's not worth the time. Don't go here and instead check out Lollicup, Cafe Hue or worse comes to worst another Tapex location. read more

Pros: convenient, Wi-fi, open tables, relaxed atmosphere, and good hours Cons: janky and dirty tables and chairs, can get loud, average quality drinks, small tables, and average quality food. read more

I've been coming here for over 7 years and can't say enough good things. The staff is always professional and friendly. Everything they serve is tasty and they make the best milk tea. read more

I order by phone and go to pickup my order. The person in the front desk is very nice and polite. But the one star review is for he didn't wear the mask properly, he didn't cover his nose and just half his mouth . I think is not safe during this time. read more

Bathroom is so dirty. Rude staff. Drinks have a good flavor and the bobas are chewy and sweet! There are a few tables outside but are a lot of times occupied by college students, just like many other Tapioca Express, but especially this one because it's close to UCSD. I'd prefer the branch in Convoy over this one. Hey at least the bathroom is not disgusting over there... read more

Their crispy chicken is a hit or miss. Sometimes it's good, sometimes its not. The days that they don't taste good, the chicken has no flavor and taste like flour.. read more

I guess someone read my comment because this place has remodeled since the last time I reviewed this place! They got these orange chairs they bought from Ikea, changed the menus that make it look a lot cleaner, and repainted the walls. Overall, it looks like a cleaner store. The restrooms are still pretty groady though. The drinks haven't really improved and they're still the same. I suppose you can say they're consistent if you get your drink the same day of the week and the same time since it really depends on who's working there. I also like reading the white board on top of the espresso machine. The memes are pretty awesome and it changes every month :) read more

I used to live within 2 minutes walking distance from this location, and I must say that it's better than the one on the UCSD campus. The drinks are the same as the one on campus, although for some reason I enjoy the peach black tea here more. The food is a little better imo. Calamari is better here. read more