Tapioca Express

If you read all of the other reviews, it pretty much sums up what has happened to this place. Except i’d like to note that this is no longer Tapioca Express, and that they changed it to something like Tapioca TasTea, which is pretty funny. And yes, they have changed management enough times for them to make good drinks, into some messy inconsistency. The only way they survive is because every day, afterschool, a flood of Hopkins students come and flood the place, so if for any reason you come, don’t come from 3 – 4 PM.
But the drinks itself are not good at all. One time I drank their regular milk tea and it was too sweet, and then the other time it was just bland. Inside, it’s pretty dark and dreary, but if there were more people it could light the place up more. And the sign outside says «Tapioca». Last year I thought they were going to change it to the Tapioca TasTea they are now called, but it never happened. I really hope they try and improve their drinks one day, because this is really the only boba place for a few miles, but I’m not willing to come here.

This place is getting worse every time I go here! They used to make the tapioca icy and green tea perfectly, but this time, my mango icy tastes like cream and ice with plain sugar and no mango taste at all! And, they just probably put yellow food coloring in it. Now, Tapioca Express just hires lazy, careless people who put whatever they want to in whatever they sell.
When I went here, I expected an at least okay tapioca drink. Then after I ordered my simple drink, I had to wait for hours. I even saw that they served the people who ordered after me. They took 5 minutes to make one single drink! What kind of service is that! Then when I finally get it and drink it, I find a strand of hair in it and some of the EMPLOYEE’S SNOT! I advise anyone who even thinks of coming here to never be fooled by the number of brainless students who go here because they only think that it is «cool». This is the worst place I’ve ever visited for something to eat.

I know I claimed in my last review that I would never come here again, but on my last visit I filled up my stamp card, so the cheap Asian in me had to return to redeem my one free drink. What a mistake!
Even if you order the cheapest drink on the menu and don’t add anything (i.e. pearls) including tax, it still adds up to more than the «free» amount that you can redeem using the drink card. I had to pay $ 0.11 for my «free» drink. A free drink should be a free drink. If NOTHING on the menu is less than the amount you can redeem your stamp card for, then it’s not really free. What’s the point of having a stamp card if you’re going to make the reward for a faithful customer such a small dollar amount that they can’t redeem it for anything???
Also, the drink tasted like crap. I ended up pouring most of it down the sink when I got home. What do they do to the drinks to make them taste so awful? It was watery and bitter. Aren’t all TapEx’s supposed to follow some standard company formula? Bleh… Ok, now I’m really never going back!

Hooooly crap! First off, let me just say that I live a minute’s walk away from this place. The location is easily accessible and pretty convenient, so it tends to attract students, especially those from Hopkins. I remember when I was a middle schooler, going to Tap Ex was a cool thing. Kids would be in line, fighting for milk teas.
Not the case anymore. Switched owners about 4 – 5 times, at least in my knowledge. Their signature milk tea has turned from good to awful. Cheap taste, too watery, super hard pearls. Their drinks shouldn’t even be labeled as milk teas. I don’t usually get other drinks, but I recall their apple flavored drink was extremely bright green.
The present owners are a middle-​aged couple, and boy, if you ever want to see a stereotypical asian, just visit here. The lady at the front stares you down with eagle eyes behind her bullet-​proof glasses, and impatiently waits as you look at the menu. I don’t think she speaks english very well, so it might be a bit hard to communicate. Oh, and if you stay more than twenty minutes, I hope you dont mind being stared at.
Overall this place is just a disgrace to Tapioca Express’ name. I don’t recommend you come here unless you don’t mind cheap drinks.

I used to come here all the time when I was 13 or 14, because it was really close to my school. Tapex used to be a nice place where kids hung out after school and/​or did their homework. But this place has gone down the drain! Now I only come here if my grandma wants milk tea and doesn’t want me to drive that far to get it! Tapex still has the cheapest boba around, but daaaannng this particular store’s boba is definitely not on point! I don’t recommend it at all! …unless you’re dying to get some drinks and can’t find another tea house…

Ugh. ugh. ugh. just stay away from this place. I hate being mean, but this place deserves to shut down. The only reason why it’s still running is because it’s within the proximity of which all the middle-​schools and high schoolers can reach when they want to hang out after school.
Don’t get me wrong, I used to love this place when I was still back in Hopkins. But after coming back from my first year in college, I was surprised at how much this place changed. And for the worse too. I was meeting with my high school friend here, and I decided to order some milk tea for both of us. After waiting around deciding on my next order, I approached the counter. But the cashier behind the counter (some old Asian lady) purposely ignored me and left me waiting for a minute or so when they could have easily taken my order. I asked them what they recommended and what was good here, because honestly I forgot what was good here, and the lady just rudely pointed at the menu with a grunt. I’m not sure if it was because she didn’t understand any English (but she took my order at the end so that would mean that she knew) or because she simply didn’t want to answer my question. That was enough to make me want to leave, but I didn’t. I finally decided to order Passionfruit Milk Tea with pearls for me, and Mango milk tea with pearls for my friend. When she finally punched in my selections into the computer, she then left to make the drinks and didn’t give me my receipt! Normally I wouldn’t mind, but the total came out to be $ 7, and I had no idea about how much each drink cost. But by the time I realized that she wouldn’t be giving me one, the blenders were already on and it was too loud to tell her, so I decided to just let it go. By the way, they only accept card with a $ 10 or more purchase, as so rudely pointed out by the cashier.
When I sat down waiting for my order to be made, I looked around and it just made me cringe. The floor was really dirty, and the sofa felt as if no one bothered wiping it down or cleaning it– I didn’t even want to go near it, knowing how many germs probably reside in the crevices. The place was just really dark and lonely, besides the TV in the back blasting music videos. When I finally got my order (with the old Asian guy signaling for me to come up and get my drink), I was surprised at the color. My passionfruit milk tea was colored a dull brown, as if you mixed some sand with water. I thought, maybe it would taste better. I took one sip, and I wanted to go back and demand a refund. The tea was watery and bitter, with a shot of random sugar that definitely didn’t taste like passionfruit. And the pearls… ok usually, at bubble tea places, I don’t consider pearls to be an issue unless they are horribly bad. And these WERE HORRIBLY BAD. It was gooey on the surface, but when you chewed into them, you could taste the hard center that didn’t cook through. They probably had a batch of tapioca sitting in water the whole day and didn’t bother making them like regular pearls should. I threw it out after 4 sips (I couldn’t stand it any more and it was making a horrible aftertaste in my mouth).
As for the mango milk tea, it was a lot better than my drink, but still makes it worse than many other milk teas I’ve had. It was too sweet, and you could tell that they make it from syrup (they didn’t even bother mixing that well). But at least it wasn’t so bad that it would make you want to throw up.
Oh yeah, and should I mention, the day after I drank that HORRIBLE HORRIBLE passionfruit milk tea, I started feeling sick in my stomach.
I understand that this location may be convenient to some, BUT AVOID IF POSSIBLE. Its for your own good.

I’ve only been here once before in hs, since this is in the Mission kids’ territory, but since then I guess it’s undergone a change in management. Instead of being TapEx, it is now Tastea, but they were too cheap to invest in a new sign so the storefront merely says «Tapioca» with the dingy remnants of the torn down «Express» part still visible.
The inside is not much better. Though spacious, it is dark, silent, and dreary. The table around which the couches are grouped looks like a grimy stone table taken from a park that birds may have pooped on once upon a time. The lady at the counter is extremely incompetent and can barely understand simple menu items in English. We had to repeat our order like 10 times in as many ways, and she still didn’t seem to understand.
There are much better places to get your boba fix and hang out with your friends!

The creature at the register is strange. Learn Chinese before you come here. That will help. Bring your own radio. Someone bring the ‘Express’ sign. I think they sold it to buy this sick ass table.

This location has so much potential, but after the recent management change it’s clear the establishment is falling to pieces.
THE BAD:
–The younger and upbeat staff are now replaced with older adults who are the farthest thing from upbeat you can get.
–Rather than catering to customers by having a relevant entertainment channel, they have it on one of the Chinese stations so they can watch the philosophical talk shows.
–As mentioned by other Unilocalers, the mood lighting is taken to the extreme and the result is a dark and unwelcoming atmosphere. Let’s not even get started about the back corridor.
–They now close very early. I’ve driven by at 8pm on a weekday and have seem them closed.
THE GOOD:
–The fried chicken is still ok. Takes awhile, but tastes fine.
–Still the closest location in the MSJ area. The alternative is driving out to Pacific Commons.
–It is a very spacious Tapex
Despite having many memories here, I would still recommend driving out to Pacific Commons and going to 37 degrees for drinks instead. Better atmosphere, late hours, and sure to be delicious.

I hate writing bad reviews but I really hope the owners read this and take note:
— Please turn on the air conditioner or fans when its over 95 degrees outsite.
It was extremely hot one day and since I live really close I decided to get some boba to cool me down. Big mistake because they were too cheap to turn on the air or fans. Do they not understand that on a hot day, people like to go into cool places and chill.
— Have someone who speaks English AND knows how to handle american currency working the register.
— Put some chairs and tables outside. It’s more attractive and some people like having their drinks outdoors.
— Please put some lights in the back area. It’s dark and creepy.
— Try turning on some music! It’s boring and quiet.
— Hire youngsters. They have a bubbly attitude and people enjoy interacting with them instead of older people who don’t speak nor say hi
— Improve on your drinks and food. Or at least train your workers better.

Ah… tapX. My friends and I come here as a last resort if we think Tea Station is too far of a drive. tapX is super close to all of us. I haven’t been impressed by their drinks, combos, snacks, or meals. tapX used to be so popular back in the day… but I haven’t been back here for a while. I don’t know why, but their drinks just taste so artificial. And I’m not just saying that for this tapX location but all tapX locations.
However, I can see why this is a popular place for students to go after they get out of school (Hopkins, MSJHS, Chadbourne). Their customers are mainly young students with no cars!

Sigh. I love Tapioca Express, but the QC at this one is just bad! I think they may have new owners, but their tea has a weird plastic-​y taste to it. Also, their pudding just tastes funny (I think they didn’t mix it well). Sorry, as I think the owners here are really good people, but I just don’t think this wants stands up to par…

I give props to this place because a group of us came 5 minutes before closing (11pm) and they let us stay until 11:40pm. They knew we wanted to hang out so they let us play foosball, play the guitar, sing and chat.
This was on a Friday night too, so extra props for that. GOOD TIMES!

The drinks here have always been subpar. The tea is watered down and the pearls tend to be a little old and bland. I like my tapioca to be soft, sweet, chewy, and warm. You won’t find that here.
The calamari isn’t very good, and their beef noodle soup broth is so pale. I’ve always liked TapEx chicken, but the last time I came here, I was surprised at how small my portion was. Somehow, I remember them giving more.
I have since figured out how to make my own spicy crispy chicken, so I only come here on a whim (since the location is convenient), with family or friends. It’s not so horrible that I’ll avoid this place at all costs, but I’m not expecting much either.

If I could give this a zero, I definitely would.
I had an avocado snow bubble with pearls, HORRIBLE. One, it was bland and left a nasty aftertaste in my mouth. Two, I couldn’t even finish my drink it was so bad. Three, they did not give me enough pearls in my drink. Four, it took them 20 MINUTES to make an avocado snow bubble with some bland, chewy calamari.
The service was EXTREMELY rude, the owners do not deserve to be in business.
I will NEVER go back here again.

If it were possible to give less than one star, I would give this place 0. Or negative. Really, if I wanted dishwater, I would drink the water out of my sink. I can’t believe I went here all the time in jr. high. What was I thinking?
Maybe it’s because they switched owners, but ugh. They’re not very friendly, and answer questions very rudely. They wouldn’t let me substitute a normal milk tea with earl grey milk tea in a combo, even though I offered to pay the extra 30 cents difference, and I wasn’t about to pay almost $ 8 for a drink&chicken, so I just left. And that was the last time I went there.

I’m really sad. I think they changed management again or something. I hate giving bad reviews, but augh!!! Why?! (I really want to like this place because it was such a big part of my childhood. Or rather, my teenage life. It’s also so close to home. sigh.)
So my friend and I were running around the neighborhood yesterday morning and decided to stop here when we were done. I haven’t had the chicken in awhile, so I decided to order the milk tea + chicken combo. They wouldn’t let me sub in hot jasmine milk tea for the milk tea, but fine. They’re Asian. I get it.
So I ordered a regular milk tea and chicken, my friend ordered a regular milk tea, and we sat down. The chicken came out pretty quickly, and I was pretty happy… until I discovered a hair in there. No, it was not mine. My hair’s straight, kthx.
Rather dejected, we decided to wait for our drinks. So we waited… and waited… and waited. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because maybe they were boiling the pearls or something – they’d only been open for an hour…(not that that’s really an excuse). We were the only people in the store, so they couldn’t have forgotten us, right? But no.
I happened to turn around and saw two drinks sitting next to the machine. double tee eff, man. Why aren’t you giving us our drinks? So I went up to the counter and called for someone, and they apologized and handed us our drinks. (Apparently, they did forget about us. Or we were supposed to hop the counter to get them ourselves.) The drinks had a strange coffee-​ish taste to them that I don’t recall regular milk tea drinks ever having. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting/​craving either.
I went back last night to hang out with a couple friends and… well, they’re consistent. They call you for your food, but not for drinks. Why is this?
:[
One star is for its location and all the teenage-​y memories associated with this place, and the other star is because they were pretty friendly. Just… yeah. I’m sad.
They also apparently take credit cards now? There’s a 35 cent surcharge though.

I’m still new to Fremont and Tapioca Express is the only place I know that has tapioca/​boba drinks. I first walked into this place after coming back from a six mile walk on a hot day. It had been years since I had had boba. I ordered the pineapple icy with tapioca pearls and it was very refreshing and filling. No need to eat after that.
On my second visit I ordered the same drink and also got the crispy chicken. I wasn’t sure what it would be like because the menu doesn’t elaborate much. I wish they had smaller menus printed out because the menu on the wall is somewhat overwhelming. I was asked if I wanted spicy crispy chicken and I said yes. The order took a few minutes to come out and I like that it was served like street food in a little paper bag with a long skewer to grab the pieces of chicken with. I liked the flavor of the chicken even though there was a lot of breading and not too much chicken.
The place was pretty empty except for one other patron. It seems like a cool place to hang out or study and I appreciate that it’s open until 11:00 PM.

I remember way back in the day, Tapioca Express used to be the shit. I went there and got this really good tofu/​pudding combination drink, and it had all sorts of things inside! I also loved their hot grass jelly. But this was all 5, maybe 7 years ago?
Now Tapioca Express is just an Americanized version of bubble milk tea. They don’t make it right here… it’s just so powdery and fake tasting. I like my tea fresh and brewed! This place just doesn’t taste like milk tea anymore!
I usually come here just to hang out with my high school friends because it’s kind of the center of where we all live. But I really dislike coming here because I’d rather go to somewhere better, like Tea Station, or Verde, or Quickly’s.
Today, while I was here meeting up with some of my high school buddies, I ordered a grass jelly milk tea, half sugar. Except it didn’t really taste like half sugar. And I like my grass jelly in chunks… but this place gave like chopped up grass jelly that floated to the top. And it didn’t taste very good… It had a milky powder flavor.
Just … try not to come here if you can help it.

Had no idea TapEx was here.
Pluses:
–Unisex bathroom is fairly decent.
–TapEx Chicken was good.
–No complaints on the service.
–Foosball table.
–No thugs, at least not last night.
Minuses:
–Drinks were lukewarm.
–Barley Milk Tea had mush at the bottom, that got stuck in my throat.