Motto Tea Cafe - Pasadena

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.

My friend and I just finished Catcon and found this delicious place to go for brunch. I got the mango soufflé pancake and my friend got the crème brûlée pancake. Very light and fluffy. I recommend trying the white peach lemon jasmine bliss.

Tasty souffle pancakes and delicious drinks We got it during their happy hour, so we got a few dollars off Also, keep in mind that the souffle takes a while to get it served. Since it is fleshy made, it takes a bit. The wait didn't disappoint, though, They do have a really good variety of drinks with boba, so I definitely recommend it specially during a hot summer

So soft and delicious! It takes a bit of time to prepare, but it’s definitely worth the wait. I had the cream pancakes and they were absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!

The ordering from a screen is a little annoying. Having to pay a tip before getting and experiencing your meal etc is annoying. When it asks you what is your table number, there is a tray for them in between the order machines. Your order number they call out is different than your table number. Nice quality cups, the taro milk tastes just like milk and isn't mixing as I rotate the cup, had to open and stir it, still not too flavorful and just okay The Oolong Tea was very good. The cake was good. The 🥞 pancakes🥞 were AMAZING.

We ordered original and crème brûlée pancakes, cheese coffee and some boba drink. The while experience was average. The crème brûlée pancakes were yummier than the other things. I’d say try it but nothing exceptional.

We love Boba and Japanese Soufflé and can attest this stuff is legit. The best Japan/Taiwan level bobaflé in LA!!!

I came across this place many years ago and it looked very Japanese style from the outside - a lovely cafe. After trying, I started recommending it to many of my friends, and they finally opened another location in San Gabriel. Love their seasonal drinks, soufflé pancakes, customized cakes. The only thing I would say there are too many options on the menu. Personally, I prefer a simpler menu with a few seasonal highlights and classic staples.

The drinks were great! As a matcha lover, I wish I got to try the different matcha flavors, you can tell they use authentic stuff because of the taste. Also ordered the soufflé pancake, it was so soft but almost airy on the inside, overall it was still good! Will definitely come back again :)

Came here again and it's still just as good as I remembered. The pancakes were okay but their drinks have improved. The matcha mochi white peach oolong was delicious and very unique. Definitely recommend especially since it's their newest flavor. Lots of outdoor and indoor seating and the staff was very fast. They have self serve order kiosks or you can order online.

Their courtyard was empty. It was a sweltering day and their tables offered a brief bit of shade. No sooner had we sat down, a fellow came out to shoo us away. Did I mention that the courtyard was empty? He seemed deeply concerned because his boss was watching. Not sure why that matters. And besides, the courtyard and tables were unoccupied. In fact no customers at all seemed interested in patronizing the place. Well, we eagerly complied and left. The result was an empty courtyard, a business with no customers and a sad feeling in our souls. I will never find out if the place is any good.

Tried the white peach pancake and the fruit bits were not ripe, it was hard. Wish they poached it to soften it up. The pancake is on the dense side but it was a decent dessert. They have so many other cute dessert and drinks too. The cups for their salt foam drink is ingenious, where there's a door to open it up to scoop with a spoon. Enough seating outside to chat and catch up with friends. Easy to order menu screens. Pancakes can take awhile to make. I find myself coming back here again when I'm in the area.

Motto Tea Café in Pasadena, CA delights with its delicious souffle pancakes and tasty boba drinks. If you can't make it to Gram's in Monterey Park, CA, this spot is a great alternative for your souffle pancake fix. If you prefer a bit more, a table service vibe, trek over to Gram's, but remember it's LA traffic.

Motto Tea Cafe has two locations (one in San Gabriel and one in Pasadena) ... so we decided to try out the Pasadena location. For two people, we shared the crème brûlée souflee pancakes. When I tell you that it's so lightweight and fluffy! This got my sweet tooth fix in. I also ordered their drinks... but their drinks were nothing too special. If you do decide to come to Motto, you have to try their souflee pancakes. They had self serve kiosks which was pretty cool, but it still took a while for the items to come out. Overall, I give this experience a 7.5/10! (:

Meh. Soufflé pancakes here are overhyped.:: maybe because I've had really good ones at Morning Glory in SD. They didn't have any flavor, just tastes like egg whites. I did appreciate that the sauce on top wasn't too sweet but the cheese sauce has a slight sour flavor which I also just didn't care for at all. The crème brûlée flavor was better. Anyway skip this place. Not worth the 1 hr wait for these

The drink is unique. It is not something I can get just anywhere. However, the primary flavors are common (Matcha and mango). Mango in Kyoto ($6.15) is a cold drink that has sweet mango puree at the bottom of the drink with matcha mousse at the very top (I enjoyed the matcha). Once you get it, you definitely have to STIR it all together because otherwise you'll just taste the milk. A plus about Motto Tea Cafe is that I had the option of selecting a non-dairy option (which I appreciated because I am lactose intolerant). This place was very popular so be prepared to wait a little bit to get your drink. Additionally, Motto Tea Cafe is located in a great area close to other restaurants and businesses that you can go and explore with friends, family or a significant other. Overall, I was happy with my drink (albeit expensive).

Ambiance was meh, weird smell inside the cafe itself. Customer service was nil, everything was either automated or completely perfunctory. Many items on the menu were sold out or removed. The basic Japanese soufflé pancakes were made well, and were fluffy and had a good texture. But they weren't enough to make up for everything else.

Fluffy pancakes I guess not many places sell them in these parts. Takes forever and the presentation was meh. Ambience was meh. The inside smelled a little weirdly humid. Not many seating options. If only considering the food, yes the pancakes were made well. Tastes and jiggles just like any fluffy pancake

It's thoughtfully a little dripper provided on aside, a cute trick of presentation. Original pancake came out warm smelling real good! However, it tastes as any of those American style chains cafes . It's fluffy yet overly soft not bungee enough in texture . It's just an very basic pancake. No better than IHOP, except the presentation, and here it costs a lot more! $12.95+ tax(plus tips when done-in) paying for almost $20 a mediocre pan-cake. Disappointed. Japanese style fluffy pancake like this in Taiwan is way much better in heaven(:

Came for the TikTok pancakes. Around 1pm on Sunday it was a 60 minute wait. It's just a typical boba tea shop, no significant indoor seating but there is a patio in front. Electronic ordering. Not sure they are doing anything proprietary here but it's true, the Japanese pancakes were delish. Super light and fluffy, but very eggy compared to normal pancakes. Had a few bites and it was more than enough for me. Husband got the Date hot latte, and on the least possible sweetness it was SWEEEEEEETT, so wasn't a big fan. Wouldn't come back bc we aren't huge pancake peeps and aren't close by, but it's a cute snack novelty to try once if you are around.

I had seen so much about this place online so was really excited to try it. By the afternoon Saturday they were sold out of the crème brulee pancake and all their coffees (sad). It was very busy inside but we found outside seating. It was about 30 min wait for the pancakes. We ended up getting the mango which I thought tasted great with the cheese cream. I was reading their FAQ which mentioned to the sensitive tongue, the pancakes may have more of an egg taste, and I def felt that. It was good but at times felt like I was eating scrambled eggs lol. I would give it another shot to try the creme brûlée next time though!

amazing!!! just amazing!!!! came on a rainy sunday and to my surpise it was still a bit crowded, inside is a bit small. the inside was jam packed and still quite a bit of people outside and in line. got the creme brulee pancake which was just the perfect swetness and flufiness. the fruit perfectly paired up with the pancake, every bite was so delicious! also got the matcha latte! matcha was very tasty and tasted like pure matcha, nothing fake haha. would highly recommend this spot if your looking for a sweet treat or if you just wanna go sit at a cafe and chat! price is a little more on the upper side but really cant complain. time wise order took around 20 minutes, but theres alot of stores nearby you can pass the time at! .

Came here for some dessert and was very interested in this place! They had lots of options for drinks and pancakes! We had their taro storm and mango in Kyoto which were both really good, but the mango was better and the taro was hard to taste because it was too creamy. We had also their creme brûlée soufflé pancakes which were probably the softest soufflé pancakes I ever had in my life. They did taste a little more on the eggy side and also was disappointed in the presentation. I guess it makes sense that for this kind of location they would serve it to you in cheap looking plates, but the mass amount of featured photos made it feel like you were expecting it to be served on charcuterie boards or at least in actual plates or something lol. Overall still a solid place! You'll have to find parking at a nearby lot or so or find street parking!

Motto Cheese Cafe (Pasadena, CA) Items: 1. Strawberry pancake | $20| 2/5 Review: - The pancake was super soft, fluffy, and tasty, but the wait time was not worth it. We selected the no-rush option where you get a super small mango tea drink, but we ended waiting over 40 minutes for our food to come out!!! - There was only 1 worker on the night shift, but it seemed like he was taking his sweet time and constantly going on his phone while we waited over 40 minutes for just our fluffy pancake to come out. - The pancake was very nice and fluffy, but would not becoming back as I do not have the patience to wait 40 minutes for just a pancake. Parking: Free street parking

The service was quick, there are places to sit inside and outside, and the drink was ok. I'd probably get another drink next time even though the mango in Kyoto was a recommended drink. If you are coming for the jiggly pancakes then my review would be 5/5. Just a heads up the pancakes have a strong egg taste.

I'm a sucker for boba even if it's out of my way. Couldn't help myself but stop. I've gone on two separate occasion and I was not disappointed. The boba was perfect, sweet, and chewy both times! First I tried the TIGER BOBA MIaka brown sugar type of milk tea. It's was flavorful and sweet. I wish it was more tea than milk, but never the less, still good. Reminded me of cereal milk haha never the less love the color layering! The extra attention to detail is fun! The last time I went was for the TARO STORM MILK TEA! They advertise fresh taro only.... and you can tell the difference. I love this one more than the first one I tried. I still wish there was more tea flavor though. When I go back, it will be for this for sure! This place is more on the expensive side; but you can definitely see why in the quality. Looove it!

This place is always packed so I was finally able to try it when I was in the area on a Thursday at 6pm. Luckily there wasn't much of a line at all. Their sign was a bit confusing at first until we realized there was 2 self-service monitors to order from. The self-service station was easy to understand and I love that it provides options for sweetness and ice level. We ordered 2 drinks and the Taro Souffle to share. The sign did warn us that souffles would be a 20min wait. Luckily there was open seating in the front patio. What we ordered: I got the Camellia Milk Tea and it tasted delicious! It actually reminded me of green milk tea with a light flower tea aroma. I absolutely loved this drink. The Taro soufle was quite good as well. It was a little on the eggy side but very very soft, bouncy and of course giggly. The taro wasn't too sweet, which I was so thankful for and I loved that it came with fruit. I honestly wish it came with more fruit. Overall a good experience. I don't think I'd wait in their usual long line though just because I wasn't a fan of how eggy it was. However my friend thought it was delicious! This spot is also quite close to Green St parking structure so parking was super easy!

Passing by this place and seeing the cake display made me deciding to join the line. It is self service kiosk and the customers need to figure out themselves. The machine was super slow and this is one of the reasons the line was long, in addition to minimum assistance offered when customers have difficulty to order. Noone seems greeting customer. Nevertheless the cake I ordered was perfect! As a person who doesn't eat sweet but still crave dessert, this strawberry cake is the one! This place deserves a come back, though they gotta fix their system when it comes to ordering.

Total failure for not getting their Matcha latte any latte?. I was waiting for my food everyone was ordering their drinks. I think because I was just craving their Japanese soufflé pancakes, which were amazing also . Efficient ordering system where you order on a screen to place your order then pick up on the right of it . Inside is fairly small in terms of setting, but there's ample sitting outside .

The reason Motto Tea is in my boba rotation is because they have both great boba AND great drinks. It's rare these days to find a boba place that does well in both because it's usually one or the other. But what makes Motto Tea really stand out from other boba places is the way they integrate real, fresh ingredients into their drinks. I haven't been here enough to try most of their menu, but the few drinks I've had have never disappointed. My go-to is the Matcha Mochi & White Peach Moonlight Oolong Milk Tea. I really like how the drink is not too sweet and the mochi foam really blends well with the milk. Everything about this drink feels very balanced. I'd say my least favorite drink would have to be their taro milk tea because I found the texture of the fresh taro to be a little too thick that it didn't blend well with the milk tea. I like the taste of taro, but I'm not crazy about the potato texture. Finally, it goes without saying that they achieve both flavor and qq texture in their boba. Considering the price of boba has gone up significantly, luckily the drinks and toppings are pretty comparable to the current market price. You can pay the same price at other places that don't emphasize as much on using fresh ingredients. I've had their soufflé pancakes once as well, and while they take a while to finish, they are worth the wait. I like that they have both sweet and savory options, and that they also utilize the same fresh ingredients that go in their drinks. I think they put a lot more detail into their cakes and take care to add more variety of toppings that cover a wider range of flavors, compared to their competitor Miss Cheese Tea Cafe.

This place is soo dang cute!!! You get to see them making the pancakes !! They have soooo many selections it's a little overwhelming, but I feel like you can't really go wrong with any flavor! You order through a kiosk, and then they bring your order to your table. We didn't wait long for it, which was pretty nice actually because the pancakes were still warm. We tried the crème brûlée and the taro pancakes. I wasn't disappointed!! They were so jiggly and airy, they were so fluffy it was hard to believe that were that fluffy. I got a peach fruit tea with boba and a taro milk tea. Paired perfectly! They had a whole little section dedicated to other treats like cakes and pies I wanted to try them all! This is like a sweet snack type of place, perfect if you have a sweet tooth!

As we're entering motto, we are pleasantly an surprisingly swept with a scent of sweet popcorn. orders are taken in a tablet, The menu is easy to swipe through, providing more of a variety of sweet cakes and milk teas. Unfortunately my order was not mixed well enough to enjoy, but luckily I was offered a complementary drink, mixed well, including a sample of taro purée to enjoy on the side. The messy taro is a combination of taro purée and milk tea. it is refreshing and creamy, i preferred to have less sweetness. Overall, the ambience, and the seating was nice and comfortable for a cloudy cool day.

Love this place for their mango drinks! Decided to try getting one of their souffle pancakes and it came out so beautifully!!! It is pricey but a great gift to give as a birthday dessert. I highly recommend their desserts and drinks!

I'm gonna keep it a buck with anyone who reads this review. Don't complain about wait times. Order the fluffy pancake, wait, consume, enjoy. I was mega unimpressed walking into this place, but now I realize they just put all their effort into the S-tier desserts. Literally who gives a frickin heck about the ambiance when the desserts are SO good. Had the pistachio crepe cake and the crème brûlée fluffy pancake. So, so, SO good. I ate this with such enjoyment, every bit was like a brand new textural adventure. My brother asked me for my final bite of the pistachio crepe cake..... ....as I rained blows upon him, I realized, "there has to be a better way". Then it hit me, "go back and get more!" I got in my car right away and headed over, raced for the corner spot where Motto is located and went to grab the door. I was stopped dead in my tracks. I was too late. Closed. I had failed. For the thousandth time, I shook my fists at the heavens and cursed at the sky. I have never gotten over this day, and may never be able to move past it. I will spend all of my excess money until my dying day fruitlessly on therapy until I am able to overcome the loss of showing back up at Motto for round 2 of dessert only to be mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually prevented from entering due to "business hours". Spent about $30 which includes tip. Tables inside kinda dirty tho.

Sign says 30-45 min to get pancakes, made my children wait an over an hour and a half. Very rude staff. We ordered two orders of pancakes when the waitress brought out only one of the pancakes, I politely said "oh we had one more" she replied with "I know that" and walked away. Then we waited 10 more minutes to get the second one. Unbelievable. Terrible service will never go back, and will advise my friends to do the same. I have a decent following on Social Media and will absolutely post about this. As my kids said, "we're never coming back"

DUDE THIS WAS DELISHE!!!!!!! Def recommend if you really like pancakes or any dessert in general. Plus the drinks weren't too sweet which makes the overall experience super good.

This was my 2nd time eating jiggly fluffy pancakes and it was just as amazing as I remembered it. The texture reminds me of Filipino mammon or other Asian desserts that are soft, spongy and not overly sweet. It's as good as it looks! Squishy and yummy! When we visited it wasnt busy. You order your food at the counter and take a number. They have a kiosk where you order your food just like other boba places, they have other food items too, but not a huge selection. They have tons of different drinks for everyone. I don't know if they have water here, I didn't ask any of the workers, but I didn't see it as an option at the kiosk. The tables don't seat much people and there's not that many tables. They play music overhead and there's also tables outside. Prices are reasonable and one stack of pancakes can probably feed 2 people or 1 hungry person. We couldn't find any free parking spots, we had to park on the street and every spot had a meter. I'm not sure if the locals know any secrets.

I've been to Gram, take ur seat, Basilur, and now Motto! They're all great for different reasons (well I don't remember Basilur's), but out of that collection, Motto's is the most fluffy. To go into more detail: motto has the lightest, airiest pancakes out of anywhere I've been to (take ur seat is pretty dense and Gram is the in between). I will say it has the strongest egg taste out of all of them so if that bothers you, I'd avoid it. But I love the texture. It does feel like you're eating a cloud. Come on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowd and find easy street parking. You order at the kiosk and use plastic utensils, but they bring the food to your table. You have to grab your drinks. Service is friendly. So if you're looking for the best soufflé pancake place in LA, I'd say try them all!

Omggg. I had such an amazing experience in this cafe!! i felt SO HAPPY and EXCITed I can't even express it! I have seen so many videos and photos of those famous "Japanese egg soufflé pancakes", and been willing to try it for a while, but it was always far away. However, today, I finally decided it was time. And I was right, it was such a joyful experience. I literally LOVED the taste of the pancakes, the consistency and the presentation, and I wish I tried them sooner! They make such a cool breakfast or dessert. they are as good as they look!! Everybody should taste them. my tea drinks were also fantastic, and the presentation was very very beautiful. Loved the service! Thank you you guys.

Love their drinks and cakes. Service is fast. Pretty cold place. Love the selection of tea and cakes.

We walked down the street after finding street parking but there was plenty of open lots and street parking around as well. It was right next to Buca! They had both indoor and outdoor seating but limited. When we arrived, they had a kiosk for ordering but we had questions in regards to any promotions happening since it was listed on the kiosk. However, both the workers were not informed of this and they weren't sure. We ended up just ordering and paying at the counter. Pancakes- This was the first time I tried these and they didn't disappoint! We didn't wait long either and it came out fluffy and warm. It literally melted in your mouth the minute you took a bite. It came with some fruits and granola as well. It also had 3 pieces so definitely shareable. The mango and tiger boba drink were both good but it tasted very heavy for both. Mango- The mango on ended up watering down afterwards, so it tasted fine. However, you couldn't taste much of the mango. Tiger boba- My friend ordered this and got regular sweetness and said it was very sweet. She also got the tiramisu foam on top which made the drink extra heavy. It was good overall, but also needed ice (which was forgotten at first).

Nice start to Mother's Day weekend shopping with daughter. We got there before they opened and the line was already forming. We placed order and found a table outside. Not sure what happens in bad weather but today was nice! We both thought that for the price, we should have real plates rather than paper, but the food was delicious and my overall experience was great!

5/5 for the food 5/5 for the service 5/5 for the location/ambiance My fiance and I were craving some souffle. We had first had these when we visited Japan and was happy to see there was a shop that sells here in Pasadena. We checked this place out on a Sunday around 12pm. Food: We split the Nutellamisu Mousse & Oreo. The portion is perfect for 2 people, maybe even 2 1/2 if you have a little one. Your order comes with 3 mini souffles stacked on eachother, so when you cut into it, it's both soft and flavorful. The chocolate wasn't too overpowering, and I loved that the Nutella was a whipped consistency. The fruit it came with was also sweet and in season, which was a nice plus. Service: The Japanese Souffle's are made to order, and it takes about 20 minutes to create the consistency, which is shown on their sign before you enter. This is a pretty standard rule for any japanese souffle restaurant. The same rule applied when we had souffle in Japan. You order at a self-serve kiosk and grab a number if you are placing "for here". They also have a screen at the top that shows who is in front of your order and when they are preparing your order. When your order is done, they will take your order to where you are seated based on the number you assigned yourself. We were there for a total of about 40 minutes (25 minutes of waiting + 15 minutes of eating) Location: It's a tiny cafe, there's about maybe 6-7 tables inside max, 2 kiosks in the front. If both kiosks are taken, the line starts outside. There's about 5-6 tables outside as well. The bathroom is a single, unisex bathroom inside. Nothing special, but clean - had all the basic necessities inside. Parking is all street parking. We came during peak hours and did not have trouble finding parking. Overall, great place. Would definitely come back here to try their other popular souffles.

Had a bit of a disappointing experience here on my first visit - the wait times are long, it's chaotic inside, and they got my order wrong, but I didn't notice until I got home. That being said, the staff were nice and it's very clean with a great reputation for pancakes so I would definitely consider coming back and giving them a second try. My friend and I were finishing up a coffee date nearby and we decided to pop in for some to-go dessert. I ordered a slice of the Rose & Lychee Crepe Cake and a Cocomango cake box. When I got home, I saw that they gave me the Chocolate Orange Mousse cake instead of the Cocomango Cake Box (which is over $2 cheaper so that's even more of a bummer). So PRO TIP: check your order before you leave. I've only tried a rose crepe cake at one other place and didn't care for it there - but was wondering if it's just bc of the place itself or maybe I just don't care for crepe cakes? So I wanted to try it again bc they always look so delicious and I love rose flavored anything. Honestly - I think I've decided I'm just not a fan of crepe cakes. Motto's rose crepe cake had a much stronger rose flavor which was great - but I really don't care for the texture. It's chewy with a light creme and has big chunks of lychee in it which also threw me off. But I think if you like crepe cakes, then Motto's is probably pretty good. The Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake that they gave me by mistake was just ok. Tons of dense chocolate mousse surrounding a creamy orange filling in the center - the filling was not too sweet and had a nice tartness to it - but was overpowered by the mousse. I definitely wouldn't get this. They're popular for their pancakes here - the tall, jiggly Japanese soufflé ones that are very trendy nowadays. I saw several orders of them being brought out and they do look very lovely. I would definitely consider trying them out next time. Apparently the wait times get crazy and they were packed when we came (midday Friday) - with a pancake wait time of 30-40 minutes being shown on their info display! You order at a kiosk with a tablet that will display a QR code taking you to your receipt. Their prices are a tad high imo but definitely comparable to the area of Old Town Pasadena so not a shocker. They have a small amount of inside seating - tables and a bar at the window - but it's very cramped. They also have a large patio with ample outdoor seating. Parking is all street parking or in one of Old Town Pasadena's public garages - the De Lacey street garage is very close by and reasonable price.

Tik tok did it AGAIN !!! I fell in love with the pancakes and drinks. Super fruity and super cute but tbh the pancakes really got no flavor lol. The drinks were a little flavorless but smelled wonderful. Also the outside sitting it's a bit too much to deal with, theres only like 4 tables and t

The soufflé pancake was sooooo fluffy!!! We got the mini soufflé pancake with two flavors (original and milk tea). I personally loved the original. It even comes with a little syringe to inject syrup into the pancake. The milk tea flavored soufflé pancake was too sweet for me but my boyfriend really liked it. It did take a while for our order to come out (30 minutes). The shop is kinda small inside with about 5 tables. There's also tables outside, however, there was a lot of bugs outside.

Super yummy. Got fluffy pancake and crepe pistachio cake with my boyfriend - he had never had anything like it before and was blown away ! The pancake is made fresh so there's a bit of wait but it's worth it.

How to overwhelm a souffle and creamy drink lover? Take them to Motto Tea Cafe. It took me a while to decide what to get and we finally settled on earl Grey tea cake, Creme brulee souffle and grape smoothie. Oh how fluffy and heavenly--it was eye popping goodness from the first bite. Each one was bold in their respective flavors and with the perfect fluffy goodness. The grape smoothie was everything expected and more (got mine with cream cheese topping). Now the question is, when will you branch out in the Cerritos-Buena Park area?? Please come closer to me!

The pancakes were so soft & eggy, I love the texture & taste! Best souffle pancakes I've tried! I usually dont get fruity tea drinks often but I was pleasantly surprised by how GOOD their King Grape Tea w/ Cheese Mousse was. You can sip the mousse from the top and drink the tea with the straw for the best combo of flavors. Definitely going in my top fav drinks list Came on a weekend and it was quite packed but the actual wait once we ordered was not bad, you order everything through a kiosk but one was broken, hopefully it got fixed. I was lucky to be able to grab a nice seat inside and have a cute lil date with my bf. Amazing ambiance and you can even watch them cook the pancakes too, the cakes on display looked appetizing and I would come back to try more items (:

Definitely come here to try their soufflé pancakes. It's super jiggly and fluffy. They make it for you fresh so it will take a good 20-30 mins but it was delicious. They have indoor and outdoor seating but it was a bit crowded so we sat outside. The crepe cake was pretty good but not comparable to lady m.

Five stars despite the difficult seating arrangements - only about three tables inside, and then some counter space: since their focus, aside from pancakes, is boba and smoothie drinks, people will linger and make finding a seat difficult. As with many restaurants these days, you're ordering from a screen, which means you need to get someone's attention to clarify anything. But the staff is polite and you're warned in advance that specific items will take long. It's just a bit too crowded here. BUT, *** these may be the best pancakes you'll ever try *** - they probably won't be a favorite for a more pedestrian pancake palate - these are different: light, fluffy, a bit eggier (which is what makes them outstanding but a more plebeian pancake habit would probably balk at). These are Japanese / soufflé pancakes... It's best to try to most basic version (the original) - but the cheese mousse is a good follow up. Beyond that, you have a range from Nutella to Pork Sung to delve into. The drinks are truly good too: but it's overwhelming with the pancakes. Best to try a bit of something each visit. It's just difficult to do this comfortably at Motto Tea Cafe Pasadena... but it's hard to knock anything off this rating considering the quality of these soufflé pancakes. You won't regret that.

WHEN: Fri @2pm Wanted to go to a cafe to work that also has a nice selection of sweets and drinks and this was the perfect spot! There's free parking but it's very tight and mostly full, but there were some if you drive down the lower level. When you go inside, there are 2 Kiosk machines to order. Right next to them is a display case of most of the desserts they have available. After you order, you take the number sign and go to your seat, and they will bring it out to you. This cute spot has a decent amount of seatings both inside and out, from seatings from groups to just single persons. The outdoor seating is covered and has heating lamps--very nice! They provide all the utensils you need and all sorts of packaging for your desserts if taken to-go (or left overs). It was pretty hard on deciding what to get, but this is what I ended up going for: HOKKAIDO UBE MOCHI NUGGET - $7.95 These delectable mochi nuggets are infused with the rich flavor of purple sweet potato and finished off with a delicious coating of Hokkaido milk powder, accompanied by a savory sea salt cheese cream and crispy wafer crunch. They are actually way smaller than the photo, but more of them. They are fun to (and share) where you can dip and it has all the textures of soft, chewy, creamy, and crunchy. I've always been curious about these and glad I got them! Oh theres way more than enough cheese cream dip! So dip as much as you like to every bite! You'll end up with lots leftover. I wish I had an appetite to try their pancakes :(

Tried their Uji matcha latte with oatmilk and it was delicious. It had a dark matcha color and tasted how an authentic matcha latte should . Will definitely be back.

I thought, great another Chinese-owned cafe masquerading as a "Japanese cafe" but the soufle cream brule pancake was really good. Def recommend it, kind of on the pricey side but it's good. Don't go here for ambience it's like an order at the counter type place and the NO TIP non-existent button was pretty whack. You're almost forced to tip, SMH.

ZERO FLAVOR. Crepe cakes AND cheesecakes have no flavor. Cheesecakes taste like plain cheesecake with a fluffy colored top. Crepe cakes are just mounds of colored whipped cream. The only difference between the chocolate and rose lychee is the chocolate one was a little bitter: otherwise ZERO FLAVOR. Their drinks are fine, desserts terrible.

The mango soufflé pancake we ordered is yummy. You could share it because the serving is big. Unless you have a big appetite. I ordered the cheesy Strawberry yogurt. I finished everything. I usually don't because I always order a smaller one. It means it is really good. Not so sweet and the cheese topping just balances the flavor. I love it. Outside it says that we have to wait 30mins for the pancakes. But surprisingly, we just chatted for a few mins. Our souffle arrived. Yay! Overall, must try.

Cute little spot! You order and pay at the kiosk. We tried the matcha milk tea and a fruit iced tea. They were refreshing. We also shared a slice of the earl grey crepe cake which was light and airy. Packaging was beautiful. Next time, would like to they the matcha basque cheesecake it was calling my name. Seating is kindof limited so I could imagine the wait for the soufflé pancakes. Didn't try them yet, maybe next time.

Okay so I was definitely fully prepared to wait in a long a** line for these jiggly little pancakes but to my delight, my bestie and I ventured here on a Wednesday around noon and there was no line whatsoever! Can't say the same for the weekend traffic! There's both indoor and outdoor seating. You go inside, order on the kiosks, and get a number to take to your seat. We also got the matcha Oreo drinks and they were so delicious! They even allow you to adjust the sweetness, ice level, etc. in the drink so you can customize it and have it as fully sweetened and fatty as it comes or make it less guilty (health nuts rejoice!). For the soufflé pancakes, we ordered the taro one and the Oreo. They came garnished with fruits on the plate, and just looked delightful! The taste? Didn't disappoint one bit. Fluffy and light. They were a bit on the lightly-sweetened side which I don't mind at all. The taro one was less taro than expected but the taro part of it, was almost like a taro butter. It did make it taste extra smooth and buttery. Would recommend a drink with the pancakes since they are thicker and a bit on the dry side but still so delicious and a nice change from your usual pancakes!