Molly Tea is having a moment. New locations are appearing across the city at a pace that suggests the brand knows exactly what it's doing from a growth perspective. The Commerce Gate location reflects what the chain does well and where it pulls back: late hours, cool packaging, a fun toppings menu, and a matcha that lands somewhere in the middle of the quality spectrum.

The space and the draw

The packaging is genuinely good. The cups are well-designed, the branding is cohesive, and the whole experience feels put together. The late hours are a real differentiator: most locations are open past midnight, which fills a gap that very few cafés in the city bother to address. The toppings are a highlight too. Pecans and whipped cream on the jasmine or pistachio teas add texture and richness in a way that feels intentional. The jasmine matcha and the salted cheese drink are the signatures and are worth ordering for the experience.

The late hours alone justify its existence. The matcha is a secondary reason to be there.

The cup

The matcha is decent. It's not the most flavourful cup on the map and the price point is on the higher side for what you get, but it's drinkable and consistent. The issue isn't that the matcha is bad. It's that the price suggests a quality level that the drink doesn't quite reach. Order the jasmine matcha or lean into the toppings and the experience improves. Come for the full Molly Tea format rather than a matcha-forward cup and expectations align better.

Molly Tea — Matcha
Decent and consistent, but priced slightly above what the matcha quality delivers. The toppings and late hours are the real draw.
⭑ 4.0
$$$

Worth knowing

The late hours are the headline. If you need a café past midnight in the GTA, your options are limited and Molly Tea fills that gap genuinely well. The salted cheese drink and jasmine tea with pecans and whipped cream are the orders to know. Treat the matcha as a supporting character rather than the lead and the visit works.

Not the strongest matcha on the map, but one of the more complete late-night café experiences in the city. The format is fun, the branding is sharp, and the hours make it useful in a way that most spots simply aren't.