Motto Tea Cafe

Motto Tea Cafe-SGV (est. 04/2021) is only a week’s old tea-house that offers phenomenal Soufflé Pancakes, desserts and (hot/cold) teas. They are located in a large plaza on Valley Blvd and Abbot ave in SG Valley. Interior atmosphere was very welcoming and nirvana like vibe. It’s interior decor was cute, modern and very organized. Outdoor side patio is available for your convenience. I was ebullient that I get to taste their famous-pancakes again. I ordered a Cheese Mouse Soufflé Pancakes (with fruits) and an iced cold Orange Oolong Tea. The pancakes were warm, puffy ‘n fluffy, airy, thicker, divine and heavenly in taste and texture. It’s white cream sauce was thick, sweet and delightful. Every bite brings tranquility to your palate. The Orange tea (limes+orange+boba pearl) was refreshing and perfectly sweetened. Prices for Pancakes are on the high end, however, the quality is excellent. Staff were very accommodating, assiduous, followed health protocol, and methodical. Furthermore, one of their young female staff recognized me (and vice-versa) from Pasadena store. Lol. Service was moderately fast. Wi-Fi available. Plenty of parking spot within the plaza. In this voluminous review, it is without a doubt that I had a great order experience and phenomenal food/drink. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this place for teas and pancakes.

+6

I ordered the Mango Sunshine souffle pancake and the mango in Uji. The pancake soft like a cotton candy. The flavor is definitely different but I really liked it. The pancake is tall and very filling. The drink was good. There's no cashier so you ordered through the machine. Don't forget to grab your table number!

Easy to order kiosk. Parking was tough. Got the cheesy strawberry shake which was good. Also the regular and Nutella pancakes were next level

+1

Great place for indulgent desserts! Beautiful presentation in store. Japanese pancakes are light and fluffy, cheesecake is rich and creamy. Bubble tea is great too with popping oats. Everything I’ve tried so far has been a hit, hope to go in store sometime to check it out.

My go to soufflé pancake shop! It’s a small plaza that gets busy especially at night. I used to go to the Pasadena store but parking here is a lot better. There’s underground so don’t bother looking on top especially at night! We got the crème brûlée soufflé which came out within 15 min. The sugar was a bit burnt but the cream was delicious! The fruit drink was pretty good and quick! You can adjust your sugar and ice level. This place is clean and the staffs were all so nice. Highly recommend if you’re looking for soufflé pancakes, or to try new desserts!

+3

Amazing drinks, cakes, and souffle pancakes. Have tried a few different drinks but all of them have been good. My favourite has been the fresh fruit medley though. Good customization options as well. Pricing is a big high though for the cakes and souffle pancakes, but it's worth it. The cream used in the cakes is very light and doesn't feel disgusting to eat. It is also very well flavoured and the taste of even the cream is different between the flavours. The souffle pancakes are also very soft and fluffy. It genuinely jiggles a lot when shaken! They are not crazy sweet unlike other places, and very much acceptable for those who cannot handle too much sugar. Just be prepared for a 15 minute wait even if all you're ordering is slices of pre-made cakes. It's never fast, and sometimes their ordering platform isn't up to date with what is in stock, and then it's a little bit difficult to figure out what you'd like as not all staff can perfectly understand English.

Stacks on stacks! 🥞 Motto Tea Cafe in San Gabriel has always been my go-to dessert spot. They have the best soufflés in town—perfectly fluffy with golden edges and generous toppings. 🫶 I have tried almost everything on the menu, especially the pancake soufflés, and it is a favorite hangout spot for my friends and me. I highly recommend this place, though I suggest skipping the weekends as it gets quite crowded. 10/10! The birthday cakes are also excellent, particularly my favorite flavor, Cheesy Strawberry 🍓🍰 One thing to note is that cake pickups are currently only available at the Pasadena branch, where parking can be very difficult. I personally prefer the San Gabriel branch since it is closer to home and more convenient. It would be great if I could pick up the birthday cakes orders at the San Gabriel shop 🫶 *Zero sponsors, 100% my own cravings. Paid by me, enjoyed by me 🫡

The aesthetic is so cute! I love the variety of drinks and desserts, and the staff: SO FRIENDLY. They have an outdoor patio, and plenty of seats inside too! I had the seasonal soufflé pancake, which was strawberry. It was decorated delicately, but I feel like there was a bit too strong taste of cheese or something like cheese.

The soufflé pancakes are soft and fluffy and they have so many different flavors. It’s definitely one of the best places to get soufflé pancakes outside of LA. The drinks are really good too, especially their fruit teas and matcha.

I really like the products of their family. The taste is not overly sweet. They have two stores, Pasadena and San Gabriel. The pancakes are delicious. Sometimes I even order their birthday cakes. However, the cut pieces of cakes available for dine-in or takeout at their store are not as stable as those from their other outlets. So I prefer to have the dine-in pancakes and the cut pieces of cakes for takeout.

Always love the Japanese Souffle Pancakes here 💙 A pretty small place for eating and chill, but it understandable on why it can be packed with people because of the food and drinks here. It is still a good place to chill with a small group of friends! The pancakes are FANTASTIC and pretty fun to eat with 👍🏻Highly recommending any sweet tooth people to come by for the fluffy Japanese Pancakes.

My favorite place to get these delicious soufflé pancakes! My favorite is the Nutella one, and my Hubby loves the Creme Brulée. They do however take about 25 mins to make each stack, so definitely order ahead if possible if doing pick-up. The staff is also very friendly.

I will dream about their pistachio crepe cake and the soufflé pancakes were like delicious little clouds. The boba was amazing and customizing was super easy with the order kiosk. And dairy free options! Beautiful little cafe with very nice staff.

So many boba shop at the area,but it’s my first time to try motto,i have to say glad I give a try,the drink is not too sweet/high quality and i love it.I’d like to come back try the matcha series.

Worth the wait for them pancakes. The matcha strawberry Basque cheesecake is bomb. I drive from Torrance for this.

This is an amazing place to relax and just take a moment for yourself. It gives more of a ‘go by yourself or a plus one’ type of vibe. The Nutrllamisu Mousse pancakes are perfectly made. It’s not as sweet that you won’t get tired of eating it. The Tiger Boba Latte at 75% sweetness is really refreshing. The staff is really kind I’d definitely come back here when I’m working in the area or on a date

Very good desserts! We got the peach and creme brulee pancakes, earl gray crepe cake, creme brulee boba, and a Nutella drink. Admittedly, the pancakes aren't as good and fluffy as the ones I've had in Japan but still delicious nonetheless! Servers are very kind and helpful. Food came out surprisingly fast. I thought it took more time to make the fluffy pancakes but they came out in about 5 minutes.

Great experience. Came here later than normal they served us still. Thank you again.

I have been looking forward to trying this place since I first saw them on tiktok. And I was not disappointed. The food was amazing. So light and fluffy and melt in your mouth pancakes. It was a noisy little spot but worth it. The drinks were amazing too. If you are anywhere in L.A do not sleep on this place. It is a must try

We came from the Valley just to try their incredibly popular Soufflé pancakes. Definitely fluffy, jiggly, sweet, soft, and so, so delicious. Out of the 3 we ordered my favorite was the Cheese Mousse Souffle Pancake. I really wanted to get the Matcha one but was not available at the moment 😕. Overall i do recommend everyone to come and try them 😁

Amazing atmosphere, gives off a great cozy vibe. They were playing Studio Ghibli music, which was a very nice touch. You can see them making the Souffle Pancakes, super cool. The Pancakes and drinks were absolutely delicious and the plating was very elegant. Would definitely recommend this place for a cute lunch date!

Potay

Stacks on stacks! 🥞 Motto Tea Cafe in San Gabriel has always been my go-to dessert spot. They have the best soufflés in town—perfectly fluffy with golden edges and generous toppings. 🫶 I have tried almost everything on the menu, especially the pancake soufflés, and it is a favorite hangout spot for my friends and me. I highly recommend this place, though I suggest skipping the weekends as it gets quite crowded. 10/10! The birthday cakes are also excellent, particularly my favorite flavor, Cheesy Strawberry 🍓🍰 One thing to note is that cake pickups are currently only available at the Pasadena branch, where parking can be very difficult. I personally prefer the San Gabriel branch since it is closer to home and more convenient. It would be great if I could pick up the birthday cakes orders at the San Gabriel shop 🫶 *Zero sponsors, 100% my own cravings. Paid by me, enjoyed by me 🫡

Ella

The aesthetic is so cute! I love the variety of drinks and desserts, and the staff: SO FRIENDLY. They have an outdoor patio, and plenty of seats inside too! I had the seasonal soufflé pancake, which was strawberry. It was decorated delicately, but I feel like there was a bit too strong taste of cheese or something like cheese.

H X

I really like the products of their family. The taste is not overly sweet. They have two stores, Pasadena and San Gabriel. The pancakes are delicious. Sometimes I even order their birthday cakes. However, the cut pieces of cakes available for dine-in or takeout at their store are not as stable as those from their other outlets. So I prefer to have the dine-in pancakes and the cut pieces of cakes for takeout.

Natalie yys

Always love the Japanese Souffle Pancakes here 💙 A pretty small place for eating and chill, but it understandable on why it can be packed with people because of the food and drinks here. It is still a good place to chill with a small group of friends! The pancakes are FANTASTIC and pretty fun to eat with 👍🏻Highly recommending any sweet tooth people to come by for the fluffy Japanese Pancakes.

Sandy Shimizu

So many boba shop at the area,but it’s my first time to try motto,i have to say glad I give a try,the drink is not too sweet/high quality and i love it.I’d like to come back try the matcha series.

Dee

I will dream about their pistachio crepe cake and the soufflé pancakes were like delicious little clouds. The boba was amazing and customizing was super easy with the order kiosk. And dairy free options! Beautiful little cafe with very nice staff.

Ray Barrera

Worth the wait for them pancakes. The matcha strawberry Basque cheesecake is bomb. I drive from Torrance for this.

Tako Bear

This is an amazing place to relax and just take a moment for yourself. It gives more of a ‘go by yourself or a plus one’ type of vibe. The Nutrllamisu Mousse pancakes are perfectly made. It’s not as sweet that you won’t get tired of eating it. The Tiger Boba Latte at 75% sweetness is really refreshing. The staff is really kind I’d definitely come back here when I’m working in the area or on a date

Kathy Nguyen

Very good desserts! We got the peach and creme brulee pancakes, earl gray crepe cake, creme brulee boba, and a Nutella drink. Admittedly, the pancakes aren't as good and fluffy as the ones I've had in Japan but still delicious nonetheless! Servers are very kind and helpful. Food came out surprisingly fast. I thought it took more time to make the fluffy pancakes but they came out in about 5 minutes.

Kseries Media

Great experience. Came here later than normal they served us still. Thank you again.

Angel McLallen

I have been looking forward to trying this place since I first saw them on tiktok. And I was not disappointed. The food was amazing. So light and fluffy and melt in your mouth pancakes. It was a noisy little spot but worth it. The drinks were amazing too. If you are anywhere in L.A do not sleep on this place. It is a must try

Ari. Sol

We came from the Valley just to try their incredibly popular Soufflé pancakes. Definitely fluffy, jiggly, sweet, soft, and so, so delicious. Out of the 3 we ordered my favorite was the Cheese Mousse Souffle Pancake. I really wanted to get the Matcha one but was not available at the moment 😕. Overall i do recommend everyone to come and try them 😁

Kai Vasquez

Amazing atmosphere, gives off a great cozy vibe. They were playing Studio Ghibli music, which was a very nice touch. You can see them making the Souffle Pancakes, super cool. The Pancakes and drinks were absolutely delicious and the plating was very elegant. Would definitely recommend this place for a cute lunch date!

Kevin Wang

Amazing drinks, cakes, and souffle pancakes. Have tried a few different drinks but all of them have been good. My favourite has been the fresh fruit medley though. Good customization options as well. Pricing is a big high though for the cakes and souffle pancakes, but it's worth it. The cream used in the cakes is very light and doesn't feel disgusting to eat. It is also very well flavoured and the taste of even the cream is different between the flavours. The souffle pancakes are also very soft and fluffy. It genuinely jiggles a lot when shaken! They are not crazy sweet unlike other places, and very much acceptable for those who cannot handle too much sugar. Just be prepared for a 15 minute wait even if all you're ordering is slices of pre-made cakes. It's never fast, and sometimes their ordering platform isn't up to date with what is in stock, and then it's a little bit difficult to figure out what you'd like as not all staff can perfectly understand English.

Sherns Wang

My go to soufflé pancake shop! It’s a small plaza that gets busy especially at night. I used to go to the Pasadena store but parking here is a lot better. There’s underground so don’t bother looking on top especially at night! We got the crème brûlée soufflé which came out within 15 min. The sugar was a bit burnt but the cream was delicious! The fruit drink was pretty good and quick! You can adjust your sugar and ice level. This place is clean and the staffs were all so nice. Highly recommend if you’re looking for soufflé pancakes, or to try new desserts!

The souffle pancakes were so pretty and the matcha cream tasted rich and not too sweet. Personal preference: the pancake itself tasted a little too much like eggs when compared to other souffle pancakes and it was a bit mushy. Customer service was fine, but the orders were slow to be completed and backed up because of the after dinner rush.

（6/8/2023）First time to try Japanese Souffle Pancakes, and it went decent overall. 2 Self-service kiosk here for your order that made order quicker but I liked more interaction with waitress about recommendation. Having Creme Brulee Souffle Pancakes, Mango in Uji, and Mango Yuki that was good especially Pancakes are very fluffy and not very sweet as well. Overall, Motto Tea Cafe isprobably one of my ideal desserts place in the future if I am around the area.

This place is impressive. Earl grey roll cake - Good Earl grey flavor. Cake texture is moist. Like the little Earl grey jelly in the middle. Taro storm boba milk tea - I changed it to grass jelly instead of boba. Not as much taro as I expected but lots of grass jelly. I like the flavor even with half sweet. Mango in Kyoto/Uji - I forgot which one I ordered but it was the matcha cream top one and it was amazing. Because they used fresh mango and not artificial syrup. Mango was riped and sweet. So good! With some of these milk tea places started to charge like $7-8 a cup, this place actually doesn't feel expensive. Sad. Gotta try the souffle pancake next time.

My coworker and I decided to come visit Motto Tea Cafe after work since we were both tired grading papers and/or planning. I've passed by this place a few times over the summer but never visited until recently. Upon entering, you'll notice a very modern decor and layout to the cafe. Everything is brightly lit and maintained very well. On their digital menu, they have the Uji Matcha Latte as their number one choice so I decided to try it. My coworker and I also wanted to try their Japanese Soufflé Pancake but the wait was about 20 minutes, so we passed on that until next time. As a substitute, we agreed to try their Early Grey Crepe Cake since it looked very similar to how Lady M cakes appear. When you order their Uji Match Latte, they will ask you if you want their Cheese Mousse with it as well as your preference for sweetness. I typically don't order sweet drinks, especially matcha drinks but wanted to know how sweet their 100% sweetness is so I can adjust or go without the next time I do visit. After ordering, our drinks came out relatively quick and I was impressed on how relatively unsweet their 100% sweetness was for the drink. One thing I was hesitant on asking when I ordered was whether or not they would add extra matcha powder to the drink. I usually enjoy a heavy flavor of matcha and I regretted not asking. The drink itself is decent but a bit too bland for my taste, most likely because I didn't do the cheese mousse but I have no interest in adding any cheese to a drink now or in the future. The cake had the right amount of sweetness to it but not comparable to Lady M. As you try to scoop out a bite to eat, it clumps together into a mess. There's too much of something in the cake that makes it droop and I just can't put my finger on it. You'll understand what I'm trying to describe if you ever try their crepe cakes. Other than that, it's quite a nice place to relax or take selfies (saw a few girls posing in their outdoor seating area). Definitely not the most discreet thing since windows are quite transparent but you do you. One thing I should note is that you may be sitting next to older asian ladies who decide it's okay to sit cross legged with their shoes off, just FYI.

+6

First time to try Japanese style soufflé. It’s a bit pricey but worth the price! We ordered classic soufflé, it comes with 3 pancakes stacked together. So a big serving size. Soufflé is soft and sweet. There’re many people in the shop, a good place to hang out with friends.

The mango souffle pancake was soooooo good. It's a bit pricey, but damn, it's worth a try. It is so jiggly. It's not too sweet. Everything seems a bit overpriced... but you know... People have to pay for labor and rent, so I get it.

Motto used to be very good, but they’ve become very stingy with taro puree and pork floss on their soufflé pancakes. The matcha mochi in their drink was so thick that it was almost a workout to drink it, so I’d definitely avoid it. Their cheese foam was excellent though.

Came for the soufflé jiggly pancakes! They had a very intriguing variety of flavors! The shop is very cute and modern. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We came on a Sunday and parking was compact and full, it took us 10 minutes to find a spot. They open at 12pm, we arrived around 12:30pm and it was packed! We ordered via machine and for indoor seating you pick a table stand number. We got the Crème Brûlée soufflé pancakes and the Netellamisu Mousee soufflé pancakes! Absolutely loved the Crème brûlée! If this is your first time trying soufflé pancakes, I would highly recommend the crème brûlée!! We had difficulty finding seating after we had ordered, so we walked around the shops near by for about 15 minutes came back and we were able to locate a seat and our food was delivered to our table. Was definitely a tasty first time bite!

Delicious 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋!!!. Each one was an absolute explosion of flavors. My favorite 😍 was the Crem Brule one💓. I was invited by two coworkers and have to say these desserts are a must try. The workers are so nice and friendly. They really made us feel welcome, and patient while informing and explaining the menue.

Elizabeth Tran

The mango souffle pancake was soooooo good. It's a bit pricey, but damn, it's worth a try. It is so jiggly. It's not too sweet. Everything seems a bit overpriced... but you know... People have to pay for labor and rent, so I get it.

Ka Wo Chen

Motto used to be very good, but they’ve become very stingy with taro puree and pork floss on their soufflé pancakes. The matcha mochi in their drink was so thick that it was almost a workout to drink it, so I’d definitely avoid it. Their cheese foam was excellent though.

Magdalena Roman

Came for the soufflé jiggly pancakes! They had a very intriguing variety of flavors! The shop is very cute and modern. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We came on a Sunday and parking was compact and full, it took us 10 minutes to find a spot. They open at 12pm, we arrived around 12:30pm and it was packed! We ordered via machine and for indoor seating you pick a table stand number. We got the Crème Brûlée soufflé pancakes and the Netellamisu Mousee soufflé pancakes! Absolutely loved the Crème brûlée! If this is your first time trying soufflé pancakes, I would highly recommend the crème brûlée!! We had difficulty finding seating after we had ordered, so we walked around the shops near by for about 15 minutes came back and we were able to locate a seat and our food was delivered to our table. Was definitely a tasty first time bite!

Yarncreations Flor

Delicious 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋!!!. Each one was an absolute explosion of flavors. My favorite 😍 was the Crem Brule one💓. I was invited by two coworkers and have to say these desserts are a must try. The workers are so nice and friendly. They really made us feel welcome, and patient while informing and explaining the menue.

In this day, a non-dairy milk option shouldn’t require an up-charge, and when it’s just a splash in your oolong tea, a whole $1 charge is ridiculous. Otherwise, the pancakes were nice and eggy and the drink was not bad.

Pricy in my opinion for 2 planted of pancakes. Bill was at $44 for 2 plates. 🫣 Ordering in the Kios was annoying it kept glitching. The machines are right in-front of cashiers. Personally dislike the machines. Rather have a cashier take my order. The fruit that comes with the pancakes strawberry didn’t look fresh, and pineapple was canned pinnacle 😥

This is a 3.5 ⭐ rating. We ordered the n Nutellamisu souffle. As seen in the picture, the fruit are not as many as most of the online pictures. The Nutellamisu foam itself do have tiramisu flavor but can't really taste the Nutella. On the top are Oreo chips. Overall foam smoothness is good and not too sweet. The souffle itself is fluffy but might be a bit too fluffy that literally melts at your mouth as I expected it has a bit of texture. The egg flavor is a bit strong plain so perhaps the milk % could be a bit more? Overall, not bad as a souffle but if you need to wait more than 30 minutes, I would suggest you come earlier to avoid the crowds or come back another day.

Beautiful astetic presentation for the earl grey layers cake, also the cups and the drinks looks so nice. . I got motto signature milk tea withnutella mouse and boba, taste wise good tea but the boba was suck, no taste at all and kinda hard. . Also hot mango matcha mouse , again the drink itself was really good but not the boba. Overall if im in the area would definetly get the drinks but maybe not the boba.

It's good to try for the first time if you never had Japanese pancake or if you like Japanese pancakes. It's not too sweet and it's really soft. To me it was okay. Service was friendly, drinks you have to check when they will be finished at the counter. You do have to pay $1 for water cup. It's pretty but it's okay tasting. I wish they had more fruits!

Tried the creme brulee pancake and it was alright, not sweet and didnt have much flavor to it. It cost more than what I would have wanted to pay but the ascetic inside the store is nice and simple. Had brought my friends and most also agreed that it wasn't the best fluffy pancake they've tried. But again, its an alright pancake.

Heather

Tried the creme brulee pancake and it was alright, not sweet and didnt have much flavor to it. It cost more than what I would have wanted to pay but the ascetic inside the store is nice and simple. Had brought my friends and most also agreed that it wasn't the best fluffy pancake they've tried. But again, its an alright pancake.

Thought this place was going to be some sort of COOL desert experience. Nope! Just plain and overpriced. Staff lacks any sort of enthusiasm. We ordered the Creme Brule pancakes, and they were really bland. On top of that they only brought us one order when we ordered two, we had to goto the counter and point out we only got one order and they weren't even busy. In fact, we were the only customers who ordered desert, the rest of the customers ordered boba. The one positive thing is that the presentation of the desert is great, but it doesn't taste as good as it looks. We didnt try any of the other desserts, so maybe they are a lot better. They also got the kiosk ordering system to automatically tack on a 15% tip. You can change it, but if you're not paying attention, with tax and tip you'll end up paying almost $50 bucks for 2 orders of pancakes.

Food was okay, a bit too sweet. The atmosphere in this location its a bit noisy and cozy. Only two active ordering stations which takes a long time to order. We arrived at noon and placed the order fifteen minutes later. We didn't get our drinks after thirty minutes, and our cakes ten minutes after our drinks. Which they forgot one of our cakes besides that. Total time to get all of our order about one hour. Honestly, in my personal experience I would not recommend this location due to the slow service, taste and small location. I would definitely will not come back here.

Well my friend recommend it to me I got here at 11:55 am Try to come before they open But didn’t happen Well the supervisor said waiting time for pancakes Was taking longer than usual So I told my daughter let’s wait, So we wait for 2 long hours To get my pancakes Till I get up And tell them hey Is almos 2 hours of my order and she said 10 more minutes take 30 more I was upset but I said Well I’m here so I went and talk to the supervisor Now can I get my order is more than 2 hours And she yes She went and talk to the girl who is making the pancakes 🥞 and well We finally got it After 2:30 minutes waiting Well to management need to do something They don’t have control on orders Of anything zero in customer service Zero nothing id organized I’m not coming back And yes the pancakes are good But for sure I m not coming back….. Bad Service

We saw this place on Facebook and had to try it. We were very disappointed. We spent around 50$ on two drinks and two souffle pancakes plates. The souffles we're just a strong egg flavor and the topping tasted like flavored marshmallow fluff. The fruit on the plate was anemic. The milk tea was very bland probably the worse milk tea I've had so far. The place is probably 3 stars but the fact it's so over priced makes it drop to 1. I don't mind spending money but at least make sure your food is worth it and this place is NOT!