Motto Tea Cafe - San Gabriel — Restaurant in San Gabriel

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...

I hope the store management can read this review and improve the logistics. The management needs to know how chaotic it was so improvements can be made. First of all, the staffs are nice and polite, and the food is decent. However, the wait was ridiculous on 10/7 at 12:30-1:30pm. I placed an order at full price using their online system and yet I waited 45 minutes for a drink and a piece of cake (NOT even their fluffy pancake). This is mainly because a bunch of Fantuan users took advantage of the $1.99 (1/3 of the full price) promotion and ordered a lot as if they were to buy a week-worth of drinks. Customers who pay full price had to wait until the $1.99 customers orders are fulfilled. I would think the $1.99 customers could wait a little, right???? Nope! Their $1.99 orders were fulfilled first and BEFORE all other customers, both dine-in and to-go. My online order#4 was not fulfilled until 1:15 so you know how slow it was. And, not until the 10-15 rolling Fantuan customers were almost all gone, then we started seeing dine-in and online order #2,3,4... are ready. Everyone was confused as there was no clear directions as to which line you should stay on to get your order. Regular online/store order customers waited in the long Fantuan line for 10 mins and only got directed to 1 foot away which was also heavily occupied by the Fantuan users as well. The Fantuen staffs were basically telling you to get off in a polite way. The bunch of Fantuan customers and Fantuan staffs really made the cafe look like a cheap and hectic market.

It was a complete failure when the regular online/store order customers had to go to the counters and turning each cup to see if it were their orders. I also saw a pair of customers who picked up the wrong order (two separate orders put into one paper carton) and returned the two drinks that were not theirs......this is...

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...