Tapioca Express

This Milpitas Tapioca Express location has the best boba tea in the area. Their bobas are usually the right texture, not too mushy like another nearby tea joint that I won’t name. :-) Anyway, they also have snacks, smoothies and everything you’d expect from a boba house. It’s our go-​to stop for boba in this neighborhood.
Try aloe instead of boba, btw. It’s lightly sweet and crunchy — delicious!
See ya there!

The SLOWEST Tapioca Express ever! Actually the slowest boba place, ever. I’ve been waiting for 20 mins and there were only 5 people here… Really?!

The milk teas good but every time i go i have to repeat myself a lot because they don’t seem to hear me, don’t get it i’m loud and clear. when i get the bento box i always ask to replace the pickle relish because i don’t like it and they always seem to forget. when i ask if they can replace it like i asked before hand they act confused before they help me?! then they do it but start acting rude. but again foods good just don’t like how they always! seem to forget.

Its like the starbucks of tapioca… always there for me when i need it most.

TapEx…
I was in love with the place as a kid. The older I got and the more my love for tea grows, this place just isn’t that good with their drinks sadly to say. They have a HUGE menu with hundreds of drinks… but quality over quantity, right?
The teas and milk teas are mediocre. Snow bubbles taste the like snow bubbles. and I haven’t had one since ’09 so I wouldn’t know.
Customer service wasn’t spectacular. Just the simple order, give money, get receipt/​change, wait.
Why I gave this place 3 stars. is for their DELICIOUS, ADDICTING, AND AMAZING POPCORN CHICKEN. I don’t care how much it is. it’s what 4 something now? What I do know is that this place has the BEST popcorn chicken I’ve ever had in my life. In fact, trying SO MANY different popcorn chicken all over California, I’m convinced this place has the BEST in the state! I just wish portions were more :(but it’s delicious!

Update: August 3, 2015
I just wanted to share a message that was sent to me by Joanna (not sure which worker she is exactly) from Tap Ex the same night I found the bug in my drink. This is what she said.
Joanna l: We are very sorry about that but we check the bug immediately and we found the bug was dry. The bug’s are intact. Maybe there is a misunderstanding. anyway we feel sory
–_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​– SOOOO IRRELEVANT.

Seriously, I wish I can give this tapioca more stars. I love this tapioca for their awesome snacks, but I started to realize my stomach can’t digest their snacks.): that sucks. I know. Every time I go here, I tend to order the popcorn chicken level 1. My taste bud enjoys it, but oh man. Not too long after (I would say 30 mins max), my stomach can’t take it, so I end up vomiting it all out. This is not my first time going here and this happened. Several occasion where I have gone here; only to find myself after dying from their snacks.):

They’re drinks are ok. I ordered their squid rings, and said the level 1 of spice, but the guy put 3 for the amount of spice when I CLEARLY said 1. Not coming back. Also, customer service is slow, and not that great.
LESS than one star for this location.

All the TapEx haters looking for gourmet boba or the newest flavors and foam milk, you will be disappointed. HOWEVER, TapEx is one of the original boba places (from before the boba craze picked up, back when I was a kid intrigued by the cool chewy balls).
I used to go back when I was little to the Union City location, but I’ve been coming to the Milpitas location since I moved. It’s not only familiar, but consistent every time. I come for the original flavors like taro snow bubble and jasmine milk tea. Plus they have baby pearls, and not all places have that.
Forewarning on the pepper crispy chicken for the newbies, mild is actually pretty spicy. So if you’re sensitive to spice, look out for that. But I’ve yet to find more than one or two places that can even compare to their chicken, and no, Q Cup across the street isn’t one of them. Not even close.
I love TapEx! So before the other reviews saying they’re «ordinary» and «bland» and «nothing special» scare you away, try it first. I’ll always recommend.

When I first started going here 3 years ago I thought wow the popcorn chicken is so yummy! The problem is it’s never consistent. I’m guessing it’s the oil. Sometimes the chicken seems fresh and crunchy other times it’s ily be seemingly not fresh.
The tea here is too syrupy & too sweet for my taste. Bummer that they do not offer (ice & sugar) personalized preference per customer.
Regardless, I craved popcorn chicken yesterday & was temporarily pleased but again their tea was so damn sweet! AYAA.

Mediocre tapioca like any other Tapioca Express that is around. The pearls were extra hard, which probably meant that they were kept for many days and not fresh. The mango jelly was not what I expected due to the fact that they were shaped as stars and not as flavorful, but I do not mind as much.

The milk tea is good and they have a lot to choose from. But the people who work there are absolutely the rudest people ever. Impatient, rude to your face, sassy. I really love getting milk tea from that place, they really know how to make great taro snow bubbles but those people have to be the most rudest people ever.
The last time I went, probably the last time I will go, I asked a simple question if they would be down to make a drink (wasn’t on their huge *ss menu, but a lot of other milk tea places make it) and the guy working the cashier looked at me as if I was the craziest person ever. Like I had just told him that I had done something horrible and crazy. He could have just been nice and said «no, sorry» but he decided to tell me «that’s not on our menu» and then look over at the girls making teas and ask them if they make it, to which they gave me a stone cold «nope» and looked back at me like «what’s your problem» ??? A «no» would have been fine, honey.
I (absolutely do not) understand it might be a little funny to see a Mexican girl walk in alone and order something on the menu, but it is NOT okay to ignore me for a while and help out other guests because of my race. Especially if I was in line first and completely ready to order. If I’m standing at the cashier, you do not walk away. It is an indicator that I am ready.
2 stars only because the milk tea is good.

I really like good-​quality boba, and Tapex is not that. I did see a sign on the wall saying they use real tea and not powder though, which surprised me. I tried ordering an earl grey milk tea without sugar, but the cashier said she could only do milk tea without sugar. She offered to give me a sample because apparently no-​sugar milk tea doesn’t taste good, but then in the end I just opted for water. I had my friend’s popcorn chicken and (hot) grass jelly with beans and pearls, and they were both mediocre. The popcorn chicken had way too much flower, and the grass jelly was too chunky and too sweet. I don’t know how the boba is though, but I’m guessing it’s also pretty sweet. It’s a nice place to chill, and we were there until closing. They sort of just shut the lights on us instead of telling us they were closing, which I found somewhat odd. Anyway, nice place to chill, although not that comfortable. Lots of chairs and tables though!

Asked for a Jasmin milk tea got jasmine green tea. When telling them their mistake the only response the gave was sorry we made it already. what kind of cap is that

This place is now called TNC. This boba station is my personal favorite– in terms of which boba place is closest to my home. They have a large menu and I love their calamari. Their calamari, however, can get pretty oily sometimes. I’m in love with their avocado and cantaloupe slushies! They’re one of the few boba places who offer that. :)
They also have promos from time to time!

Ordinary TapEx in all respects.
Maybe a little more worn than most– it’s been here a long time, the tables wobble, the two comfy chairs in the very front are definitely a bit worn…
That said, prices are reasonable, the popcorn chicken is always appealing, and I find it hard to knock the place.

Their milk tea is OK, nothing to rave about. I really like their squid heads but the spiciness is very inconsistent depending on who added the spice. Popcorn chicken is also pretty good although looses it’s crispiness fairly quickly.
The service could get slow depending on the time of day/​day of week but that’s normal for any given place.
Also, they add a surcharge for each non-​cash transaction, I believe it’s still $ 0.49 at the time this review is written.

This place has the worst service ever. Came in for a drink with my gf, ordered the first drink then the girl gives me a total. Then I asked to order another drink, then with attitude she said OK… then gave me a total… Never asked if I would like anything else. We’ll I did… then I said actually can I get fried squid. and once again with attitude gave another total.
If you hate working here for years on out, find a new job!

Strawberry green tea with large pearls! Oh so good! They add lots of chewy boba and bits of strawberry. Love!

This OG place, literally for being the first location in NorCal, will always have a special place in my heart due to our history, not to mention it’s the single Tapioca Express that I like because it’s the only one that isn’t terrible tasting.
I had my first taste of their popcorn/​pepper chicken when I was in 8^th grade which eventually led to my weekly stops when I got my driver’s license. It’s been ten years since my early visits and I make it out here maybe twice a year now but the chicken remains one of my favorite snacks.
It’s not for everyone as it’s an unreserved sort of spiciness, that is if you get the level five (levels range from 0.5, 1 — 5) but that’s why I come here. However, they have toned it down at some point in recent years. On one related occasion, I had a bite and then asked if they could make my order spicier. He was happy to bring it back to the kitchen and when he returned, smiled and joked that it’s «level six» as he handed it to me. It was visibly different but it tasted the same. Ah, well even at that rate it’s still spicier than almost all other places’.