A beloved Miami restaurant is finally opening locations in New York City , which has Miami natives living in the city bursting with excitement.
New York is known for its wide array of cuisines , and it’s considered by many to be America’s food melting pot — if you want practically any kind of food, you can probably find it in New York, and it’s likely going to be delicious .
For Miami natives, however, the city’s Mediterranean food just hasn’t lived up to Motek, a beloved Mediterranean chain founded by Charlie Levy that boasts six bustling locations across the Floridian city.
Customers rave about the spot’s falafel, kebabs, shakshuka and more, which many consider to be the best they’ve had outside of the countries from which the cuisine hails.
Now, Motek is slated to open several locations — five, to be exact — across New York City over the next few years, bringing its bold, ethnic flavors rooted in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking traditions to the Big Apple.
The first location will open in the Flatiron District in fall 2025, Time Out Magazine reported, and will be located right on Broadway. The location is sure to get a lot of food traffic, as it’s set to be located in one of the most bustling areas of the city.
The area is home to lots of high-rise office buildings and Madison Square Park, meaning the new Motek is likely to become a top lunch destination for hundreds, if not thousands, each week once it opens.
The second location will come over a year later in winter 2026, when the company will debut Yalla Motek, a kosher street food version of the popular Miami chain.
The details of that location aren’t fleshed out yet, and neither is the information about the other three Moteks that are slated to open over the next several years. There isn’t yet a timeframe for the opening of the remaining three locations.
Expectations for the locations are through the roof, with the demand for the type of cuisine Motek serves high in both New York and Miami. Plus, the Miami locations are known for their colorful, welcoming vibes, and New York isn’t a city known for disappointing tourists and potential customers when it comes to the presentation of shops and restaurants.
Motek was founded by Levy in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and it quickly grew into a Florida favorite. Levy said in a statement that he’s confident the New York locations will take off — especially since he himself was a longtime New York resident before he moved to Miami.
“I spent 20 years in New York before Miami became home,” Levy said. “Miami is often called the sixth borough of New York, so it’s a natural next step for our brand to expand here.”
“We’ve built a loyal clientele in Florida, and with so many requests to bring Motek to New York, it just made sense to take this leap now,” he added.
