Tapioca House — Restaurant in Austin

April '25: pleasant service and still lovely food and tapioca drinks. My wishes below haven't been granted. 🙃

Sept. '22: Cute decor/ plants & paintings.

I'd love to see brown rice on offer; that's probably a fantasy, but I do think the Styrofoam cups & containers should go! All that said- glad to see the place operational & busy. The staff seemed to be on top of things. 👌

April '22 UPDATE: Glad food is on offer after some period of time with no cook! I don't mind the tweaks to the side dishes & style of items (I got a #6 crispy chicken steak combo) and the price increase is most understandable (portions may be even larger). The place has also continued to be cleaner than in the past; BUT

a] they've gone back to Styrofoam containers and that's both environmentally unfriendly and inconvenient (breaks/ spills easily during transport)--I disapprove; and

b] while there are several sauces & whatnot available, I missed having white vinegar and most importantly, the yummy aka magical chili flake/ garlic?/ peanut/ oil paste from the past!

^^If some of this could be resolved, I'd gladly tack a 5th star back on. :} Spring '21 UPDATE: THANK YOU for having sealable/sturdier, recyclable containers now instead of Styrofoam!! Truly appreciated. Glad the business is surviving. Old review- way pre covid: It's campus adjacent and sort of a hole in the wall but the variety of bubble tea (drink) options and freshness/ perfectly cooked quality of the tapioca itself are appreciated. Best in town. I keep coming even though I'm no longer studying or walking across the street. Plus, my mom is hooked.

Also, the food is v good; I usually get a meal combo that comes with a jasmine green tea. 150 is my fave. And the green onion pancakes and red pepper peanut magic sauce are each great -- not -always- available but there are...

UPDATE: OK so the food here is still good. No complaints about that.

My complaint is with the drinks. Since when did Tapioca House start charging an extra $1 for milk tea when you get a combo? I thought you can get any flavored tea with a combo, at least that's the case for the last 6 years I've been coming here. Now your only choices are black tea or green tea. And not to mention the tapioca balls I had with my drink were awful (some were cooked, some not).

Here are some personal words to Tapioca House: "You were a common place to eat for me when I was a college student. I love you like a bro. With that said, pull yourself together and make me happy again!"

Great place for Taiwanese snack food. Even the hot humid air inside is similar to Taiwan.

The Fried Chicken Steak or Grilled Chicken Steak combos are my favorites (the combos come with rice, a hard-boiled egg, and some bean sprouts). I'm not a big fan of the Crispy Chicken Nuggets because it's too spicy for me. When I say spicy I don't mean typical hot spicy, I mean pepper seasoning clogging my throat spicy. Even at 0 star spicy, it's too much for me.

Luckily I have their bubble tea drinks to clear my throat. Having tried many of their drinks, I still recommend the classic Milk Tea or the...

So compared to the other Asian restaurants around here, the prices are noticeably lower here. What you get for what you pay is reasonable. I ordered a $6.95 pork chop combo. You get rice, sprouts, string beans, and an egg on the side. You also get free black tea with boba. You also get a stamp card that gets you a free drink after the 10th order with beverage. I think the free drink and stamp card are the selling points of this place.

However, here's my complaints. The quantity is a little lacking. It's reasonable for the price but you should consider ordering more if you're really hungry. Also, this one is major. The quality of the food isn't great. Couldn't even finish the rice. Rice is mushy and not cooked well (maybe it's old?). Pork chop is not as crispy as you'd expect it to be.

I can see why many people would come to this place though. It's actually more reasonably priced then nanny of the places around here. I just wish they would focus a bit more on the small details. My suggestions: make sure the place is clean and upgrade your rice quality. I will still come back to try other dishes....