Local Mediterranean restaurant chain Motek has opened in South Beach with its popular crispy cauliflower, hummus, and kebabs.
Mediterranean restaurant Motek will open another location in Boca Raton.
Taking its name from Hebrew word meaning “Sweetheart,” the popular restaurant Motek will soon be opening in Boca Raton.
Featuring kosher-style Mediterranean cuisine, Motek got its start in 2020 operating out of the iconic Seybold Jewelry Building in downtown Miami. Though it was during the pandemic and mostly takeout at first, they quickly gained a following.
As word of their elevated, eastern Mediterranean dishes like shakshuka, shawarma, schnitzel and falafel spread, Motek would soon open five more locations in Miami-Dade County including Miami Beach, South Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell and Aventura.
With a large and fast-growing following and looking to spread the love even more, Motek began to search for a location for their next outlet. Regional district manager Alexander Odishelidze said they scouted areas throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and Boca Raton proved to be the ideal spot.
Odishelidze said that in business terms everything happened very organically, saying that the Boca Raton location “just appeared for us” and happened to be be available.
In terms of strategy and knowing their base, he said Boca Raton was “a no brainer because of the clientele” adding that, at their locations in Miami-Dade County, “We were having guests saying ‘I drove all the way down from Boca just to have dinner with you.'”
The move takes Motek to the space formerly occupied by Fiolina along Boca Raton’s Restaurant Row on Town Center Road. It will feature 220 seats with indoor and outdoor seating.
Though all of the Motek interiors have been designed to transport guests “to the heart of the eastern Mediterranean,” it’s the food, featuring influences from Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen, Morocco and more, that might actually sweep them off their feet.
Among diners’ favorites, the “shakshuka for brunch is the top seller,” Odishelidze said. Their chicken and lamb shawarma plates and sandwiches are also huge hits for them as is the schnitzel, he said.
Possibly saving one of the best for last, Odishelidze boasted that the Arayes burger is a massive hit. Not your traditional burger, it features kosher, grass-fed beef kofta kebab (ground beef, spices, onions, garlic) and is served in a pita rather than on a bun. Raving about the burger, Odishelidze said “it’s baked into the pita and gets this beautiful crispy texture.” Traditional or not, Motek’s Arayes burger won the People’s Choice category at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash in 2022 and 2023.
Got the hots for humus? Motek is your place as they whip theirs and make fresh every day.
The one common denominator in all of their dishes is “making sure we have the best ingredients,” Odishelidze said.
The menu is essentially the same across locations, but “there are some special items on a regular basis that give each location its own definition,” he said.
Owners Charlie and Tessa Levy have some secret dishes they will be bringing to the new Boca restaurant. Said Odishelidze: “We’re going to bring a lot of grandma recipes” to the location.
“We were are extremely excited to bring Motek to Boca Raton,” he said. “We are always grateful for the support the people from Boca have already brought to us.”
Where: 5377 Town Center Road, Boca Raton
Opening: Early 2025
