Tapioca Express

I love the Tapioca Express in Bolsa (the popcorn chicken and bevs are on point). That said, I was excited to try a different TapEx, especially since it had glowing reviews on Unilocal.
This TapEx is located in an unassuming plaza that also houses other eateries including The Halal Guys and Creamistry. When I entered the store, I stood by the counter (2 steps away from the register) so I could scan the menu – I wanted to try something new.
No one greeted me as I came into the store or even whilst I stood squinting at the menu. I know at least one of the employees (baristas?) saw me as she had to stand opposite from me to call out a drink she had just finished making.
Shortly afterward, a group of men and a woman dressed in formal attire came in, and their presence warranted a welcome from the employee. I get it – it’s because I’m sporting that homeless youth look (jeans, hoodie, and military boots), so I don’t deserve a welcome, right? Anyway, as I heard the people heading over to the register, I quickly beat them to the punch by walking two steps over and being first in line.
I ordered calimari and a regular sized lavender milk tea with egg pudding. I also used the 10% Unilocal check-​in offer with no problem. The cashier was actually nice whilst taking my order (although I’m not sure why she didn’t deem me worthy of greeting), so that’s partly why I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1.
My drink came out really fast (under 2 minutes… which is the other reason this place gets more than 1 star). At first sip, I could taste the lavender, but then my taste buds were assaulted by the excess of sugar. I couldn’t get any egg pudding in that sip since it was floating around with the ice instead of settling at the bottom of the cup like usual. I took another gulp and my throat started to hurt because of the cloying sweetness. I thought maybe the drink could be balanced by the saltiness of my calimari, though (that order came out about 2 minutes after my drink).
The calimari was coated with what seemed like bread crumbs and herbs – similar to the breading on mozzarella sticks. The ranch dipping sauce was also sorta odd as a complement to the snack… calimari usually comes with marinara sauce or tartar sauce (which I hate most of the time), and sometimes sweet and sour sauce at Asian establishments. The calimari was chewy and not in the gross-​yet-​strangely-​pleasing way (like those overcooked, hatchmarked squid pieces in Chinese seafood dishes) – it was just unappealing. The combination of the ranch, (Italian seasoned?) breading, and chewy squid rings didn’t satiate my calimari craving. All I could think of was, «Damn, that was a waste of money.»
When I eventually finished enough of the lavender sugar milk to finally get some egg pudding action, I realized the pudding seemed off. I don’t know how to describe it other than maybe overcooked because it didn’t taste right (which is a shame since egg pudding is my favorite). The texture and flavor didn’t match what I’m used to as it wasn’t as soft or fragrant (the egg pudding at the Bolsa TapEx is the best).
tl;dr the lavender milk tea was disgustingly sweet; the egg pudding was overcooked; the calimari was unappetizing (stick to the popcorn chicken!)

Atmosphere– very clean and open atmosphere with lots of natural light during the day. Cool temperature with lots of comfortable seating space and tables. Wifi is provided.
Staff– the male worker who helped me was incredibly nice and soft spoken. Made the drinks quickly and clean. Extremely courteous and made sure to greet us before and after we left
Boba– boba was made to specifications and was delicious
Parking-​plaza is super crowded and hard to find parking after 6pm because of the halal guys and creamistry here. There is valet parking taking up a portion of the plaza as well

I love coming here to study and do homework because it’s near my school! I usually just get a hot green tea here. Kelly knows the exact temperature for how I like my tea so that I never burn my tongue

So we were walking around the plaza after Halal Guys and were wondering what was a good place to get something to drink or whatnot. Tapioca Express it was, which was just down from Hakata and Hala Guys!
Entered in and it was mostly empty in there, on a Wednesday afternoon around 1pm. It was a nice hip jibe area, where you could hang out with your friends and «boba and chill». One thing that they make sure to do is remind you you can get 10% off your drink, because they are really awesome like that. So check in on EITHER Unilocal or Facebook to get that 10% off!
Ordered one of the standard Boba Milk teas with delicious boba. What’s sad? My friend ordered something else and they put the two together. So I have no clue if what I ordered is what I actually got: P And they didn’t say anything (and my friend got something really similar too, so merp).
It was decent, nothing really stood out to me. It wasn’t blasted with sugar, but you definitely could tell there was sugar. The boba wasn’t nasty (YAY) and was definitely chewy and made to be edible in drink! There was the stereotypical… wait holy boba this is 500 calories. What.
Vat.
Um. Maybe I’ll stop drinking milk teas unless I’m in a new area: P

This is a great place to stop and get your boba (tapioca) fix. Although they do have a lot of flavors and types of drinks to offer, I only had the Milk Tea, with a double order of boba.
There is a lot of seating available, and with a few upholstered seating at the front corner of the store
We came visited after a late dinner, it was about 9:30ish. I wasn’t too worried since we were having dinner next door and that they closed at 1am! There were quite a few people hanging out on their laptops and iphone’s.
The business is located in a large strip mall, but parking looks like it could be quite crowded. In the parking lot, Valet parking was being offered!
I would definitely return if in the area again and try some other drinks they have to offer.

Your typical boba place with the typical drinks and add-​ons. The only new original thing that sets them apart from the others would be their yogurt frost and icy which I hardly see at other boba places. The price is average and the drinks were pretty good. It’s a great place to stop by if you’re near SCP and Mitsuwa and want some decent boba.
I took off one star due to customer service. The gray-​haired girl behind the cashier seem to have no interest in taking my order like where did your enthusiasm go? Maybe it’s been a long day, but a friendly greeting and smile would have been appreciated.

I really enjoyed my Boba Milk Tea from Tapioca Express. Don’t forget to check-​in on Unilocal to get a 10% discount. This place is located right next to the newly-​opened Halal Guys so I bet they get some foot traffic after people enjoy their gyro/​chicken & rice.
The taste of the milk tea was good, not too sweet and the boba had a great taste and texture. I was very satisfied with the drink and finished it pretty quickly. The drinks did take a minute or 2 longer than I would have expected especially with an empty store, but I wasn’t in any rush or anything.
Nice staff taking my order at the cashier and the place was clean. Good boba milk tea, I would come back again.

Quick service. Good milk tea. Soft, sweet boba. Solid tea store!
It’s hard to give it more praise, but it’s simple and good. The milk tea isn’t chalky or powdery (which some TapEx places will be), and the boba was really good! Not overly chewy, and it wasn’t dry.

I am very fond of this place. Here’s why:
First of all, it is a chain and I’ve only been to one other location but I prefer this over any other Asian boba tea place I’ve been to. It’s pretty close to where I live, about 10mins drive.
I’d like to reiterate that I’ve been greeted EVERY time I visit this location, even when there’s no one at the counter when I enter the door. As soon I get to the counter, someone always greets with a smile or a friendly hello. Employees seem to be happy here from the many times I’ve visited. It makes the trips there more enjoyable IMO.
Now in terms of food and drinks, I get the same things. Why fix something if it ain’t broke? Haha! I always get the Jasmine green tea with jelly or aloe. Lately, I’ve been sticking with aloe more. I’ve tried their popcorn chicken combo. Flavorful and love the sides. The pork katsu was too dry for my taste. The calamari was good as well. Green beans were a little too soggy but loved the flavor. All in all, the food was just ok nothing special. I can’t comment on the other drinks since I prefer my one and only. They make my drink JUST the way I like it so that’s a big plus in my book!
What sets this place apart is the service. I’ve never had any problems during all of my visits. The orders come out pretty quickly even the few times that it was crowded. All the employees are super courteous.
My only suggestion is bring back the baked goods. I’ve never tried any but they looked good from what I’ve seen in the pictures posted by the previous customers. Also, notify the customers about the rewards program! I’ve been there abou

Drinks are made well, service is really quick and friendly! WiFi is free so it’s a good spot to get some work done.
However, parking is now a pain since a few trendy places opened up in the same plaza… Besides that, there’s plenty of seating and they have a great popcorn chicken combo meal! It comes with a choice regular size tea, cabbage salad, corn, popcorn chicken and minced pork rice, a nice surprise when I was just expecting chicken. But if you don’t like pork, make sure to double check with them first.
I always get floral flavored teas, like lavender or almond, and the tea is never mellowed out by artificial flavorings. The boba is consistently soft and chewy here, too. Good to know I can count on this place for my tea needs.
Great location! See you for my popcorn chicken fix soon. :)

A sight for sore eyes!
While waiting in the horrendously long line at Halal guys on opening day, we decided to get some boba. Over the past few years, I steered away from any Tapioca Express branches because the drinks were just average. But, on this day, I didn’t care. I was prepared for a plain jane drink. BOY was I happy I did.
The JASMINE GREEN MILK TEA was spot on.
Fragrant with the right balance of milk and sweetness. And what sealed the deal was the perfect consistency of BOBA. Chewy and soft. Plus, it didn’t harden as it sat in the drink. Yummy! I was starting to think that these boba tea houses lost their focus and couldn’t make those chewy little balls anymore. I’m happy to say that on that day, Tapioca Express reminded me why I loved boba so much.
Went there a second time and got the same drink. Consistently good.
Not to mention the POPCORN CHICKEN was crisp and well seasoned.
This branch is solid. Too bad the parking sucks.
TID BITS
1) Same lot as Halal Guys and Anjin. Grab a drink, then wait in the long lines :)
2) 10% Unilocal check in deal
3) Five stars rewards card
4) Quick and efficient staff