{"id":196085,"date":"2026-03-18T09:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196085\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T09:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:14:10","slug":"motek-opens-new-mediterranean-restaurant-in-miami-midtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196085\/","title":{"rendered":"Motek opens new Mediterranean restaurant in Miami Midtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The new Motek restaurant in Midtown.<\/p>\n

Lemonpop<\/p>\n

In 2020, the first Motek restaurant opened in downtown Miami\u2019s Seybold Building<\/a> during a pandemic, an inauspicious start that turned out successful enough to lay groundwork for a Mediterranean culinary empire.<\/p>\n

Now, after the restaurant has spread across South Florida \u2014 to Aventura, Brickell, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, South Beach and Boca Raton, Motek has opened its ninth restaurant in Miami Midtown. There\u2019s also a location in New York City, with a West Village location opening next month.<\/p>\n

Happy Corner Hospitality, the group behind Motek, also operates Yalla Motek, a street-food kiosk at the Aventura Mall and Sesame Bakery in North Miami.<\/p>\n

The new Motek is located in the former space of Maty\u2019s Peruvian restaurant in Midtown, which closed in 2025<\/a>. It has also transformed Maty\u2019s neighbor, the now-closed Itamae Ao, which earned a Michelin star in 2025<\/a> but closed later the same year<\/a>. The space is now another Sesame Bakery, selling pastries and coffee.<\/p>\n

\"The The interior of Motek in Miami Midtown. Lemonpop <\/p>\n

The new Motek, like the others, represents the latest chapter for the brand, said owner Charlie Levy, who founded Happy Corner Hospitality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve built this brand around family, hospitality and food made with intention,\u201d he said. \u201cThis new location reflects how far we\u2019ve come \u2014 from a single caf\u00e9 in downtown Miami to a growing hospitality group expanding beyond South Florida \u2014 while staying true to our roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The The bar at Motek in Midtown Miami Lemonpop <\/p>\n

The design follows that of all Moteks, with yellow a primary color, lemon decor and greenery. There are a few new architectural changes, like a yellow tile oven and arched kitchen portals, with a pergola covered in the brand\u2019s trademark yellow flowers.<\/p>\n

The menu sticks with what has made Motek such a powerhouse: hot and cold mezzes, hummus dips, and labneh-based dips served with hot laffa bread. Other highlights include lamb kebabs, shawarma in pita, salads or bowls, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich to die for.<\/p>\n

\"The The outdoor patio at Motek in Miami Midtown. Lemonpop <\/p>\n

The famous Lebanese-style Arayes burger, which won Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival<\/a> two years in a row, is also on the menu. The restaurant also touts its status as seed oil free, using olive oil, avocado oil and butter in its recipes.<\/p>\n

And while opening a second restaurant in New York is exciting, opening another Motek close to home is still a thrill, Levy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to continue expanding in the city that raised us,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"One One of the walls at Motek Midtown. Lemonpop Motek Midtown<\/p>\n

Where: 3255 NE First Ave., Miami<\/p>\n

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday<\/p>\n

Reservations: Resy<\/a><\/p>\n

More information: motek.com\/midtown<\/a> or 786-686-9284<\/p>\n

\"The The exterior of Motek in Midtown Miami. Lemonpop
\n Follow More of Our Reporting on An inside look at Miami<\/p>\n

Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don\u2019t make her eat a mango.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Motek restaurant in Midtown. Lemonpop In 2020, the first Motek restaurant opened in downtown Miami\u2019s Seybold…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226,123,50180,90974,5221],"class_list":["post-196085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news","tag-miami","tag-midtown","tag-motek","tag-restaurant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}