I absolutely love this place. Their soufflé pancakes are to die for! Such a delicious light sweet treat! I have been here a few times over the years & I always get an order of soufflé pancakes. I've tried the Oreo , the strawberry shortcake, the berry one, they mango & I think the mango option is my all time favorite (: I had ordered a few drinks from here, the cocomelon is my ultimate favorite light refreshing drink but it's only seasonal! Wish they would keep it on the menu for good! I have also tried the berry cheese smoothie & it was good but not to get over n over again. Last night I tried the milk tea. I wouldn't order it again it wasn't my favorite & I've had better elsewhere! My boyfriend like it though!(: This spot is always busy so good sign! I 1000% recommend the pancakes! Must add to your list! You won't regret it (: You can always see them making the pancakes which is super cute & cool to see! They have 2 tap to order screens so super easy to work with & then they bring the dishes to you. Seating inside & out, working bathroom! read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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First time trying motto tea. It was nice to order through a digital kiosk. I always get intimidated with what I want. At least with a kiosk I can play with the add ons. Overall it was a nice refreshing drink. Matcha tea with less sweetness. This is a plus since you can change the sweetness of it. There's plenty of outdoor seating and it's in the shade too. Stopped by here after my visit to Japanese BBQ. Needed caffeine to get me going after a large meal. Recommend checking out this place if you're in Pasadena. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Milk Tea - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great big place with good service and great choices. The Soufflé is the reason I came here and I didn't not disappoint. They wer soft creamy and the toppings made it a win. Very busy spot with old fast service they have outside seating and also inside. Clean and well kept. read more

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First time having Soufflé pancakes. Gotta say this place is absolutely delicious. Very clean establishment. Fast service. Everything was delicious. The establishment is cute. Seating is limited. Parking is great. Lots of UNDERGROUND parking. We ordered the Pork Sung and salted Egg yolk soufflé pancake. It was so fluffy, light, creamy, salty but little sweet. It was perfect. It complimented the taste of the cream mixed with pork sung. I highly recommend ordering it! I would definitely recommend if you come to San Gabriel come visit this place. read more

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I'd like to start off by saying whoever was in charge of music on Wednesday 2/18/26 around 7PM, FIRE PLAYLIST!!! 10/10 Anyways, I've had this place in my bookmarks for so long and my friends wanted dessert after eating at boiling point. I knew this spot was just down the street so we walked over. Upon entering we were greeted immediately. The staff is friendly (and has great taste in music lol). The 3 of us ordered a slice each to share - tiramisu basque cheesecake, matcha yuzu crepe cake, and hokkaido. They were all pretty good but my favorite was the tiramisu cheesecake. It was THICCC. Overall I had a good experience and though it wasn't amazingly good, I would definitely come back! read more

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Visited Motto Tea Cafe and had such a great experience. They have so many options for teas, plus yummy pastries and snacks that all looked tempting. I decided on the Matcha Jasmine Latte with boba and it was very good ..super smooth, flavorful, and honestly delicious. Their matcha is definitely worth it, and as you know, not all matcha is the same. Overall, really enjoyed my visit. Worth stopping by if you're in the area and craving a good tea! read more

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Very busy in the evenings but a good amount of comfortable seating with a cute interior. Food took about 15-20 minutes to come out and they were a bit busy. The pancakes were pillowy soft and absolutely delicious. Pretty much the best pancakes i've ever had. The matcha tastes of great quality and it isn't overly sweet or heavy of a dessert. The black toppings on the side are tapioca cubes that gave and interesting texture to it but it could have done with or without it. Wish they gave some more strawberries but still amazing pancakes nonetheless read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I've been wanting to try this place for the longest time because I love soufflé pancakes, but unfortunately I was a little disappointed. First off, this place can get busy so plan accordingly. They have a few tables inside as well as outside. Also parking can be a bit challenging. There was a self service kiosk to order from. They have a variety of drinks and dessert options. I got the taro matcha and customized the sweetness and ice levels. The drink itself was a 7/10. We also ordered the salt grey soufflé pancake. Our drinks came out fairly quickly, about 10min. The soufflé on the other hand was a different story. I had to ask someone on 3 different occasions when our order would be ready. And then when it was brought to us, it was served on a paper plate! Honestly for the price, they can at least serve it on a decent plant with regular utensils. The pancake was soft and delicious, 9/10 and I would come back. I just hope by then, they speed up the wait times and presentation. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

I went to Motto cafe to get the Dubai Chocolate Mochi. They were great, but, the filling was not pistachio enough mostly food dye. The service was really great and fast. The ambience was nice, but it was pretty small but the outdoor space was nice and I really love the smell. read more

Motto Tea Cafe was a lovely cafe with ample seating inside and outside the establishment. I only tried their drinks this time but I want to come back to try their souffle pancakes because they look MASSIVE. They also have other cakes and pastries too! You order at the kiosk and you can take a table number if you are dining in, but they just ended up calling our names for the drinks and we picked them up at the counter. Items ordered: - White peach moonlight oolong milk tea with cheese mousse and popping oat: Light and airy feel to the drink as it didn't feel like the drink was overly sweetened, so I really enjoyed it! White peach flavor was very pleasant and the cheese mousse had a stronger cheese and cream flavor to it. My friend recommended the popping oat and it's similar to popping boba with a different texture from the oat. Would get again! - Matcha mochi and white peach moonlight oolong milk tea: Same flavors and the mochi was good, not too chewy. There were so many unique flavors to choose from so I'll definitely have to come back again to try more items on the menu! read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This place is amazing. We got cheese soufflé pancakes and peach matcha drink. The pancakes had to wait about 30 mins which is reasonable. The drink came out really quick and so good. The pancakes were so fluffy and yummy. We came around 9 PM on Saturday but there were plenty of seats available inside and out of the shop. Can't wait to go back there to try different items. read more

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I've clearly been sleeping on this place because everything we got was amazing. I had one of their persimmon tea lattes and I swear I've been dreaming about it since. What's really cool about their Japanese pancake offering was a "sampler" so you can try two flavors slightly smaller than normal size. Freaking loved this place and will for sure be back read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This is a small cafe with a decent amount of seating. We ordered on the tablet and got seated while waiting for our pancake/drinks. Everything came out within 20 minutes which was expected. Strawberry cheese souffle -- 10/10! This was a new menu item so we got a 20% discount which was a nice surprise. The pancake was super soft without being too soft/gooey in the center. The sauce was a little sweet, but it paired well with the salty cheese foam. We finished eating this in 6 minutes... Matcha strawberry smoothie -- 10/10! This was also a new menu item which got us a 20% discount. This tasted really refreshing considering the hot day. I couldn't taste much of the matcha, but I mainly got it for the strawberry smoothie aspect so I didn't care too much. Would recommend if you love strawberry smoothies! read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Strawberry Shortcake Souffl Pancakes - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I'm addicted to this place. The original pancake and the cheese pancake are always a win. Their match beverages always on point. If you're in the area, definitely worth going to. read more

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First time trying Japanese Soufflé Pancakes. I need to preface this with I do NOT like pancakes or sweet breakfast food. I tried the creme brûlée pancakes. They are so light and fluffy. The creme brûlée was very minimal just on top. The cream was very creamy and not too heavy or overly sweet. I personally would have loved some meat with this. I also tried the Fruit Medley tea. Big chunks of fruit. The tea was a little too floral for me. This is not fast food. Each pancake is delicately made. Be patient. Sit to the left and you can see the fluffy creations made. There is no human taking your order. There are two kiosks. Be patient! Don't be that rude old lady behind me sighing ‍ at the three of us placing individual orders. Calm down. Inside the cafe is very small and narrow. It was impossible to get from one end to the other to pick up our drink orders. The tables and chairs are not for comfort or long stays. There are a lot of chairs and tables outside. From what I saw there was a self serve station to clean your own tables. read more

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I was excited to come here when I saw it on Tik Tok, but when me and my sister came and made 2 separate orders and we waited for about an hour until we realized they never made our orders. It really sucked and the pancake was really mushy it could've been better especially since it wasn't even busy and they forgot about us and gave us 3 small mushy pancakes. More whipped cream then anything else on the plate. They also really need more seating areas since the place is always busy. Theirs really no where to sit. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Motto is a popular little café that offers an extensive variety of hot & iced tea and fruit drinks such as Kyoto Uji Matcha & Japanese Genmai. Beverages are prepared with loose tea leaves, pure cane sugar, & organic milk. They don't use artificial ingredients, which is good. The cheese mousse drinks are popular - boba is available too. They also serve sweet & savory Japanese souffle pancakes and have a tempting selection of crepe & roll cakes. I met up with my darling friend here before having dinner nearby. The aesthetic is clean and minimalistic. You place your order at the Kiosk. There are a few tables inside and several outside. This place is popular. I noticed a steady stream of patrons coming in and out during our visit. We sat at a table across from the pancake station, so I got to see the process of how these fluffy creations are made. If we weren't heading to dinner, I would have ordered some because they smelled so good. My friend got a Cheese strawberry tea and said it was quite tasty. *Metered street parking or nearby parking garage on De Lacey. *Pet friendly. read more

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Bewildered prices for basic pancake batter and minimalist ordering experience via screens, would assume to pass along serious savings as customers do all ordering work! Nope! Our group added up well north of seventy bucks for a couple cakes and drinks, quite the bang to the wallet. There is a sublime craft to each bite, cannot fault fresh fruits, tangy citrus, smooth chocolate and nutella. Motto provided cute take out boxes and friendly smiles across the counter. Outdoor corner seating space proved very popular as well as other cheesecakes we hoped to get again later but noticed many items sold out. Wish they offered discounts on family purchases, these costs surely shut down kids getting the full yum moment with five or more appetites taking a small loan to satisfy. On the plus side, the cheesecakes are worth saving up for but again, why small diet sizes? This places desperately needs to invite groups in without pompous price gouging or holding back large options for families. read more

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I don't frequent as often but they make yummy drinks & desserts. Love the jiggly japanese pancakes. Cake slices are delicious too. If you're like me & prefer mild sweetness to drinks & desserts--then Motto has a lot of great options. Fresh fruits in their drinks. Bold matcha, great quality. Recommendations: -Mango in Uji -Messy Taro Popping oats as a topping I still have more to try. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - "MANGO IN UJI" boba & popping oat toppings - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Parking: It's street parking and private lots. We were able to find a meter 2 blocks away so may the odds be in your favor. I believe meters are $1.25/hr and you can pay through a parking app if you need to add time before getting back to your car to avoid a ticket. Ambiance: It's small and quaint inside. You order at kiosks so limited interaction with staff but generally friendly. It's nice that you can see the pancakes being made too. As others have mentioned there's maybe 4 tables inside and a decent number outside. I got there at opening so we were first in line to order so our wait wasn't too crazy. Food/Drinks: I enjoyed the pancakes. As they are soufflé they're perhaps less filling for some but every bite was enjoyable like a fluffy cloud. I ordered some boba as well - Nutellamisu - it doesn't come with tapioca balls. You essentially have to build the drink a once I added the Nutellamisu option, added boba, and chose non dairy milk the drink came out to $9 which is a bit steep personally for a large boba drink. And it was a bit watery for me so I ended up tossing it after finishing my pancakes. Suggestion: It would be nice if they offered side dishes to help cut through the sweetness of the pancakes but I understand the labor that goes into the pancakes alone may not make it feasible to expand the menu. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Nutellamisu Mousse Souffle Pancakes - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I love soufflé pancakes so I was excited that there was one nearby when I was visiting from out of town. I placed a delivery order and everything was still good when it arrived. We shared the matcha creme brulee pancakes which had matcha creme on top and red beans between each layer of pancake. The flavor of the matcha cream was good but I'm not a fan of red beans so I ate around them. We also shared the mango sunshine souffle pancakes which came with mango puree and cheese mousse which were good but I still preferred the matcha creme brulee pancakes. I got the mango in Kyoto drink (mango puree with slightly sweetened milk & Motto's original matcha mousse on top). It was sweet but not overly sweet and the matcha and mango flavors worked well together. Hubby had the osmanthus oolong milk tea which I also helped myself to. The osmanthus oolong milk tea had a floral taste which I liked. Overall, both the pancakes and drinks were good even though we didn't enjoy them freshly prepared in store. Would like to try them in person next time. read more

It's a great place to stop by for drinks and cakes. We're planning to have their soufflé, but the wait seems long, so I placed an order for cakes and a drink through the Snackpass app. We had crepe cakes and milk tea with boba topping. They all tasted flavorful to us. The cake was soft and fresh. The drink wasn't too cold and was a perfect match for the cakes. read more

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I'm seriously obsessed with their Japanese-style fluffy pancakes; the light, airy texture is unbeatable. Their taro cake with pork floss and salted egg yolk is another must-try; it's such a unique combo and surprisingly delicious. This spot is my go-to dessert place whenever I'm in Pasadena after dinner. The service is always friendly, and even though seating is limited, the vibe is super chill and cozy. The drinks are great too! Highly recommend for anyone who loves good desserts! read more

Popped in for dessert after a bday lunch a block over; place was super busy! We hovered a bit and was able to get a few tables and chairs pieced together while the others waited inside to place an order. The soufflé pancakes were good, but I preferred ones at Flippers. Service was friendly enough considering the rush and I appreciated that they were organised in all the chaos. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Finally had the opportunity to try Motto Tea Cafe. We had the mango matcha drink and mango Souffle Pancakes. The place has nice covered outdoor seating as well as indoor seating. You have to use the kiosks to place your order which was pretty easy and had plenty of options. They made our drink pretty fast. The Souffle Pancakes took about 30 minutes since they are freshly made which is typical for this dish. I appreciate that they had a sign advising of the wait time. The cups used at many of these types of places for these drinks are cleverly designed to be tall and concaved to make it look like you are getting a really huge drink...which you are not. I added an entire tiny cup of water when we were about 75% done and it filled it up more than half way. Don't get me wrong, the drink was absolutely delicious and looked amazing! The Mango Souffle Pancakes were delicious as well. The white sauce was not sweet but creamy. The mango sauce and fruit added the right amount of sweetness and the drink more than satisfied our sweetness cravings. Overall great experience. read more

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Consistently great quality of cake menu! This place never failed to amaze me. We came back on Spring with good weather, it is perfect to sit outside. Service was lesser contact with customers but that due to self service kiosk. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Light Cheesy Strawberry Cake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I am obsessed with their mango soufflé pancakes! I go on weekdays when it's less busy and usually order pick up. Parking in the area is a hassle and it's crowded with hardly any seating left on weekends. Casual place to catch up with friends and enjoy a sweet treat. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Mango Sunshine Souffle Pancake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

I have love and hate relationship with this cafe. My coworkers and I order from them all the time thru doordash. Their drinks are one of best! All the ones I have tried are really good. I especially love their White Peach Moonlight Milk Tea & Gardenia Milk Tea. The drinks are so flavorful and smooth. Seriously one of my favorites to get drinks from. However, I have visited the establishment before in person & it was a horrible experience as far as service. We ordered drinks and souffle pancakes. The drinks were good as always. The souffle pancakes took forever to come out... like more than 30 min and we were like their 2nd customer since opening time. When I went to check on it, the girl behind the counter just pointed to the pick up area without even hearing what I was able to ask. WTF. I told her I am not asking where to pick up but wanted to know how much longer the pancakes would take... she just said it's coming without even looking up... When they finally brought out the pancakes, they brought it out without any utensils.. ??? When we asked, they said we need to go pick it up at the counter... I don't know it was shitty service. I regretted pre-tipping them. The souffle pancakes were ok,,, I've had better. The drinks are good. I would stick with ordering online/pickup/delivery and forgo actually going to the location. read more

Great, delicious desserts and drinks. Pretty big selection. You can customize your drinks which I like.

I had a very frustrating experience ordering from Motto Tea Cafe through Uber Eats today. I specifically placed an order because I saw their Dubai chocolate chewy cookie on the menu. Since I didn't want to place such a small order, I also added a Basque cheesecake, pork sung soufflé, and three teas -- bringing the order to a much larger purchase. However, after the Uber driver had already arrived at the store for pickup, the staff informed the driver that the Dubai chocolate cookie was not available. Instead of updating the system or notifying me through Uber Eats (which restaurants can easily do), they waited until the driver was already there and had the driver contact me. At that point, I felt stuck. I wanted to cancel the entire order, but since the driver had already arrived -- and it wasn't the driver's fault -- I ended up only canceling the cookie and requesting a refund. What makes this even more frustrating is that the store opens at 12:00 PM on Sundays, and I placed my order around 12:30 PM. It's hard to understand how such a popular item could already be sold out so quickly without updating the menu in real time. This experience felt very misleading and poorly handled. I hope the restaurant improves their order management and communication, as this was a significant waste of time and a disappointing first impression. read more

Every time I visit Motto I'm always impressed by the soufflé pancakes. Even after visiting Japan and trying them there Motto is still so yummy to me. It is worth the wait these are cooked to perfection. The texture is so light and fluffy. And the flavor of the pancake is tasty. The cream on top with the strawberries makes this one of my favorite desserts. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Strawberry Soufflé Pancake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

The soufflé pancakes are amazing. They're so light and fluffy The service is amazing, the staff is super friendly. I recommend the Cheese Mousse Soufflé Pancake, it's the best one i've tried so far! The cafe vibe is really nice as well! read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Cheese Mousse Souffle Pancake Nutellamisu Mousse Souffle Pancake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Love this place. Unique toppings and wide selection of flavors. My faves include the matcha mango and the grapefruit jasmine tea w tea jelly (strong jasmine flavor w/ grapefruit bits). I like their tofu pudding too! The mochi is ... interesting... LOL it's the consistency that's weird, and you either you like it or you don't. Also tried their black sesame frost and it's soooo nutty it reminds me black sesame soup (chè mè đen) and as much as I wanted to like it, there was a a bitter aftertaste that made it hard to finish. Loved the tofu pudding in it tho. Only downside is that it closes at 9pm. Had to order 2 drinks before dinner to catch them before closing haha. Easy street parking on a Friday night. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Tofu Pudding Black Sesame Frost $6.95 (nutty wouldnt get again), Grapefruit Lychee Sunset jasmine jelly ($5.95) - fave - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Motto Tea Cafe was a decent tea shop. It reminded me of Omomo in Orange County, but with a ton more options. We got a Matcha Creme Brulee and a Mango drink, both of which were tasty, but wish there was more of a matcha flavor. We also got the matcha and strawberry basque cheesecake that was very interesting. When they say "cheese", it really does taste like cheese. The service was decent, but you order from an ipad and collect at the pickup window, so not much to be desired there. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Let's start with saying OMG!!! The soufflé pancakes were absolutely delicious, very similar to the ones we had in Japan. The crème brûlée pancakes were my favorite. Service was quick and friendly. We came right when they opened. The ambiance was cute and casual. There is also outdoor seating and it is shaded. The drinks were equally as good. Loved the cheese foam on the drinks. For sure, I will be back to try all the delicious desserts. read more

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Been wanting to try their fluffy souffle pancake for a long while and I finally managed to convince the fam to go. MOTTO TEA CAFE is part of a center with its own free parking lot. There was no line to get in when we visited but all the seats and tables were occupied. There was a small line to order at the kiosk. You have to order at the kiosk. At the end of your ordering process, you're supposed to grab a table-number-on-a-stick and attach that number to your order by entering the number in the kiosk. They ran out of numbers and no one behind the counter would entertain me so I entered "no number". We waited way longer than the 30 minute estimate given. You can see the kitchen through the clear glass window and they didn't start making our order until I flagged the cook (who was also the waitress) and asked if our order went through... then she asked for a table number and I had to wait until one was available, then she wrote my order and table number on a piece of paper before starting to make it. So tip, be aggressive when asking for a table number before you put in your order. Otherwise, the NUTELLAMISU MOUSSE SOUFFLE was absolutely delicious. read more

It's not bad, but there's a long wait, it's crowded, and a bit grimy outside in my opinion. I have a specific type of soufflé pancake that I liked in Japan, and I was disappointed that this didn't taste like that. It's still tasty though--just not my preference. read more

I love these pancakes, they are so fluffy & light! The matcha cream on top was delish. I love how they paired it with strawberries & red bean because it goes really well together. Wish they had more space inside because I feel like spaces are always taken up when I go on the weekends. Pancakes can take awhile to come out (~15 mins) because they are constantly making batches, but the pro is you know it's freshly made! Nice sweet treat & it's fun to jiggle heh read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Matcha Crme Brle Souffle Pancake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've only ever had two things here. Both were mango matcha drinks, but one is like a standard liquid form of matcha, and the other is the Mango in Kyoto, where they layer this heavenly matcha foam/mousse thing on top. I don't think I can go more than 2 weeks without it it's so good. So good I've been trying to make it at home to no avail, so it looks like this will have to supply my fix. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

Their matcha creme brulee souffle is delicious and the presentation makes it more appetizing. I also ordered Taro Storm boba milk tea and it was just okay. read more

Motto Tea Cafe - Matcha Crème Brûlée Souffle Pancake - Desserts Near Me - Pasadena, California

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