It is the first time I've been here. I didn't see any "gangsters" sitting outside only people sitting at the curbside tables enjoying their drinks and snacks. The music is a bit off and staticky. It took me a few minutes to figure what I want. The board is extensive! Good thing there were 3 people ahead of me. Many people in the back cooking and making drinks. It went fast. I ordered crispy chicken and lavender boba tea. This has to be one of the best "fast food" chicken I've ever had. I ordered medium spicy. Just the aroma of it I can tell there were curry leaves in it. When I peaked in indeed there were. Whole curry leaves were fried up with the small juicy pieces of white chicken breast. So yummy and with nice heat! Made me want another milk tea! The lavender milk tea was excellent. Not too sweet. My first sip I wondered what these particles were that seemed like dried sweet leaves. It was dried sweetened lavender tea. What an interesting surprise. I'll definitely stop by again when I'm in the neighborhood. read more

been comin to tap ex for a long time, since senior year in high school [long time ago] when most people didnt know what bubble tea really was. havent been there recently tho. they use to have car club meets out in the parking lot too. we used to drive all the way to union city from concord just to hang out and order a bunch of combo A's, regular milk tea with pearl and spicy chicken. one time my friends and i had a boba fight (think spitball fight, i know gross) and someone shot my car. i fired back and got drew in the eye, sorry drew if you read this LOL good times. read more

Oh tapioca express, you are the best one. No other tap-ex compares, though they may be prettier inside, the milk-tea is the best here and its always speedy service. I have many fond memories of getting combo A after school back in the day. And I introduced my non-bay area bf to tapioca express and he can't get enough of it! read more

Mango snow bubble and crispy chicken! The place itself is always crowded with too many teenagers so I usually order and leave.

Everything there is great but can they please accept Credit Cards? I wonder how much business they lose...

I love the chicken steak bento box. I think the service can be better, but whatever. Minus one star for the service and another minus one for not having a consistent spiciness rating. Sometimes, my #3 spiciness tastes like 5! read more

I spotted this place by chance one day driving my little ones around. About 2 weeks later, my teenage daughter and I were craving a tapioca smoothie and I rememberd this spot. I'm so glad we stopped! Unfortunately my little ones were sleeping again so I sent my daughter in by herself and she was overwhelmed with the many types of jellies, tapiocas that you could put into a drink. She had a moca smoothie and I had an avacado smoothie both with regular tapioca. VERY good. We've taken the family back a few times since and have had some of the milk teas. I'm soooooo glad I don't have to go to the mall to get a good drink now! read more

There are numerous times when I'll go to a tea shop and ask for a simple almond milk tea without boba and be greatly disappointed. TapEx is not one of them. I've only ever had one drink I've wanted to throw away here and it's not because they didn't make it right, it just wasn't to my taste. As much as I try expanding my horizons, I always find myself coming back here. I guess you shouldn't mess with the good stuff. If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it. read more

This location is always busy, but it's also opened late during the weekend. The drinks are good, definitely better than the one in Newark (the one by 99 Ranch Market). It's nice for a late-night run or an afternoon tea. I don't usually like sitting there and hanging out, since there are people that sit outside and smoke. read more

I love Tapioca Express. This location makes good drinks as well as food. Their chicken is made well but I think it could be spicier. I don't have the greatest tolerance for spicy food but I love it anyway. My boyfriend ordered the spiciest one they had and I was able to eat it without my face sweating like it usually would. Nights here get pretty busy. I'm sure its always busy here though because when people come, they usually bring huge groups along so you'll always find a ton of people sitting or hanging outside. They are usually pretty quick on making their food and drinks unless of course they have a huge line out the door. read more

Love this Tapioca Express! The takoyaki is pretty amazing, even better than the takoyaki from famous restaurants in NYC. Beware the long line though- I came here on a Friday afternoon and had to wait in line (which was a long ways out the door already) for 20 minutes, then wait another 15 minutes to get my order. read more

I always seem to crave boba when TapEx is crazy busy; when the high school gets out and weekend nights. But at least their pretty fast with taking orders. Peach milk tea with mango jelly, and the crispy chicken is my my usual can't go wrong order and the mango jelly is star shaped!! read more

This place is so much better than the one in Vallejo! Amazing boba tea and I was surprised that they had takoyaki!! Love this place

Meh. It's not the best, but it's the only one that's open late in the area, that's why they get my business. They're also quick. Not much else to say. Warning: they charge $1.25 for debit transactions, so have cash ready! read more

One does not give a fuck about customer service when the place stays packed. The cashier just looked irritated but whatever. As long as my calamari and milk tea are good, you can scowl all you want, boo! If sharetea (across the street on Alvarado Niles) had food, I wouldn't have bothered coming here. Their popcorn crispy chicken has always hit the spot. I'm straying from the norm and getting calamari instead. Combo A (popcorn crispy chicken with tapioca milk tea) and Combo E (fried calamari with tapioca milk tea) are both $5.95 pre tax ($6.55 with tax). This place also has a bigger selection of drinks than sharetea but most of it powder based. Sharetea is fresh brewed teas which allow you to customize the amount of sugar in your drink. You really just have to figure out what you're craving and choose the respective milk tea place to satisfy the itch. read more

TapEx usually doesn't disappoint. Love the fact that they have so many flavors to choose from! My go-to milk teas: either taro, coconut, mango, and honeydew. My go-to snow bubble: avocado and peach-mango (I think it is). Sometimes I feel their cashiers can use some more personality though instead of being "robotic" - at least try and have some fun! :) read more

Tapioca express is a boba shop that consistently delivers. My husband and I have tried numerous flavored drinks here; cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberry, strawberry tealush, Thai tea, lemon, matcha, and so many more. I'm pretty sure everything is made from powder mixes with milk so it's definitely nothing healthy but it's delicious as a treat. Their pearls are a hit and miss, sometimes they're great, others not so much. When it comes to a higher quality, less calorie filled drink, I prefer share tea (it's actual brewed tea and you can order without sweeteners and so forth). Tapioca express also has delicious fatty snacks like spicy chicken and spicy squid, (they always pair well with milk tea or a slush). Be warned, this place is almost always packed with a line out the door. read more

Always a great place to get a drink! The people may need some work with their customer service skills but they make really good drinks so it makes up for it! read more

so good their calamari hits so hard with milk tea. their chicken is so soft and so good. They're always open and the people are so nice

This place is a notorius chillaxing spot for the local highschools after class , people with cool cars, and everyone in between. The tap ex drink menu is very large and accomadating to your taste. I always order the mango snow bubble or the jasmine milk teas as they bring back fond memories *sigh*. Anyways, the staff can be rude and ignore you if you don't make your presence known or you don't speak there native asian language (j/k). The chairs and tables are sort of small, and the coaches are too. But, there is a giant flat screen T.V. and a plethora of asian magazines if you want to enjoy your time there. By all means, this is not a place to study as it is most of the time busy. read more

Ok, I'm super biased on this. I have been going here for years, this is a hangout place for a few friends and I. It is a typical boba place, decent drinks, but they do have the best calarmi around compared to all the other boba places. Even better they have started excepting debit cards (with a fee), so when I dont have cash on me and need my fix, this is great! haha read more

My favorite go to spot. It's really close to my house so I usually bike or drive. A really cool place to grab some boba and just hang out. There are tables outside so you can sit down inside or just chill outside. The pearls are pretty good, but some of their drinks can be better. Their spicy chicken is the best! They have different levels of spicyness, 1-5, 1 is not spicy, and 5 is REALLY spicy. Workers are pretty friendly too. read more

love this place! the tank keeps my kids entertained while i wait for my crispy chicken & milk tea! i'll give it a 5 star when they have atm/debit...hint hint! read more

Best boba ever and I have tried A LOT of boba places. This has always topped the list and when I'm back in the area I go multiple times a week. Boba is made just right and they don't use fake powdered teas. They used to give huge orders of crispy chicken but they have gotten stingy over the years. read more

I went to this place almost every day after school. The boba drinks are the best ive had, and I compare to anywhere else I go to with here. They also make very fresh popcorn chicken, and their Combo A is definitely the best deal for the price. With Combo A, you get a large Milk tea and popcorn chicken for 5 bucks!! I highly suggest this place to get delicious boba drinks! read more

As I get older my taste for sweets has decreased. I still enjoy boba, however, I much prefer to taste the tea rather than milk or sugar. This place is good if you're into sweet boba drinks and don't mind the high school/bopper crowd. The milk toast and fried green beans are pretty good, no change to that. read more

I been coming here for years and only now it's asking for a review. Haha! Anyways... my take on tapioca express is that I always get a good experience from there. Sometime even from other customers just talking up about cars and where we go ride out to. But other than that I love the snacks, the teas, the coffee, snow bubbles, and I have yet to try the shave ice they serve there. I been a customer for 10+ years or for as long as I been living in UC which would be 13 years. I give it above average because I wish they had more room to sit once it get packed. I'd like to for once hang out and be able to order something when I'm out whether it be a drink or snack or even the bent boxes. Other than that keep doing what you doing! read more

Came here to get some tapioca with my family since it's such a hot day. The girl at the register was really rude. She made it seem like she didn't want to work. Also I used my debit card and informed her that my order is to go and according to the sign in the desk, they're not supposed to charge tax for "to go" orders. Also I wasn't informed that there is a $1 charge to use my debit card. I don't care to pay the extra $1.80 but I would like to be informed if I'm getting charged. I'm going to another tapioca express that's for sure. read more

Staff not friendly at all. Drinks taste pretty horrible and they seem to be pre-made with artificial flavoring powder. Management: Definitely need to hire nicer staff if you really want people to keep returning. read more

I've been to four tapioca express locations and this is by far the best (i hear that it is the original?). They consistently serve white meat chicken as opposed to other locations that seem to serve less desirable chicken pieces. The drinks are much more consistent here than anywhere else. Only complaint is that it's not close enough to me. I've made the hour drive to this place numerous times just for their spicy chicken with basil. read more

they are nice. the line is always absurdly long the lavender milk tea is a mistake never order it. it's gross i've never said anything is flat out gross. except this lavender milk tea everything else is great. i still have a stamp card for this place. read more

I haven't had a better avocado snow bubble at any other tapx. Try to stay away from there after the high schoolers gets out because the line can be ridiculously long especially on a nice warm day but damn, sometimes I wish I could do high school all over again. They seem to develop a lot faster than when I was a high schooler 16 years ago. There ain't nothing wrong with gazing. Save the time, do a phone order. read more

Good drinks, good food. Unlike many Tapoica Express joints, this one takes debit! Chicken steak is a must! Chill spot too. If you don't want to see waves of highschool kids, don't go around 2-5 on weekdays. read more

My first time ever coming into Tapioca Express with a friend. First of all, just the beverage menu is overwhelming and huge. It took us a few good minutes to choose our drinks and snacks. The guy was pretty patient with us. It got really busy after 9pm. We ordered our milk teas with tapioca, crispy pepper chicken, and fried calamari rings with a spicy kick to it. I will drive to this location because they did a good job and the pricing was decent...For instance, the fried calamari rings are about $3 or less here...at the Fremont Auto Mall location was $4.99!! That's a huge price diff and it ain't even good. This is my go-to place for my milk teas and fried food fix. read more

Hmm, I admit I'm also a bit biased, but in my experience going here, I've never really encountered what I would call "rude service". I mean, sometimes there are miscommunications, but I've never had a problem. Maybe I'm just used to it after 7+ years. I just wanted to briefly point out that sometimes it's not because people lack manners that they seem rude, rather, sometimes because many of the employees learned English as a second language, there are some ways of phrasing things "politely" that haven't been picked up. read more

I had their mango shaved ice. Not enough mango, jelly, or pudding. At the end we were left with a bunch of ice, and that usually never happens. The mango was just ok...not totally sweet and ripe. But it was open late which is great... read more

This Tapioca Express is very different from other Tapioca Express, this is the best one, and one of the original ones. They always add new things into their menu. But the place is kind of noisy, not a good place for study. Free wi-fi. read more

the BEST tapioca express love their milk tea fried chicken is koo fried oysters r koo too =) read more

Service is fast and courteous, the food is good, and there's a huge selection of delicious drinks. There are a few gachapon machines inside, as well as a selection of older manga to read while you drink. There's plenty of tables inside to sit down, as well as a couple outside to drink in the sun if you want. Love it :-) read more

The ambiance and service isn't the greatest at this spot, but the drinks are AMAZINNNGGG. They always have fresh tapioca and it never tastes old or stale, the service is also relatively fast! Prices are cheap and even though there are two other tap exes in my area, I drive a bit farther to go to this one.. it's just way better! read more