Tapioca Express

I think this place is gone?

Why is it connected to Popeye’s? No outside food is allowed… except for Popeye’s from next door. Very strange.
Anyhow, I went around 2pm so it was pretty empty and there was only one other person there, which I believe was the owner. There was only one worker behind the counter. I ordered the Thai tea with regular tapioca. The drink was ok, but it didn’t taste like regular Thai tea. It had almost a coffee taste and the pearls were on the softer side. I like the pearls chewier usually.
Don’t know if I’ll be back…

Terrible place, I’ve only been there once and do not plan on going back to this location again. Although I live a mile from this location, I prefer the Mountain View location.
I always enjoy getting the Avocado Snow smoothie from TapEx but the one time I got it here, it was made from old Avocado and was not thick at all. I didn’t have more than one sip before throwing away.

i absolutely adore tapioca drinks and i love tapex but NOT THIS LOCATION. The first time i ordered a drink here the little tap balls were yicky (gritty inside, slimy outside and still hard as hell –not firm but hard). figuring maybe it was just a goof, i returned 3 more times… YICKY EACH FRIGGN TIME!!! aaaand, the flavours of the drink are not consistent (i always ordere the same one). i once ordered the combo with the spicey chicken and was seriously disappointed… i think they use old popeyes chicken and just reheat… yuck.
go to any tapex but this one…

Of all the franchised boba shops, Tapioca Expresses are typically among the better looking ones.
Although tiny and very rectangular, this Tapioca Express is spotless clean and appropriately furnished. Three tables of four line the right wall of the shop, and three tables of two line the opposing wall. There are a few extra chairs and two small tables tucked away in a corner in case the six tables are not enough. There are plenty of outlets. The counters, signs, and flat screen TV are all much nicer than you’d find at other boba shops.
They share a side door with Popeyes which is kinda silly but nice at the same time… I love that Popeyes chicken smell!
I came here hopping to get some work done but couldn’t connect to the internet, and was too shy to ask how. haha! It’s probably for the better since none of my work requires the internet anyway ;p
Paid $ 3.99 for a large jasmine milk green tea with grass jelly. The tea is Julie N.-approved, very creamy while still possessing the tea flavor. The grass jelly is firmer than I like and lacks any sweetness but they did not skimp me. My drink came with plenty of ice, something I’m still wondering about since I specifically remember TapEx having a 7-​pieces of ice policy… maybe I’m just outdated.
I was so close to ordering some popcorn chicken but then I noticed the food poster with a few prices crossed out and replaced with HIGHER prices.
How ridiculous! It’s kind of a slap in the face to cross out a lower price and replace it with a more expensive price… and not erase your tracks. The popcorn chicken’s price wasn’t altered but I decided against getting any snacks altogether because these people lack some pretty basic management etiquette, and/​or are greedy. Okay, that’s unfair of me to say because maybe they’re losing a lot of money from the lack of business and are trying to find a way to compensate… still, I’d expect them to not be too lazy or that short on funds to make new signs! This is how I see it: manual menu corrections of any kind are tacky and unprofessional!
This shop isn’t busy at all. There are no after-​school crowds and it’s definitely not a hang out spot. It’s a good place to get some studying done or catch up with some friends. It’s also not very Asian, which might mean it’s less intimidating to none-​Asians. BET is on right now and since they don’t have those colorful plastic bubble stools we all know from other boba shops, it really doesn’t look like a Tapioca Express at all aside from the bright orange ceiling.

Came here with two friends half an hour before they closed and ordered the fresh watermelon drink. Watermelon is in season right now and I expected something refreshing.
Well, let me tell you… never expect anything. The drink had no flavor and tasted like water. It did have a pretty pink color though.
The cashier didn’t look pleased that she had to work half an hour before closing… maybe that’s the reason for my tasteless drink.

This place use to be very good when they first opened. Service was quick and the quality was good.
Things have definitely good downhill since then. Service is slow and the people that work there act like their doing you a favor when serving you. Their customer service is terrible. I guess they don’t teach that to their employees. This seems to be the trend with these Asian establishments. No «thank you», no «please» and definitely no «come back soon»!!

Well, lets see… it’s connected to Popeyes, literally. There is a door where you can grab your drink and hop over to pick up some chicken, sippin on your tea while you wait.
After reading the reviews we decided to stick with just the plain boba milk tea. Contrary to our worries, they didn’t mess it up and actually turned out decent.
Unfortunately, this would not be our first place to go to. Maybe if we are brave enough, we’ll venture to the exotic teas like taro whenever we give it another try.

So, we didn’t actually have any tea from here, but I had to leave a review at least based on the location. This place is super small which I’m not used to because the other Tap Ex’s I’ve been to were good sizes to where groups can hang out. This one just looked run down and not well taken care of. The workers also looked like they would rather be somewhere else.
This paticular location gives Tap Ex a very bad name.
The reason why we didn’t have tea… CASH ONLY.

The taro milk «tea» (I always get that in the evening as it is apparently the only decaf option at these boba places) was utterly nasty. I had one a few weeks ago at Fantasia and it was a revelation, but this was like some kind of saccharine overdose, and not in a good way. I did enjoy the boba itself but I regret drinking the whole tea just to eat them (and this is from someone who rarely leaves food or drink behind).
The only reason it gets two stars is because it was well lit, quiet, and had a sofa, so i was able to read which was my main purpose for going there at all. Will never be back, though. Oh, and the whole Popeye’s link-​up thing is fascinating and bizarre.

Not the greatest Tap Ex I’ve been too, but certainly the worst. I ordered the popcorn chicken spicy and it was as bland as can be. I also ordered the cookie and cream snow bubble which was lacking in the cookie portion of the drink. Aside from the very sub par food the employee didn’t look motivated to be there or even try to clean the place up. Save yourself a stop and do not go to this tapioca express. It’s dirty, the food and service are horrible, and is a disgrace to the tap ex chain.

Would not come back here.
I got the Taro Tea and I couldn’t even drink it. I’m not sure how they messed up but it was so thick and syrup-​y (and blue!) that I couldn’t even stomach it. I tried going home and diluting it. After adding a glass of water to it, it finally almost tasted normal and was normal consistency. Still could not drink it though. The memory of how thick and blue that drink was… I will definitely not be coming back any time soon.

Wow! I never thought that the chains could vary so much. It was truly a terrible experience all the way around. After a great Popeye’s meal, we were lured over to Tapioca Express via a coupon they gave us. I really wish I never saw that coupon, but at the same time, I’m so glad we didn’t pay full price.
Service — Terrible. I could barely hear what the guy behind the counter was saying. We had to ring a bell to get his attention while we were standing there for 5 minutes. I had the Vietnamese coffee, but then switched it over to the iced mocha. He told me that it was 50 cents more than what it said, yet, they didn’t have the stickers to change the price of the board. Doesn’t that mean you should just charge what it says on the board until you get the sticker. Ridiculous. Even after I got the drink, he told me that it was a vietnamese coffee. not the iced mocha I switched it to. His mind was definitely off somewhere else.
Drinks — Terrible. Again, we got the coffee and the almond milk tea. The almond milk tea was so sweet, it was barely drinkable. The coffee had this watery bland taste to it, which is weird because vietnamese coffees are supposed to be strong!
While I will return to Popeye’s, I can’t say the same about this location of Tapioca Express.

I love the tapioca express in Mountain View, but this one eh!
first it was connected to the fast food place next door. (I hope I am reviewing the right one)
then I didn’t ask for boba/​pearls and so in all 4 of my drinks, I didn’t have any Tapioca! why would I come to Tapioca express and NOT get Tapioca! but I was in a hurry and by the time I figured it out, I was in the car!
and the pineapple and almond tea were WAY too sweet, so my guests chucked it. and it made me look bad!

I came here a few times due to sheer convenience (right next to Michael’s) and made up my mind to pass next time.
The employee could barely take the time to look up from their iPhone to take my order (I had to make an audible noise while standing directly in front of them) — which wasn’t even quickly or very well made.
We ordered:
Milk tea with pearls — The tea came to me with syrup coated on the bottom of the cup. After shaking it to mix myself, it was way too sweet (even for «fake» tea).
Taro milk tea with mini pearls — The small straws are too small for even the mini pearls, which defeats the purpose of ordering them instead of the regular pearls (if you like to avoid the jumbo straws). The taro flavor was too weak, tasting like lightly sweetened milk on ice more than anything else.

«Tapioca balls are for your chewing pleasure only do not swallow whole.» –Warning label on cup
Um, thanks! I guess that means if i choke on a ball, i can’t sue them (but actually, i would because i know a good attorney). Well then, on to the boba.
I was too lazy to drive to cupertino or mountain view and i knew this place was on the way back to my parent’s house. I should have known better than to buy boba from a franchise but it was really hot outside so I ordered the traditional black milk tea with pearls. I really didn’t like it, as i had expected. It didn’t taste right and i believe it comes right down to the quality of tea.
Quality milk tea is about the tea. Anybody can make the tapioca balls. I’lll be hitting up Tea Era or Fantasia (i know, i’m a hypocrite) next time.

«I’d like the vietnamese coffee.»
«The what?»
«the vietnamese coffee. Hot please.»
«Huh? Oh. That’ll be $ 4.10» (the price on the menu is $ 3.25)
A few minutes later I get a styrofoam cup, take a sip and it tastes like coffee creamer. I open it up and the color is nearly white. I guess their version of vietnamese coffee is 99% creamer and 1% coffee.
The girl running the shop is utterly clueless. If you’re a fan of strong coffee, do yourself a favor and get it from Phở Nam nearby.

As I walked into TapEx, the joint reeked of Popeye’s that I actually stepped back outside to ensure that I went into the correct establishment! The TapEx and Popeye’s are connected… maybe they’re the same owner?
Milk Tea w/​Pearls — $ 2.90 + tax
— Pearls tasted like crap
— Tea was mediocre at best
…needed to «ring the bell» in order to get service…
…they were selling Costco bakery cookies at the register that looked stale!?!

Came here only because I had a craving for pearl tea, and it’s right next to a phở joint. Frankly, I should have just tried the pearl tea at the phở joint.
Man, is this place pricey. I don’t think I’ve ever paid 10 bucks for 2 pearl teas. They ran out of regular sized tapioca and substituted with tiny ones. They weren’t too bad honestly, they just put too much in it. The almond tea I got was ok, but suuuper sweet. The ginger milk tea that hubs got tasted like 100% pure ginger — and not in a good way.
3 stars for the mini-​pearls which I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Negative 5 stars for high prices and sugar overload.

The store feels a little run down, not in it’s cleanest state but ok in general. I just wouldn’t set up shop there, plus when we went it was super cold and drafty. Simple décor, nothing special.
We shared a large milk tea with medium/​small pearls mixed, it was kind pricey at $ 4.00. The milk tea was too sweet but the pearls were fairly fresh.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here. The guy at the register was nice enough, not amazing but quick, attentive and nice enough.