Motto Tea Cafe - Pasadena
100 W Green St, South Pasadena, CA
Crema's Take
“Motto Tea Cafe brings a refreshing twist to Pasadena's cafe scene with fluffy, creative soufflé pancakes that lean into unexpected savory options like pork, paired beautifully with thoughtfully crafted matcha and fruit-forward specialty drinks. The minimalist digital ordering system and relaxed outdoor seating create a modern, low-pressure vibe perfect for lingering over brunch with friends or family, though fair warning—those Instagram-worthy pancakes come with a premium price tag that doesn't always match expectations. If you're seeking a casual spot to explore matcha variations and experiment with comfort food done with technique, it's worth a visit during less crowded opening hours.”
What to expect
Strong matcha and tea selection. A slow-sit, outdoor seating spot, good for meetings. Pastries on the menu. Family friendly.
Google Reviews
Bewildered prices for basic pancake batter and minimalist ordering experience via screens, would assume to pass along some serious savings to customers doing all the ordering work! Nope! Our group ended up well north of seventy bucks for a couple cakes and drinks, quite the bang…
Pancakes are fluffy and flavorful! We arrived right at opening time to avoid a wait and paid about $18 per order. We tried the pork soufflé pancakes which did not disappoint for a savory option and the mini pancake sampler platter which allowed us to choose the cheese and plain…
I’ve been wanting to try soufflé pancakes for a while, so I was excited to find out that Motto Cafe serves them. Unfortunately, they weren’t what I was expecting and left me a bit disappointed. I ordered the Nutellamisu flavor, the mousse was delicious, but the pancake itself…
Very skip-able. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I thought it was odd that a pancake place isn’t open for breakfast. The flavour of the pancakes was overly eggy. The service was lacklustre (eg you tip for service but when they bring you the dish you have to get silverware…
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. …
Crema Reviews
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