Motek
Motek might be a familiar restaurant to those that have been to Miami. When we traveled to Miami a few weeks ago, there were a slew of this chain all around the hot areas in Miami. The menu appeared to us as being very Mediterranean, and it is probably a haven for brunch since it has shakshuka and kebabs. They are slated to open 5 total locations in New York, so we decided to check out the recently opened location in Flatiron. I made a reservation for 2 for 5:45 PM on a Friday a few days in advance fairly easily.
Ambiance & Service
Upon walking in, the first thought was this restaurant seemed very lively, as if it’s intentionally trying to be a very hot and energetic restaurant. The music is loud, and the clientele looks ranged from young professionals, which the Flatiron crowd tends to skew, to youthful-elders. It was definitely bustling, almost to the point where the noise level was decently loud. There were a lot of tables with a “girls-night” out as well as after-work get togethers and dates.
We were seated on the side, and our table was very close to our neighbors. It’d be very easy to eavesdrop on any conversations. So if elbow room is an issue, then this may irk some people.
The service was extremely fast, but our waitress timed everything so that not all things came out at the same time. She suggested some recommendations, though we were full and took some home.
Food
The Belly Dancer ($10) came with coconut water, passion fruit, vanilla-rose, and matcha. This non-alcoholic drink was pretty good, not too sweet, and balanced in terms of acidity and flavors.
The Grenache / Syrah ($16) came from Clos Bellane, Cotes du Rhone, France 2023. This grenache blend (50% grenache, 50% syrah) was a bit on the disappointing side, as the flavor profile was very standard and unexciting.
The Hummus with Roasted Eggplant ($18) came with egg, amba aioli, and pickled onion. They provided a freshly made pita on the side to dip everything. The egg was akin to a hard boiled egg, but it was fried. Overall, this was pretty good, and the portion was plentiful for the price.
The Moroccan Cigars ($19) came with beef, lamb, s’chug, lemon tahini, and preserve lemon. My partner did not particularly enjoy this, but I thought this was OK. My first thought was that it was a play on Mexican taquitos. The meat was very densely filled of beef and lamb. The dips were tahini and some type of tomato chutney. The outer shell was crispy and flaky. The cigars were also very long, so value wise it’s pretty good for the money especially in the city. Overall the taste was something very familiar, so it’s nothing really special.
The Chicken Shawarma Plate ($27) came with an herb salad, some hot peppers, tahini with some green peppers, and the chicken slices on top of a warm pita bread. Underneath the pita bread were some of the pickled onions. Flavor wise, the chicken was very good and not excessively salty thankfully. The herb salad offered a nice contrast to the familiar flavors of the shawarma. The dish itself is easily shareable, and everything was pretty high quality. If there’s anything to criticize, it’s that this entree will be a sit-down version of a chicken shawarma that you might find at a fast food place.
The Za’atar Greek Salad ($22) came with cucumber, kalamata olive, red onion, baby gem lettuce, and feta. This Greek salad was interesting in that instead of offering a ton of lettuce, it leaned instead in offering a bunch of tomatoes. They added some carefully selected baby gem lettuce leaves. The feta was a decent quality as well. Overall, this salad was nowhere as good as the ones you’d get in Astoria such as the Greek salads at either Hamido Seafood or Taverna Kyclades.
Overall Impression
Motek was a pretty good Mediterranean restaurant that offers quite a good value for sharing and a night out for small and large parties of people. The food portions are good to the dollar, and the quality and taste are pretty good as well. It’s easy to see why this is a popular spot in Miami and now in NYC.
Yelp & Google Jabs
Their wine and drink selection is excellent, and the food truly shines. I’ve been to the Miami location before and loved it, but this location feels elevated in every way.
Their drink selection was decent, but their wine selection seemed maybe a level below other comparable restaurants in NYC. The one thing the Miami locations offer is the ambiance is quintessential Miami. Here in Flatiron, it’s an interesting dynamic where the restaurant is trying to create a warm temperature atmosphere, but you get a lot of the cold vibes of New Yorkers.
My one tip to the restaurant - please add handles to your to go bags.
We noticed that take out orders had handles, but the ones that had leftovers did not. I’m not sure if that was intentional.
The only critique was the spacing but that is a testament to how many people wanted to eat there.
It’s also a testament for how much they need to make and turn over tables.
Revisions
- Jan 9, 2026 - Initial revision.