MottoMotto Café has been on my café hit list since it opened. This MottoMotto Café Toronto review is part manga café curiosity, part matcha investigation, and part gentle plea for Toronto to support cute things.
The café is in the Junction, at 300 Campbell Avenue, Unit 101. It describes itself as “Matcha + Manga + More,” which is very accurate and also very targeted toward my exact interests.
MottoMotto is a café first, then a manga library. That distinction matters, because the food and drinks feel like the main event rather than an afterthought.
Also, because I had to look it up, “motomoto” in Japanese can mean “originally,” “from the start,” or “by nature.” That feels sweet for a café built around the natural urge to read manga, drink matcha, and avoid being perceived for a little while.
Why I finally visited MottoMotto Café
I first heard about MottoMotto on Instagram. Naturally, I was curious because Toronto had another manga café, and my anime-adjacent brain needed to investigate.
I have been to a manga library-store-café situation in Montreal before. Still, having something similar in Toronto felt exciting.
The final push came from Jasmine Dragon Hangouts, an Avatar: The Last Airbender group in Toronto. They hosted a watch party at MottoMotto for season two of Netflix’s live-action Avatar adaptation.
We watched the first episode, which was interesting, to say the least. But this is not an Avatar review, because my peace depends on choosing my battles carefully.
The Junction feels different now
MottoMotto is right beside Hale Coffee, which was one of the first cafés I ever wrote about on this blog. Years ago, I remember walking down this street and feeling like there was almost nothing there.
Then, suddenly, there was Hale Coffee in a warehouse space with a stunning ceiling. It felt like finding a secret café level inside the city.
Coming back almost ten years later felt surreal. The whole strip now has renovated buildings, retail storefronts, a pottery studio, nearby condos, and free street parking.
Free street parking in Toronto always feels like a small civic miracle. I will not be dramatic about it, but I did notice.
MottoMotto is one of the newer additions to the area. Its storefront is cute, simple, and easy to spot if your brain is already tuned to manga, matcha, and Japanese café details.
Inside MottoMotto Café
When you walk in, the café feels warm, neutral, and easy to settle into. There are pops of greenery, lanterns, and faux cherry blossoms wrapped around the manga shelves.
The space is very much my aesthetic. I will say the lanterns understood the assignment.
The shelves are filled with colourful manga, including Nana, Attack on Titan, Naruto, and Spirited Away. There are also beautiful art books, including one about the architecture of Spirited Away and the Studio Ghibli universe.
The books were also in pristine condition. That matters, because there is something deeply satisfying about a manga shelf that has clearly been loved but not destroyed.
A manga café that makes it easy to talk to people
One thing I liked right away was how naturally the space encourages conversation. You can see what someone is reading, ask about it, and suddenly you have a new friend.
This is much nicer than making eye contact on the TTC and pretending it never happened. Toronto social life, but make it gentler.
I met someone who was reading Spirited Away for the first time. She had not seen the movie, so naturally I became emotionally invested within seconds.
The manga edition was fully coloured, which made it even better. She was also drinking a very green banana matcha, so I immediately became nosy in a beverage-specific way.
The Avatar watch party setup
For the event, MottoMotto projected episodes and clips onto a blank wall. Coincidentally, one of the original Avatar episodes playing featured Uncle Iroh running the Jasmine Dragon tea shop.
That felt almost too perfect. I am not saying the universe planned it, but I am saying Uncle Iroh would have approved.
The projector screen was quite small. So, I would not go in expecting a full cinematic experience.
Still, the setup worked well for a community hangout. The real point was being around other people who understand why Uncle Iroh opening a tea shop is emotionally important.
The café is also spacious enough for events like this. There are tables, couch seats, and a slightly hidden area near the back.
The food menu at MottoMotto Café
The food menu includes onigiri, donburi, salad bowls, and meal combos. I always appreciate when a café has real food instead of one lonely pastry sitting under glass like it has seen things.
For anyone unfamiliar, donburi are rice bowls with protein. Onigiri are seaweed-wrapped, triangle-shaped rice balls with a filling inside.
MottoMotto’s onigiri flavours include tofu and mushroom stir-fry, chicken, beef teriyaki, tuna miso butter, and salmon shoyu. I love when a café gives me options without making the menu feel overwhelming.
The prices are also reasonable for what you get. You can choose three onigiri for $13 or six for $25.
The donburi bowls are $15 and come with toppings like corn, edamame, and leafy greens. There are also salad bowls if you are not in a rice mood.
What we ordered
My partner and I shared the onigiri set. It came with three pieces of onigiri, miso soup, and a drink It was a great value for an event. You get enough food to feel satisfied without needing a full sit-down meal.
We tried the tuna, salmon, and beef flavours. I only had the salmon fresh, so I admit my opinion is slightly biased. That said, the salmon shoyu was easily my favourite. It was simple, satisfying, and exactly what I wanted from fresh onigiri.
The beef is apparently a bestseller. I can see why people would like it, but I need to try it fresh before forming my final beef-onigiri opinion.
Matcha tools and in-house details
Near the front, there are matcha items available to buy. I saw whisks, matcha powder, and bowls.
Some of the bowls looked handmade or pottery-style. That made the display feel more thoughtful than a random café merch shelf.
I am not personally a huge fan of the matcha powder brand they had for sale. But for a beginner matcha person, it could still be an easy starting point.
The drinks at MottoMotto Café
The regular drink menu includes matcha, banana matcha, strawberry matcha, ube matcha, sweet potato hojicha latte, and ube chai latte. The banana matcha was not on the menu when I looked, but my new friend ordered it and recommended it.
For the Avatar event, the drinks were themed around the four nations. Water Tribe was ube chai, Airbender was ube matcha, Firebender was strawberry matcha, and Earth Kingdom was banana hojicha.
Personally, based on colour alone, I think ube matcha would have made more sense for Water Tribe. I also think ube chai could have worked for Air Nomads, but I respect the creative process.
I ordered the ube matcha, because of course I did. After seeing someone else’s very green drink, I had hope. The ube matcha was enjoyable. However, I would need to try the regular matcha before making a full matcha judgement.
Ube can soften and sweeten the flavour. Because of that, it is not always the best test of whether a café really understands matcha ratios.
I also heard the hojicha was really good. That is great news, because I have mixed feelings about hojicha in latte form. Sometimes hojicha is toasty and balanced. Other times, it tastes like dirt.
Service and atmosphere
The owner was there making food, and he was very friendly. That kind of detail matters in a neighbourhood café.
It makes the space feel more personal. It also makes you want to come back, which is the whole point of a good local café.
I also liked the small self-serve touches. There was water, maple syrup, and a few little additions available after ordering.
The atmosphere is cozy, relaxed, and welcoming. It feels designed for lingering, whether you are reading manga, meeting a friend, or pretending to work while actually flipping through Nana.
Is MottoMotto Café good for studying or laptops?
Yes, MottoMotto is a good café for studying, laptops, and longer visits. There is plenty of seating, including tables and couches.
The layout gives people room to settle in. You do not feel like your laptop is taking up the entire café.
That said, the vibe may change during events. If you need a quiet study session, check their schedule first.
On a regular daytime visit, I can see this being a lovely place to work, read, or catch up with a friend.
Final thoughts on MottoMotto Café
MottoMotto is the kind of place Toronto needs more of. It is specific, community-minded, and actually useful beyond just looking cute.
It has manga, onigiri, matcha, events, and enough seating to stay awhile. That is a strong combination, especially in a city where third spaces can feel rare.
It is still a café first, and I appreciate that. The manga library adds personality, but the food and drinks make it a place you can realistically visit again.
Would I go back? Yes. I want to try the banana matcha, the regular matcha, the hojicha, and another round of salmon shoyu onigiri.
If you live nearby, I am deeply jealous of your ability to casually drop in. Please support it, because Toronto needs places like this to survive, preferably forever and ideally within a reasonable TTC journey.
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