Tapioca Express

Prelims: standard TapEx that you find all across California. The location doesn’t really affect the various décor decisions within each place, and the design of each little cup and lid is all the same no matter where you go. This place has got free wifi (or least it did when I was there) and there are plenty of small little areas that you can section off yourself from all human interaction while eavesdropping on conversations or you can combine to hang out with friends. Your choice. Lots of happy hour deals — check online or go between 3 – 6.
Food is pretty decent. I’ve had their popcorn chicken and while it’s not the best, it’s standard and you can get it no matter whichever TapEx you go to. I like the popcorn chicken combo deal because you get a drink for free along with the meal. The milk tea is not as sweet as other places I’ve tried, and it’s actually less sweet here than other TapEx places I’ve been to. I usually get half sweet at TapEx but that’s almost undrinkable here. The balance of flavor is nice because it meshes well with the other food items on the menu. I would recommend just getting the normal milk tea if you here for a grab and go.
Prices are standard to all other places.
TL;DR Standard TapEx but slightly less sweet.

I have been coming to this bubble tea for quite time, specially with my husband which has to study lately a lot. It’s a great place if you need to spend some hours working/​studying while having a drink and then getting some snacks.
Bubble tea is good, not the best I ever had, but is ok. During the week days they have happy hour until 6pm where the large tap Milk Tea it only cost $ 2.
The service is good, they are very friendly. But specially there is a guy named Michael who is THE BEST barista I ever met. He remembers absolutely everything, and once he knows your tastes he will give you ideas on other flavors for you to try (and is always a success!), plus he always will give you his better smile. I love to find people like this (although I didn’t see him in a long time)!
There are lots of tables but depends on the day it can be filled quickly, specially in winter during evenings. And maybe mornings during the weekends. They just have 3 little tables outside, which I would say they are almost always taken.
There are two only things that I absolutely hate about this place:
1) The bathroom. Since I started going here (maybe like a year or so) it’s been always dirty, but in the last months specially I think it’s getting even worse. Unless that I really need to go I try to avoid going. In general this isn’t the cleanest place, but the bathroom is pretty bad.
2) Although I LOVE the fried tofu here I am not going to order anymore… I am vegetarian, and the last 5 times (at least), I have found little chicken pieces. And of course this FREAKS me out. If you are not vegetarian, probably you wouldn’t mind that, but if you are… Maybe this it would be fixed if I let them know and probably they would take more care with that, but actually just even thinking that they fry the tofu in the same oil as chicken and other meat it really disgusts me.

It’s okay. It’s meh. Better boba places elsewhere. Not horrible though. Comfy coffee place type vibe. Cool for dates. Workers could smile more.

The customer service was nice here. However I still think $ 6 for a boba drink is too much

+ Very quick service
+ Friendly staff
— Drinks tastes okay, have had better
I usually stop by here whenever I’m in Mira Mesa, and that’s only because my friends come here as well. I don’t know any other boba spots around town, so yea lol. The service here is friendly and quick. I always have a honey-​dew milk tea at any spot I go to. And for all the times I’ve been here, they’ve tasted okay. Not as sweet as the other spots I’ve experienced. I’d come back again though because on service alone, they’re great.

2.5. Average. Used to come here quite a bit when I went to UCSD. Decent option for boba and spicy crispy chicken in the UCSD area, but far from the best I’ve had. Mango snow bubble is pretty good, but a little on the sweeter side. They probably don’t use fresh fruit here. Tapioca milk tea gets the job done, but is a bit too sweet and pretty subpar. The Jasmine milk tea is pretty awful though. It doesn’t taste like any good ones I’ve had. It’s doesn’t have that flowery subtlety, but is unpleasantly strong in flavor. The boba pearls are chewy and soft here like they should be though. My favorite thing here is the crispy chicken with a lot of spice! Chicken is usually fried well with decent sized pieces most of the time, but every now and then I get an uneven batch with what appears to be the leftovers since there might be some pieces that are just fried pieces with not much chicken. The spicy seasoning really goes well with the chicken. The spicy fried tofu here is also a winner.
This location has quite a bit of seating and is a decent place to get some light work done, but nothing too intensive. This location isn’t the cleanest. Tables outside were pretty dirty.
Overall, Tap Ex is a decent place for a small snack and if you are craving boba in the area, but it’s far from perfection.

Simply go in with low expectations and get your quick boba fix. Everything could be better, but this place is part of the unsatisfactory lifestyle of a college student waiting on a career to begin: cheap eats for an unsophisticated life. The almondnilla flavor had something going for it though.
If you got weak spice game, go for the medium and make yourself proud.

I have a weak spot for the crispy chicken. I always find myself craving it. I get it medium spicy and love that it compliments the sweet and sour sauce they provide. It’s nice too even without the sauce. I like this locatio because it is right next to where I live and before 6pm I can get the snack size crispy chicken which is about half the size of the regular and I can actually finish it.
I also love with the peach jade green tea currently and have been drinking that for a while. Other selections that are good include jasmine milk tea, caramel milk tea, strawberry green tea and Hong Kong milk tea.
Overall this place is convenient and a good study place because they give free wifi and plenty of outlets!

Spicy. Crispy. Chicken… wait, I prefer non-spicy…then again, some kick to, a light kick, nothing too extreme. Mild. Spicy. Crispy. Chicken. This dish is a childhood favorite of mines. Did I eat during my childhood? No, I did not, but what I mean is that I first tried it in my undergrad, which was quite sometime ago, just like my childhood. Spice is the variety of life. I miss it — the mild spicy crispy chicken, I mean.

I’ve been to this location a few times and only when I am doing some grocery shopping for work at the Vons next door. That’s usually when I remember that Tap Ex is just a few doors down. The last time I came here I actually remembered to check in and snap a photo. It was nice to not see a huge line but that could have been because it was right when it opened. I imagine that this place sees more business from the college students in the late afternoons and evenings. As with other Tap Ex locations, menu has lots of variety and boba balls are done A-​OK. Service was friendly when I was there. I would not hesitate to come back here whenever I am in the area for work. As a previous poster pointed out though, the chairs look a little suspect so I would not recommend sitting down unless you absolutely have to. I suggest to them that they switch out their fabric armchairs and get something wooden and easy to clean. Enjoy!

I forget this location even exists. You have to go out of your way to go here. Though it is closer to my area, I felt a bit difficult to find since it was in a different part of La Jolla that I have never ventured too.
I think the menu isn’t as extensive as the one in Convoy. I was going to order a Taro Coconut Snow Ice but I didn’t see it on the menu. I’m sure they would still make it if you ask. Service is good and place is clean. There’s wifi as well. I ordered a crispy chicken combo, it was good. For some reason I still would rather go to the Convoy Strip for Tap-​Ex. I think the horrible parking and busy street just adds to the experience and atmosphere.

Would have been 3 stars but seriously
Are you not ashamed of your seating???
I am scared to know what the kitchen looks like if this is where we sit.
&you still want to charge $ 4 for a Thai tea

I usually get my boba at the Tap Ex in Clairemont area. I keep forgetting that there’s a Tap Ex in La Jolla whenever I’m there. Prolly cuz whenever I’m in La Jolla I never pass the UTC Mall area unless I’m heading down to the beach or to get dinner at that one plaza where BJ’s/TGIF area. The tap ex pretty much the same as the one I usually go to for the most part. But this location definitely has a better parking size for their customers. It’s a bit smaller than the one located in Clairemont area but that’s about it. The boba is the same unless they totally mess up your order. That’s pretty much it. They have a wide variety drinks to choose from if you’re tired of getting the exact same drink all the time like myself lol.

This place is really whatevers… It doesnt have all the comb menus. The tables are dirty all the time. There are flies everywhere. I only go here because i live so close and because their happy hour is pretty good.

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.

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.

Nice place to hang out after hours, since many of the shops and stores at the UTC mall close at 7 or 8.
Came here the day after Valentine’s day, and they were giving out free bracelets. Nice to see that they do these little promotions, but quality-​wise it’s still just a tapioca express. That means you get standard, average boba. The fried chicken is decent, though.

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.

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.

My boss was drinking a Honeydew Snow Bubble… a few questions later… and I end up at Tapioca Express. Of course I asked my co-​workers if they would like anything…2 more orders to go…
I wanted to try what my boss was drinking. Naturally. However, I had no idea what a «Boba» is at the bottom of her cup.
When I arrived at this location (lunch time) I was pleasantly surprised at TE’s easy going atmosphere. I liked it. The second thing I noticed… that I am the only white girl here. No problem. Just an observation. It’s a good thing there was no line behind me, because I had questions, and questions. The staff was patient in answering all of them.
So, what is a Boba? A black jelly ball? Well, yes. According to Wikipedia, «Tapioca balls (boba) are the prevailing chewy tidbits in bubble tea». Okay. There’s more info online of course. Just google Boba. After placing 2 orders, and finally making a decision on my own… The Honeydew Boba… Not sweet, not tart, just right! I think I might be hooked??? It was actual real honeydew. That was the best part.
This location offers outside seating, although I was on a time schedule at this time. I would return to take advantage of the relaxing atmosphere. The parking was a breeze because it’s a shopping center. Plus, it was at lunch time throughout the week.
Thank you for your patience. Should I be in this area, I’ll be back.