For a boba joint, their drinks are pretty standard, with an average price point ($3-4). It's better than most random asian eateries in my opinion, and with a Happy Hour on drinks and Taiwanese shareable snacks + very little competition in La Jolla, it's sure to entice the college crowd. While the drinks didnt blow me away, the fact that they had a vegan milk option and the iconic Taiwanese fried tofu poppers that are vegan friendly, makes me a happy camper. I ordered: Lavender Milk Tea (Soymilk/ 50% sugar/no boba) - 3/5 The soymilk they use isn't too creamy (as expected from an ordinary boba shop), but I'm grateful for the option nonetheless. The black tea was brewed decently strong and sweetened just enough for my liking, but the lavender aroma didn't come through. I opted for no boba since I'm usually not a tapioca ball fan, and most are made with honey. Fried Tofu (medium spicy) - 4.5/5 Unless I've ordered the wrong "Fried Tofu" (which is the plain unseasoned ones, or ones from mainland Chinese establishments that don't use the right batter or seasoning), I've yet to dislike this dish from any place that makes it the Taiwanese style - crispy thinly battered skin with a chili/5 spiced coat. Yes there's msg, but it's delicious and addicting when it's piping hot - just drink water afterwards... Staying hydrated is always a good thing! Haha Their spice level is also solid for an Asian place ("medium spicy" had a great kick to it; I can handle spicy food pretty well but I don't think I would've enjoy my dish had I gone with next and spiciest level- "xxtra spicy") Edit: I tried it again here, 1 month later, and it was too dark, suggesting old oil was used, and it wasn't battered evenly -3/5 I upped my rating for their customer service at this location. The campus one is always so hectic and it's hard to ask questions without holding up the line. I'm pretty sure they're all college students who could care less if I wanted something vegan. While the gentleman that helped me here was also a bit clueless at first, he followed through and inquired his shift leader/manager? who then took a picture of the actual labelled ingredients to show me. The former staff member even asked if I liked my product afterwards, which is great customer service in my book. Add that with the ample parking and minimal crowds has me a fan of this location. = FYI = All "Milk Teas"are made with a "Black Tea" (a more caffeinated) base, unless you're ordering something with "Green Tea" or "Jasmine Tea" in the name. Oolong is considered part of the "Black Tea" family, whereas Jasmine & Green Tea are part of the "White tea" family - although sometimes places will blend the two families of teas. All of their milk teas, (as do most other joints) use a non dairy creamer instead of milk, but it's not vegan. While it's suitable for the lactose sensitive / intolerant crowd (if you're also highly sensitive, you'll still feel it), it's a no go for vegans, as it has casein which is a protein derived from milk. The same idea goes for "lactose-free" (FDA allows things to be called "nondairy" if there's no lactose, which is the triggering sugar that's considered an allergen for most people. So while it's "non dairy", it's not dairy-free nor VEGAN) read more

Tapioca express has been consistently great in the many times I have visited. They are super accommodating, I get the mango and taro snow bubbles and it is delicious! I also love the spicy cockney bites- so good! Also, they offer 2-for-1 (or buy one get one half off?) at night! I highly recommend this place!! read more

I'm only rating the crispy chicken snack because in reality, that's the only reason I go to TapEx. At this particular location, they pack a punch when it comes to the spicy levels. When you ask for no spice or mild, it's mild. When you ask for medium, it's the good burn, the type where you can still taste your food but it's spicy enough. In any case, they do an excellent job with their chicken. Though I wish they had fried basil in it all the time. I've had their teas here before and it's not life changing drinks. Just another boba spot in my book. In addition, I like this location better than the Convoy and UCSD locations. Why? The Convoy location has the worse parking lot ever. Also, you can barely hear yourself. The UCSD location can't seem to get their chicken right. If you ask for mild, it's either no spice or extra spicy. There's no consistency there. In any case, I like this location for their crispy chicken snack. Oh and the portions are pretty good. read more

Tapioca Express - Crispy chicken snack. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the best tapioca places I've ever been to. Always come here 1 time a week, I love this place. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I was having dinner with a friend in La Jolla and needed a place where I could chill till the dinner bell rang. For one reason or another I was feeling tired and figured that I would get a caffeine injection while getting some work done. After seriously cramping my brain to think of the few locations in the area, I finally resolved to Tapioca Express. Since they expanded to this new location, their food and drinks had been lacking the quality and value of the years before so I've been apprehensive about going back. Due to the lack of choices though, I finally resolved to give it another chance. Per usual, I ordered an almond milk tea with boba. I wasn't very impressed with the watered down milk tea, but the boba had great texture to it. Unfortunately they didn't our much boba in so I had finished it up well before I got to the bottom of my drink. La Jolla really doesn't have enough places where people can hang out late at night nor get a decent WiFi signal. For this, I am glad that TapEx is here but it's barely adequate to serve the needs of the students. Like their drinks, TapEx is just "good enough" but there are definitely improvements that can be made. Food: 5/10 Service: 7/10 Price: $ Atmosphere: 6/10 read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

This location is 5 minutes away from my house and my usual to-go spot whenever I'm craving boba but don't want to drive all the way to Convoy. I can't explain how much I'm obsessed with their fried tofu extra spicy with sweet n sour sauce on the side. Their french fries are also pretty good and so is their popcorn chicken. (although it can be dry sometimes) I'd give 2.5/5 for their drinks because they're kind of bland and taste funny but I'm gonna go ahead and give 5 stars anyways because the workers here are nice and I love their fried tofu that much. If you are gonna get a drink, I'd recommend the thai tea or triton milk tea. Again, not the best milk tea in San Diego, but it will do. read more

Tapioca Express - Fried tofu - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

They have SNOW! Maybe I'm just too new to San Diego, but not many that places have snow. Now, it's my go to place! So far I've enjoyed the mango, passion fruit and taro snows. The cantelop wasn't very flavorful, but I've only gotten that once. We got the bao buns, but they were kind of pricey for the quality-dont recommend those... read more

This specific location does not automatically give you basil all the time with the crispy chicken and will charges extra if you ask depending on the cashier. The boba is so-so given Convoy is only a 10 minute drive away. The bathroom here is always smelly and disgusting. On the plus sides, the wifi here is incredibly fast compared to most free spots. If you're a Wong Fu fan, this is where one of the trio had worked during their time at UCSD as well. Celebrity claims are a plus star in my opinion, and I don't care who says otherwise. read more

Tapioca Express - Size if happy hour crispy chicken (partially eaten) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

My go to Boba spot. I recently got hooked to Boba again and have been visiting here often. Their flavors are great and everything is made super fresh. I love getting lychee smoothie with lychee jelly. Sugar overload but well worth it. I have tried their Kimchi Fries with chicken and some other things on top, which weren't the best. I would definitely just keep coming back for smoothies and boba read more

I've been to quite a few Tapioca Expresses, and they've been either a hit or a miss. The reviews for this location seemed sketch, but I decided to give this place a try since it was conveniently located right by Subarashi where we were grabbing dinner. Based on my positive first visit, I would consider coming back! I ordered a lavender slush with boba. I actually asked for a sample of the boba since I was wary of how good it was (LOL), but I was pleasantly surprised that the cashier didn't give me a weird look and actually checked to see when fresh boba would be coming out, and offered to make my drink with the fresh batch once it was out in 5 minutes! I decided to give it a chance and my drink was solid. My lavender slush was very fragrant and the boba got better as I got through my drink. It was initially slightly soggy on the outside but something about the temperature of my drink must have helped with the texture. On the other hand, I couldn't remember what tea my cousin got, but she ordered it with lychee jelly and it was a complete miss. Her drink was very, very sweet and the viscosity was thicker than usual for a tea. I think they must have scooped a ton of syrup when they added the jelly or something... but it was really off putting, so maybe avoid the jellies at this location! read more

Idk why this has a 3star. It's always been the most best tasting AND consistent TE I've had throughout all TE's of southern California. (i travel a lot to cities throughout). Their drinks are consistent, and of course, tasty, even though they're terrible for you. Even their fresh fruit blends use sugar and fructose. No honey, Honey. The manager guy does such a good job with my TE crispy chicken, extra spicy, extra salt n pepper, just the way i like it. They offer small/half size, which i appreciate! He's also very polite and helpful. I custom ordered a lavender snow bubble with boba and soy milk, and it turned out delicious. Sweet and refreshing, it has a unique herbal aftertaste that i love. Apparently they use real lavender flowers blended in their lavender syrup, which i like even more! One disappointing thing: I went wayyyy out of my way to carry this dumb glass jar so i can eliminate wasteful plastics... So i sat through 2 water refills before i would order my boba, with SPECIAL request that they use my glass. Then they forgot to, because the line got long. Which i dont blame them bc, 1) they were so nice about it instead of being rude like some people have been to me because they don't understand why on earth would i even wanna care about Earth, 2) they were on a roll and weren't trained/accustomed to these kinds of discipline. I say discipline bc, well, it is! Only request: please be more mindful and bring your own refillable cups. Ball or Kern brand WIDE-MOUTH works the best! I carry the 20 oz everywhere for over a year now and no breaks, no cracks. It fits perfectly in my purse/car holder. Thank you for reading! :) read more

Tapioca Express - Perfectly cooked crispy chicken, extra spicy, extra salt n pepper. Size small, $3 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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It's amazing that they added food delivery due to COVID 19. The food is a great and affordable price. I've ordered her twice already which is I will be ordering in the future. read more

I often get a craving for popcorn chicken and I think Tapioca Express's is pretty decent. I came here last week and was disappointed to find out that some of my chicken was undercooked. I ended up throwing out the whole thing. Not only that, but cleanliness and professionalism from the staff was lacking (which I see is consistent from previous reviews). The girl who took my order touched her face and her scratched her head as I was taking my order. Both front of house staff were not wearing gloves as they handled food/drinks. They also seemed to not know what was going on as they were visibly confused and messed up some of the orders in front of me. I feel with proper customer service training the overall experience could be better. read more

I specifically asked for the chicken to be extra spicy x4, considering I've ordered delivery from them before and they also didn't meet the demands of the spice level at the time. Ive ordered my spicy chicken from the convoy location and they did way better. The chicken was supposed to be completely coated in the red spice , and this was just upsetting for the third time at this location. read more

Tapioca Express - T.E. Crispy Chicken - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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I was craving the chicken snack and while my work is close by, I ended up trying out this location. Let me just say it doesn't compare to the convoy location at all *cries in asian*. I ended up getting the crispy chicken combo and the rice tasted like what I was served in middle school, the seasoning of the chicken was different, no eggs, no mince meat, the salad was literally salad and not vegetables. Overall it was a bland sad meal. And they didn't give me sauce for my chicken ): read more

I ordered a taro milk tea and I wouldn't even drink it for free. Being white colored instead of purple should have warned me, but if you like drinking straight Coffee-Mate, you might like Tapioca Express. Their food, with the exception of their potstickers, are also unappetizing. Maybe other locations are better. This location is still in business probably because there's no nearby competition. read more

Ugh, I have long since hated Tap Ex with their fake drinks and stale boba. This could not be more true for this location. I only settled because it was nearby and I was craving boba tea. From now on, I'll stay away from a Tap Ex even if that's the case. I ordered something simple - a regular strawberry black tea with boba. Before I was even done paying, it was ready for me since it wasn't very busy. It's always a bad sign when you see a worker scooping out pre-made drinks from the horizontal refrigerator behind the counter though. Upon my first sip I felt like gagging at the extraordinary amount of sweetness. Then, that terrifying feeling began to dawn on me as I realized I was slurping up morsels of syrup chunks that hadn't completely dissolved. Yikes, buyers beware when the worker tries to shake the crap out of your drink before they give it to you. Be smart, and just don't do it. I'm always so disappointed when I get a Tap Ex drink, don't know why I go back. I unfortunately did finish my drink, but that syrup coated my mouth and throat and lingered for eternity. Never again. read more

Damn what a wait! I've been going to this place for years pretty much because it's the only boba place in University City. For some reason it always takes a long time to order and get your food. Now I have to stay longer at work because I took an extra long lunch :/ Happy Hour Monday-Friday until 6pm: Milk Tea $1.99 Small Crispy Chicken Snack $1.79 This place is frequented by UCSD kids so if you want to avoid a former flame then don't go here. You're bound to run into someone you know. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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DUDE so many deals at Tapex that I wish I was more aware of before. They have lunch specials Mon-Fri from 10am-6pm that include: Tapioca Milk Tea for $1.99 Fun-sized crispy chicken for ~$2 Also from 11am-3pm every day they have their fish & chips for $5. Comes with two huge pieces of perfectly battered fish fillets and fries. Loves it! I recently tried their squid balls and shrimp balls too and they always come out perfect. On occasion one of the staff members will come out and nicely deliver it to you! How sweet! It really doesn't matter though, I don't mind being called up but a little gesture like that is really thoughtful. Staff is always friendly. They always stop to talk to you when there isn't a rush going on with all the UCSD students coming through. The owner is really nice too. I used to be part of a student org on-campus and he was always nice enough to partner up with my org to help us out with fundraising events. Free wifi and awesome drinks! My new addiction is the WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA (no expresso)! Vanilla chai latte is amazing too. read more

I would say that this place is very average, if not below average at best. Nearly very time I have been to this particular Tapex it is always filthy, the service is nearly always poor and the product served is extremely inconsistent. The honey milk tea is often made with too much sugar and prepared carelessly. The boba is decent but inconsistent. Overall, this place is decent for a late night fix, but they need to work on their consistency and cleanliness something fierce. Pros- Location Open late night Nicely priced Prompt Cons- Cleanliness Poor service Inconsistent product read more

I normally go to TapEx at Convoy or UCSD.. so decided to check this one out since I was doing my banking nearby. Before I came I was talking to the tellers about TapEx and they warned me that this TapEx is not as good as the others like UCSD. I still wanted to give it a shot since I was in the area. Upon coming in it's your average boba spot with some seating area and the cashier was just average. I was stoked to get my crispy chicken and boba! What I usually love about boba places is the laminated sealed covers over the plastic cups. I tossed my drinks in my purse and headed back to work. When I pulled the drinks out there was a spill in my new purse from my milk tea.. yikes! I guess the seal wasn't all there and it had a slight opening on the side which wouldn't have happened if they had closed it completely.. what the heeeezy! =[ read more

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2.5 stars. Just like any other TapEx. The food is meh, the boba is alright, the fruit drinks are pretty good (avoid the milk teas, it's all powders), but there is just something about the excessive number of college students and the decibels of their voices joining the unbearable chorus of drink-blending machines that prevents me from coming here a lot. I'd much rather drive all the way out to Tea Station where it's more comfortable. read more

They have the best avocado smoothie (snow bubble) drink!! Although they run out of avocados sometimes, I am always waiting till they restock :) read more

I first discovered my love for boba when i worked as a barista at a local coffee house. I was amazed at those chewy amazing tapioca balls and how delicious they taste in a smoothie or by the more accurately term for the drink, milk tea. So one night after work, my mum and I stopped by this shopping center to pick up some food to go at a nearby restaurant. I see a kid with a light purple drink and those large straws and immediately thought of boba as well as got an immense craving. I noticed a lot of people walking toward one shop in particular so I follow suit. I find myself inside a brightly lit cafe, crowded with people. I get in line (which moves quickly) and ask the lady for a taro milk tea with boba... few minutes later I walk out and am in heaven! Delicious and just like I remember. I am now hooked again and have to get my weekly bubble tea with pearls. As for this joint... it's a bit pricey for the drinks. The food menu is small and not all of it looks that appetizing, although I have not tried. It is crowded with college kids and it's very loud in there. Free Wifi from what I hear but no thank you, I like to surf the net/study in a quiet environment. Getting your drink to-go is the best bet. read more

Drinks are always good. Love their icy and their chicken. Staff was weird, the guy who worked there was busy paying attention to another customer who was black and I think the staff thought he was going to do some thing bad or stealing because his eyes were all up on that black dude. And it made me mad cuz I was ordering and he wasn't paying attention to my order, (I had to say it again and louder), instead I saw his eyes on the black dude. Geez does he have to be that noticeable, and that kinda seem racist. Or unless he never seen a black guy before. PAY ATTENTION! read more

I asked the cashier what "T.E. Crispy Chicken" was His response was "It's tapioca express chicken..." So I ask "what is that?" He glares at me and says "Have you never had crispy chicken?" This guy was so rude. I felt like I was giving my order to a psychopath. He then glared us the entire time we were there. read more

Worst boba I've had in the area. There's plenty of boba places around here so no point in going here. The inside is nothing to talk about & while their list of drinks is extensive, it seems they can't perfect them. I had Jasmine milk tea which is a pretty basic one and it was the worst I've had in a long time. It tasted very watered down & the boba itself was mediocre. The cost is the same price as everywhere else otherwise it would make sense. read more

It's finals week. I don't have time to cook. Dropped by tappex on the way home and ordered the Crispy Chicken combo with Green Tea. The chicken was so floury! The crispy chicken consists of this tiny piece of chicken with A LOT OF FLOUR. Flour absorbs all the oil, so when I bit into it, it was incredibly greasy. The corns on the side were also very tasteless. What was even more disappointing was their green tea! I have no clue how anyone can screw up making green tea. -.- It has a weird water-down taste. The service was whatever. I guess there's a table of server's friends, so they were all around the table when there was no customer ordering. When my food came out, they just came and called my name, then put the food down on the counter, and quickly return to their friends. The Tappex on campus is definitely A LOT better. read more

My less than awe inspiring 200th review is a revisit of Tapioca Express. The place has gone down hill... the last 3 boba honeydew milk tea has tasted like crap. For $4, I expect 18 oz of heaven. Three strikes and you're out. I wouldn't go there again. read more

Tapioca express was my first boba place so I will always have a fond memory of it ! I discovered this location 6 years ago and have been going ever since ! I love the ambience of this location , great area to stop by for drink or even to hang out or study ! There are quiet times and at night , it often gets louder and provides a great environment to have chats with friends . It's usually pretty packed around that time because of UCSD students . Their bubble black tea is always reliably refreshing and Definetly my go to drink when I come here ! Their popcorn chicken is very crisp and flavorful and Definetly a favorite . The service is usually great ! They attend to you quickly and give you recommendations on what to order . I like coming hear to study and also to hang out , what a great versatile place ! read more

I feel like this location is better than a lot of others as it's right by UCSD. Parking is pretty easy unlike the Convoy location, and I like that they have a happy hour deal for smaller sized crispy chicken and plain tapioca milk tea. Solid Tapioca Express location! read more

Yikes. I tried to go here even as just getting a boba fix while on campus, but I don't want to go anymore! unless for chicken. That's why I leave one extra star. The chicken here is really good. But the service could be kinder and more understanding of not knowing what you want or if you have questions. I just find the flavors here to have that artificial sweetness. I also had this bad experience where I got the barley milk tea and it was unstrained barley tea. I don't know maybe I haven't had an "authentic" barley tea experience. But I am Asian and enjoy barley tea, but it's never been just loose and floating around the tea. But my barley milk tea had all this barley with this hay-like texture all up in my tea!!! I guess I am a texture person, so I just felt like I would take a sip expecting smooth milk tea and fun chewy bubbles, but NO my mouth was invaded by hard, rough, barley bits and they're not like fun crunchy oreo bits, and they're not casual tea leaves that you sometimes get at the bottom of a tea pot they're like straight up fuzzy grainy, scaly, chaff. read more

This place is average. I'm a serious critique when it comes to boba, or pearl milk tea. If you want better quality boba, tea station is the way to go. The price is good though, and so is the convenient location. Service is pretty good too; I personally ask them to make me my own drink - jasmine yogurt milk tea w/ boba, and they do it even though it's not on the menu :) makes me one happy customer and a reason for me to keep coming back. Another favorite is the spicy chicken wings. Good deals: $1.99 Milk Tea Tapiocas & $1.79 snack sized crispy chicken Mon-Fri before 6PM. Buy 1 drink get 2nd 50% off after 10PM. read more

Still my favorite boba place in SD, I like this one cause it's closer but I like the one in convoy better so minus one star. This location is a lot smaller than the one off convoy. I tried the Peach Milk Tea and it was just alright. A little too much on the sweet side. Strawberry Milk Tea is still my favorite! But I'm still willing to try other flavors. I'll be back. read more

Tapioca Express - Peach & Taro Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

This location of tap ex is near ucsd and in the middle of apartments where students live, so it's expected that it will be filled with students studying, chatting, hanging out, 90% of the time. No problem with that though. This location is a lot smaller than the convoy location, granted this place sees a lot less volume of customers everyday. Went here today to catch up with college friends. We got the spicy chicken combo, all veggies, no rice, with thai tea. For some reason, though, this location charges ~75c extra for the no rice all veggies option, whereas the convoy location doesn't. Their reasoning is that the veggies cost more than the rice. Guess you can't do anything about that. The taste of the chicken and the quality of the drinks are not as good as convoy's, in my opinion. Also, the combo here doesn't come with an egg. Another thing is their ranch. I like to eat my spicy chicken with ranch, and the ranch here comes in plastic containers that they fill with their own ranch. It is obviously watered down, and noticeably thin in consistency. It wasn't good at all. Nice atmosphere here but I'd probably drive down to convoy next time. read more

Tapioca Express - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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I don't think places should close their kitchen before they are actually closed. Why send your cook home? We made a late night run because you're open late. Don't come here late at night because the doors will be open but food won't be for sale. read more

Been coming in every few days for my favorite thing the Crispy Chicken Combo XTRA XTRA XTRA SPICY. They used to make it good but now whenever I go they barley sprinkle any spicy powder on it. Starting to get annoying its been like 5 times I received my food like this and I tip them every time I go. Gonna stop wasting my money here. read more

Stopped by one Dec evening around 5:30P while I was in the area running errands to satisfy my boba cravings. I noticed that they had a Happy Hour deal from 4-6P for 2.50$ regular sized milk tea with boba, so I capitalized on that offer. The beverage was pretty standard for a TapEx drink -- the milk tea itself wasn't superbly fresh tasting, decent at best. The tapioca balls were tiny and not very chewy. Lots of indoor seating for those looking for a spot to do work; bathrooms were clean. Parking was easy in the plaza lot. Overall, solid boba experience, but probably only when I need to satisfy boba craving ASAP. read more

Stopped by to this location since I was in the area. Made the mistake of expecting the food to be consistent with other locations. The popcorn chicken usually has a little minced pork, basil leaves and sunny side up egg at the Convoy location. At the Regents location there was none of that. The chicken was so bland and tasteless that I could not finish. Looking around, this location is also disgusting. The furniture, particularly the chairs are absolutely gross. Will not be coming back. read more

Tapioca Express - Gross furniture - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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Almost all tables were sticky and dirty, yet the employees were up front eating fries in front of the waiting delivery drivers. Food always tastes fishy and milk tea flavors are not very strong. Lack of toppings/add ons read more