Tapioca Island

I ordered a pearl tea to go and the boba was strange tasting and mushy :(the grilled pork dish I had only had about 5 thin pieces of pork too :(

Place looks very clean and organized. Food and drinks came out fast, but I did arrive within the first hour of opening. Idk but the ladies working seemed really off. They’re not very friendly or smiling but that’s business etiquette for some people I guess!

As they day was pretty hot, I decided to stop into Tapioca Island to grab a pearl tea drink to go. The parking lot had plenty of space as it was after the lunch hour. The menu up above was pretty straight forward and self-​explanatory.
I asked the lady if they had white pearls. She said we have lychee white pearls. I asked her if that was really white pearls. She said not really, but they are lychee flavored.
I decided on a large black tea with white lychee pearls. I paid in cash for my drink and waited. My order came out quickly as there wasn’t anybody else waiting.
I tried my drink in the afterwards and it was not what I expected. The tea flavor was ok, but a little sweater than I may have wanted. There didn’t seem to be a sweetness options so I guess it is standard or full sweetness. The pearls were a little odd to me because they are liquid filled lychee flavored pearls. It didn’t really give the tapioca pearl flavor experience.
Next time I’ll just stick with regular pearls. Overall the service was good, the wait was quick, but I didn’t like the drink so much.

Tried this place for the first time. Focused on the hot drink menu cuz it was a cold day. Between 2 employees I had to ask 3 times what was a Thai coffee. In the middle of that I tried to relate to them because I’ve had a Vietnamese coffee that had condensed milk. Next thing, the lady is rushing the other lady to make me a different drink because it’s like the Vietnamese coffee…
Finally I get my answer, but, is there anything wrong with someone asking what different drinks are when you only have 1 table seated? I asked about 1 more drink-​I tell you, I nearly walked out but held my patience because I was in the mood for something new.
I settled on Thai coffee. When asked if I want milk in it, Sure. Added the shrimp spring rolls to it, ToGo. When it finally came out, my coffee from the hot menu was ICED. ICED!!! Ugh. I just left cuz I paid debit and needed to get my kids.
Shrimp spring rolls were delish.
Thai coffee, unappetizing. Since I took this home I’ll fish out the ice, pour it in a mug and heat it and see if it helps.

Me and my boyfriend have been getting into the buzz of boba drinks lately and used to travel all the way to tapioca express to get our drinks. Although they are a little better we still frequent this location because the service is fast and friendly and the drinks here are really good. Would recommend this place to anyone looking for a reasonably priced pearl drink or milk tea!

Personally love their Jasmine Milk Tea with either Lychee or pearls. Very cute and clean spot w/​a fairly relaxing atmosphere. The only thing that annoys me is the lady is always pressuring me to purchase the bigger size. But I will be coming back!

I don’t really know what happened to this place. I used to frequent it about 18 months ago for their teas, but after having several TERRIBLE experiences over the past year I can never come back.
Came by myself on my way home to order some tea. The pearls were undercooked and hard in the middle. Tea was excessively sweet.
Fast forward a couple months and I give this place another try. Pearls are OVERcooked, super mushy and literally not chewy at all. Tea was less than mediocre.
6 – 8 months later, I noticed that Unilocal reviews are still high, so I figured maybe they’ve improved? So I brought a couple friends here after school. Everyone was disappointed. The tea had NO flavor, tasted extremely watered down, and the pearls had no flavor either (they are supposed to be somewhat sweet). Also ¾ of the cup was filled with ice.
Not to mention, I ordered a small, which they gave me; however I noticed they charged me for a large. I came back to tell them and they told me it costed that much because of TAX. First of all, I’m offended that they think they can trick me into paying over $ 5.00 for a small with pearls?! I calculated the tax myself on my phone calculator and showed them. I then calculated the tax for a large with pearls and showed them that it was the exact amount I paid. The lady at the register very reluctantly gave me the change she owed me. UNprofessional!!!
Save yourself the time and money. There are tons of boba places in the Bay, go somewhere else!

Who knew this quaint milk tea place existed on this side of town! Located near Santa Teresa and the highway 85.
I was visiting my friend at work and wanted to bring her a little pick-​me-​up. I looked on Unilocal and this was the closest milk tea place to me. Walking in, I never would have guessed that this place was a milk tea joint. It reminds me more of a Vietnamese restaurant, which rings true since they do serve phở and sandwiches.
The place was deserted when I came in. A very nice lady took my order and even asked if I wanted a stamp card. I got two Thai milk teas, one with boba and the other with grass jelly. The drinks were pretty good in my opinion. Just the right around of sweetness and the grass jelly was a nice addition. I would recommend this combo!

Solid boba shop considering the location. The banh mi was also very tasty. This is close to the new Safeway plaza which also has a target so it is a great spot to grab a quick bite and drink then head over to do your errands for the weekend.

So happy they expanded their menu! I started coming here last Summer for Boba Teas and Banh Mi before my son was born. I haven’t had phở yet but their rice plate was tastey and my egg was cooked perfectly to order. Customer service has always been superb, even at their Sister restaurant China Delight next door. I love that I can walk 5 – 6 mins and get good Vietnamese food, relax and eat with my lil 10 month old. He likes playing with the Legos. Very clean and kid-​friendly

This review is strictly for the milk teas! My coworkers ordered the piña colada smoothie and the jasmine milk tea. I ordered the jasmine milk tea with pearls! I believe a small was around $ 3.80 with tax included. The milk tea part was delish, however the pearls here were no bueno. Some balls were undercooked and some were overcooked (super soft). That’s a big no no for me. It was as if they mixed old pearls and new pearls together. I am giving this place 3 stars because the piña colada smoothie was SO GOOD! It is super sweet however, so if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth I would say pass on this drink. Credit cards are accepted!

This place is always clean and the service is always great. I just wish they had more people who would be able to man the front if the floor manager needs to step out or tend to other customers. Aside from being short handed in the front, the servers are always polite and attentive.
They say they don’t add msg to their Phở broth, but I question that as it doesn’t have the depth that most established Phở places have. The broth was a bit on the sweet side today as well. The veggies are always great quality.
One of the better places to grab Phở in South San Jose. Their teas are great too.

I saw great reviews so I dropped by around 6PM. Establishment is clean but didn’t see any customers yet. I ordered your typical hot milk tea and their grilled chicken with rice dish for take out. So far so good.
The lady handed me my hot milk tea while I waited and since it was so hot, I took the lid off. I took a few sips and since it was scalding I started to blow and lo and behold, I saw what I thought was a tea strand. I thought, «Cool. They brew their own teas here.» But on closer inspection, I saw wings and determined it was a fly. –_​–
I took it back to the front and told her I can’t drink this. She saw it, took it back inside and heard her tell someone else there was a fly floating in it — and just proceeded to make me a new cup. She never apologized or asked me if I wanted a refund or another order. I already paid with my debit card and didn’t want to bother so I left but I’m probably not going back.
The milk tea wasn’t that great, the grilled chicken plate was small in portion, and how she dealt with the situation has put me off.

This place is awesome! Great food, great service and great atmosphere! Don’t miss out on this one

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME VERY SWEET PEOPLE AND NOT only do they have boba and sandwiches ! They have phõ !! And its so good ! Good portions great tasting ! So quiet and two TVs ! Had a great experience both times will definitely be coming back !

This place is located in the Carl’s Jr plaza right off of Hwy 85. I assumed they only sold drinks, but its more like a sit down restaurant that sells phở, rice plates, and Vietnamese sandwiches!
I decided to order their small phở. It seemed like there were only 2 people working in the whole restaurant, so it took about 10 minutes to get the food. I had to ask for the small sauce plate. When my phở came out, I had to ask for the basil & bean sprouts.
The phở tasted decent. There was a decent amount of noodles. The soup could have been a bit hotter in terms of temperature. The meat portions were kinda small. I ordered rare steak, and they were already cooked when it came out.
Overall, its a decent Vietnamese restaurant in South San Jose. Everyone seemed to order their drinks and enjoy them. Next time I will try one of their drinks.

A FLY IN MY SANDWICH!!!
I have came here several times for lunch. I work night shift across the street at the hospital, so my «lunch» is at 830pm. Half way down my sandwich I realized that there was a fly in my sandwich. It was the most disgusting thing ever.
I went back to speak with the manager and report the incident. She gave me so many excuses in the book. I requested for a refund because I did not eat the sandwich, nor did my coworkers eat their lunch. I mean, how could you? By that time we had all lost our appetite.
Make a long story short, the manager stated that she cannot refund everybody that makes a complaint. In my defense, a fly in the sandwich is unacceptable. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t good, it was. I’m so disappointed in how they treat their customers.
NEVER COMING BACK. THIS PLACE IS OBVIOUSLY UNSANITARY.

This is my spot for boba now. I wish it was a little closer but what can you do.
I always get the chrysanthemum milk tea. There aren’t that many places in the South Bay where you can get chrysanthemum milk tea. Actually there is no places that you can get that… I’ve been trying.
This place steeps their own tea as well. Always a plus. The desserts looks good and I am also ensured that the phō is also delicious.
Overall: Will definitely return.

Everyone here is welcoming and their food and tea were bomb!
Tried– green waffles, egg roll
Drinks– Mango lychee tea with green apple jelly &
Peach lychee tea with green apple jelly
Price is reasonable and they also accept visa/​mastercard

The service was great and very friendly. The best boba tea I have had in San Jose!
The pearls were very fresh and soft. They had many flavors of tea and are more than willing to accommodate any concoction, even ones that are not on the menu.
The place was very clean and neat.