Cafe Motek Downtown Reviews

We had an excellent night this week for a business dinner with 2 large tables of 8 guests. On arrival Lulu welcomed us with a warm smile and we needed to add an additional table which was quickly accommodated. The food and drinks were excellent and very good value. Alexia our server was fantastic and very attentive throughout. Can’t recommend this restaurant enough for an excellent all round experience

We did not eat at Motek but the food looked amazing. The staff however were incredible to us in a time of need and panic. We had locked ourselves out of an Airbnb apartment with our phone also locked inside with the door code. Many other people we asked were not willing to help (we were probably looking a little crazed, sweaty and carrying a beach umbrella!) Despite the restaurant being extremely busy the manager helped us find the listing and contact through her own account and contacted the host for us, she also invited us to sit and bought water to us. We were carrying one credit card & couldn't not even book into another hotel as we had no ID with us. It took a couple of stressed out hours to resolve. We are so appreciative of your kindess towards us. It meant the world to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It made us realise in a big way how much we rely on technology - quite scary really.

Great food, nice staff but an outrageous corkage fee of $60 for a restaurant without linens and plastic dishes is a bit absurd. I meant to complain to the manager but had to leave quickly. Miami has always been a reasonable town for corkage. Now it seems it is trying to discourage customers from bringing their own wines which is a very unfortunate choice. I think this will hurt dining in the long run.

Great Israeli food with great service very authentic and very tasty Very fresh and clean more words more words

I took my kids to dinner at Motek and had a great experience. Food was delicious, gorgeous and cozy decor . Fast and friendly services . Will definitely go back again. Owner of this place is very professional and accommodating.

Some friends and I stopped here for lunch while visiting HistoryMiami. Delicious Eastern Med food, presented in a stylish way. Outstanding baba ganoush. I loved the pomegranate salad. The restaurant is in the Seybold building which is a bit reminiscent of the Adam Sandler movie “Uncut Gens.” A great place for healthy, delicious food right in Downtown Miami.

I was drawn to Motek by its beautifully curated decor, reminiscent of a modern and elegant Greek island, which I had seen featured in reviews on social media. Being of Italian descent, I was curious to try their Mediterranean cuisine. We dined as a family—my wife, our 12- and 13-year-old children, and our dog, appreciating that the restaurant is dog-friendly. However, our experience was far from satisfying. Visiting on Sunday, December 29th, the restaurant and Brickell City Center were extremely crowded, but we managed to get a table as walk-ins. Unfortunately, their policy of accepting all walk-ins seems to have contributed to the chaos. The atmosphere was overwhelming, with deafening music more suited to a nightclub than a supposedly elegant Mediterranean-themed restaurant. The service was disappointing, with young, inexperienced waitstaff. The food was even more disappointing—it bore no resemblance to true Mediterranean cuisine but was instead a mix of fast-food-style dishes with sauces and ingredients akin to kebabs. As soon as we were seated, we were asked if we wanted water. I requested a bottle of still water, only to be told they had run out! How can a restaurant run out of water? We had to settle for tap water, which felt unacceptable for a restaurant charging $90 per dish. When ordering, my wife wanted salmon, but they were out of that too. We settled for alternative recommendations from the waiter. I requested a Sancerre wine priced at $75, but that was unavailable as well. The waiter pointed to a Greek wine as a “good alternative” priced at $70, so I agreed. Dessert was disappointing, served in a generic store-bought container, which was far from the quality I expected. When the bill arrived, I noticed a mandatory 20% service charge, with no option to adjust it. They don’t accept cash, and the payment terminal even prompted for an additional tip on top of the 20%, which felt misleading if you weren’t careful to read the fine print. To top it off, the wine the waiter recommended was charged at $120 instead of $70. I pointed this out to the waiter, Michael, who spoke with the manager—a bald, muscular man—who began yelling at the waiter. I intervened to de-escalate and explained that while I could afford the most expensive wine, I was dissatisfied with the overall experience. The manager sarcastically joked that they’d assign a different waiter next time, implying incompetence, but offered no resolution—not even a complimentary dessert. I paid the full bill and left, vowing never to return. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. It is overpriced, chaotic, and lacks authentic Mediterranean quality.

I went to the unit located in Aventura Mall. Great. Very well prepared mezzes. Great kebabs (kafta), especially the lamb one. Excellent bread to accompany. The grilled artichokes don't disappoint either. Worth visiting

My review is simple good food, terrible service, and so noisy we simply could not hear the waitress or each other. I would never go back even if it were free and the prices were high. My ears are still ringing the next morning from the thumping "music" and high noise level. Horrible.

The best service, all the waiters super attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The food is a mix of Mediterranean with more Greek influence, with very good flavor and presentation.

Delicious, very fast, good service, only that the dishes arrive according to their preparation time, the entire order does not arrive together at the same time. The best is the branzino, just right, good seasoning and rich limonette on the fish. Fresh salad and very good definition of the dish itself... I ate a pita with exquisite lamb meat, well-seasoned onion, tagine with good acidity and you can tell that the owner or person is Israeli. Perfect flavor 👌 👌 100/10

We actually went to Motek in Coral gables in Miracle Mile. It was simply outrageously delicious, like no other Israeli food. The location is gorgeous the decor the sercvice top noch. Thank you Gonzalo our waiter , incredible and great knowledge of what he was doing. I have never been I the Seabold building, but you can miss this new place. Must go if you are in Miami. Andrea also great manager and very attentive. We will return this week again it was amazing. We ate all the appetizers and my meat was wow. The dessert just ask Gonzalo he will recommend , we had 3 diferent ones all amazing. 5 stars well deserved. Eva

Excellent presentation, tasty and well priced ! Shakshuka and Malauah the best. Even the desserts are worth trying

This is my go-to place in Miami when I'm craving quality. Real israeli food is really hard to come by in the U.S. South Florida has some okay options around the Fort Lauderdale area however non down south. That changed with Motek opening. It may not be cheap but the portions are large and the services is great. Id recommend the shnitzel sandwich or hummus.

Excellent food! Ambience 10! I highly recommend it. Family lunch! Brickel City Center. Great option for a different meal.

I was eating in the restaurant, I ordered the lamb shawarma dish, when I started to eat I felt something wired in my mouth. It was a plastic bag that was cooked with my dish, we called the manager and he changed for us the dish. That of course we didn’t eat after the bed experience. When we got the bill, the charged us the the second shawarma and said he won’t charge for the first one with the plastic bag.( thank you for not charging me for a plastic bag food) I’m still shocked from all the situation and from the attitude and the service, and still have a taste of plastic in my mouth. I have pictures of both dish with the plastic bad and the receipt Customer service promised someone would call me I'm still waiting🤦🏻‍♂️

Took chance as we we're travelling from Australia and hadn't asked for recommendations. So, it looked great, food smelled delicious and the friendly waitstaff welcomed us. So in we went. Wht a delicious, delightful, delectable surprise. Although Saturday morning was a busy time our food arrived promptly. The appetisers were divine. The meals we shared were huge and deliciously tasty. And the waiter was so helpful and friendly.

We went to the Aventura location. Everything about this place is great! Starting with the food which is absolutely delicious!!! Service was excellent! Presentation, beautiful! The best eggplant salad I ever had. Hummus is so silky! Highly recommend!!!

Not very cheap considering the ambiance but good food. The tables are crowded and especially during COVID, some people may not feel comfortable.

Good option for a simple lunch in Downtown Miami, inside the Seybold Building on Flagler Street Good portions Everything impeccable Simple but good

This is a lovely small restaurant serving Israeli kosher-style Food and does it very well indeed. It is not cheap but you do get authentic, well-prepared dishes which are very tasty indeed. I would have no hesitation I returning if in the Mall. Everybody was happy with their chosen meal. Different and delightful with good servers.

Food is good mostly fresh and nice portions. Service is bad and they expect customers to pay for mistakes they make in the kitchen. They have a lot to learn about customer service. There are plenty of other options on the area.

Motek is a nice place with honest food. Like many Miami restaurants the music is broadcast at megadecibels that impede a normal conversation. If I wanted to go to a disco I would have done so. The other item that is driving my rating is the mandatory (built-in) 20% tip. A tip should be at the discretion of the customer, not the establishment. And I dont give 20% tips unless the food is outstanding and the service impeccable, and always at my discretion. I wont be back to Motek until they amend their tipping policy.

One location of Motek Cafe the lobby of an office building in downtown Miami. There is another location in Aventura and 2nd others, in Miami Beach and Coral Gables, are coming soon. And it’s a good thing - it is great Israeli Mediterranean food! The hummus is about the creamiest I have ever tasted and it’s really good with fried mushrooms. Their burgers won the Miami Burger Bash in 2022 and just a few weeks ago for 2023 - they’re a mixture of meat and spices crammed in pita bread. Delicious. So are their Z’atar spiced fries. And save room for dessert - we had the knafe, shredded phyllo, cheese and pistachios, and the baklava. Both are superb.

Overcharged for small portions. Tried for 1st time with my wife. Nice ambiance. Ordered “lamb” kebob for $32. Comes with spicy green pepper. Little to eat. Not chunks of lamb, but ground meat?? We ordered hummus/tahini also. Decent, small portion . Server brought nice loofah bread. Best part of meal. My wife ordered falafel . Seemed decent,but my wife was sick later that evening. , but once again, came with nothing and small portion. When I received bill, I was charged $9.00 for loofah bread. Had never ordered this $9.00 bread and would never have ordered it, had I known that they were planning to charge me $9.00 for it. This is like a scam. They put it on your table and you assume it comes with hummus order. I didn’t complain about it because I did not want to upset my wife. I paid the bill and left never to return.

4.1⭐️ Quite impressive food! One of the best Mediterranean places in Miami for sure. We loved everything we tried! Such a refreshment for downtown Miami. They welcome you with complimentary aperitif, which is extinct in Miami restaurants. Labneh is tha bomb; we wiped everything off the plate! One of my favorite dishes is Lahmajun Chips. Incredibly delicious and reminds me of a similar dish in Croatia. For the main dish, we had lamb shawarma, which was juicy, crispy, and mouthwatering. The pita is homemade and perfect. Finishing up with baklava, which I also recommend. The only reason it is not a 5⭐️ for me is the portion size and the price. Those 2 things almost seem like fine dining, but you can’t do that in a sketch location, which is in an abandoned mall (which adds to the character for a bistro), and with a fast-food setup (but interiors are lovely). To their defense, you can tell that the ingredients are quality and you got this inflation going on, but still, the prices are high, in my opinion. Otherwise, I would be there at least once a week. The server is fantastic, friendly, and helpful. I am definitely coming back, but not as often, until the price drops, at least a bit.

I enjoyed our experience with Motek. This would really would be defined as a hole in the wall restaurant. I had the hummus bowl with mushrooms and a side of falafel. My wife had the kale and falafel bowl. Mine was exceptional with fantastic bread. The side of falafel isnt worth the $6 add on price. The portion is so small you would think it was a side that was included within the price of the dish. My wife found that the ingredients for her bowl were good but definitely on the small side. I would try the restaurant again and perhaps try a different dish. This restaurant has so much promise.

The reception is good and the waitress was of a good standard, the food (breakfast) is unmatched in terms of appearance, deliciousness and freshness, thanks to the kitchen staff, the toilet is clean, and sterilizers are everywhere, I recommend visiting the restaurant

Yum, yum, yum. If you like Israeli food this place is a must. It is located inside jewelry exchange building . We were there on Sunday where the place was mostly closed. Marco, our waiter was great.

Don’t believe all the reviews they definitely not true. Went today and couldn’t believe how bad this place. Stuff didn’t speak English ????? No one know the dishes ???? Food was awful and some came cold after long wait. And for every thing we asked they took forever and after charge us like crazy Never again going back there What a waste

The place is popular and located in a mall. The hostesses are not well prepared to receive customers. The mixed up tables and once seated, had to change. The food is good! No complaints and as expected. Wine list is updated to current prices. One of the managers tried to remediate the seating confusuon( had to change 2x) . Beyond that it was all fine

I’m very very very upset with my experience over all at this so called “restaurant “. It is fast bad !!!! Food served on plates and over priced for no reason. I’ve heard about from friends and went today. It empty !!!! Waiter came and right away asking for us to pay as he leaves for the day (joke). After we ordered some apps and drinks were bad tasting and food is cheap quality. From what I saw it’s some kids doing it all with no knowledge and no English!!!! I believe there’s no one knows the food as I asked why is the falafel different!!!! And when we got the bill we were amazed to be charged so much for fast food. They got dirty paper menu oh my god !!! Save yourself from that place.

I had the Babaganoush to start. It was lovely and the pita bread one of the best I have had. I followed up with Arayes Burger. Juicy and tasty. I loved the crunchy bread it was in. The service was friendly and fast. The place was packed and there was a line. Will definitely go back.

They were busy, but they attended my family as if we were their only customer. Food was delicious and clean. Highly recommended!

There were rats everywhere and one of the employees said they didn’t wanna serve me because I was Palestinian. Horrible. When I asked to speak to the manager, they refused to let me.

If you are looking for great Israeli food, you have come to the right place. A taste of tel aviv in aventura, We had two children with us, they could have easily shared one schnitzel between them as the portions are huge. I hope you enjoy the food as much as we did,

Great lunch and dinner spot. Nothing like it locally. Fresh flavors, great service. Best I have had in Miami.

Simple but fantastic israeli and middle eastern food, the small plates and meze are perfect for sharing. Also I recommend the Falafel and Lamb Shawarma bowls. Leave space for dessert.

Motek Downtown is simply exceptional, like something straight out of a movie. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, the setting is improbable yet fascinating, creating a truly unique atmosphere. The Mediterranean cuisine is generous, flavorful, and refined, perfectly matched by an ambiance that blends elegance with authenticity. A must-visit spot that leaves a lasting impression every time.

Asked one wine the waiter brought other without asking and opened The bottle. The other wine was worse than The one we asked, we asked spanish Albariño and The served italian Arneis bad note at vivino 3,6.

20$ for "knafe" not include the fees .35$ on ubereats for this crap. It's was the most disgusting thing I ever taste.threw straight to garbage.when it's belong

Burger was inedible as it was raw. Food was bland and no flavour. Space was cramped but location was good. Was not an authentic experience. Prices reasonable.

So many dishes to choose and each one was almost better than the next! Our favorite was the hummus with mushrooms and caramelized onions. The desserts were also top notch. A great place to go with friends and order a lot to share. Super kind servers too

If I could give it no stars I would. This place is horrible and the worst part was the so called "Manager" Sayan and the woman hostess at the front. First he, the manager not our waiter brought out the wrong food that was for another table and not ours and dumped it in front of us without even asking who's order that was and took off and we had to flag down our waiter to let him know that it wasn't our order/ dish. Then they brought out my order and my husband had to wait 25 minutes to get his food. Manager didn't come over to apologize or anything. They treat customers differently for sure and yes I do think that the manager and the hostess are extremely prejudice and pick and choose who they treat friendly or not. Their customer service sucked and so does Sayan as a manager. He has no business managing a restaurant.

We went twice to a Motek Aventura Miami. On both occasions with fiends who,had heard good things about this Mediterranean styled restaurant. One has to book its essential to do so. The first time we booked for 800 pm requested one of the cauliflower appetisers to be told we don’t have any. I’m vegetarian and the menu is limited for me so I had the summer salad of watermelon Our friends and my husband had meat sandwiches which they enjoyed our server was efficient but when paying. She gave us a much larger bill from another table ! Our second visit on the 26 December some days later table booked for 745 pm. Our guests asked for the meat sandwiches to be told we don’t have any as we’ve sold out. Our guests asked what do,you have and the server rattled off not much left on the menu. We asked for a bottle of rose wine it was warm even though it was in an ice bucket Once again no cauliflower again I had watermelon option salad…… It’s obvious to me that someone in the kitchen can’t do the math when ordering the food because they run out,of food on their menu by 745pm each and every night….. Are Motek so arrogant they think diners will flock anyway …. ? “emperors new clothes “. Motek watch out there’s better Mediterranean inspired restaurants coming up in Miami.

Delicious food and even better service!! Adriana, and Raquel are very kind! They are the best waitstaff in Motek Aventura!! The food and the kind staff are two of the main reasons to have a lunch or dinner at Motek! The coffee is delicious likewise the Turkish baklava! This restaurant has become our favorite restaurant!!! We really recommend this place to have a breakfast, lunch or dinner you won’t regret!!!

Received cold food after waiting 45 minutes, fam was starving so only my food went back to the kitchen,45min later family was done eating and I was still hungry, called waitress over to ask for the check as we were ready to leave,45min later I got to pay my check and not once did anyone say they were sorry for ruining our family’s dinner evening.

The worst, most wildly overpriced garbage mall food I have ever had. Ordered Lamb Shish Kabob, got ground mystery meat instead. Unapologetic wait staff with a terrible attitude. Don't waste your time and money.

Nice place. Good service. Very good food. We ordered different plates to share. All was very tasteful. Good place to go with family and friends.

This restaurant is in a high rise with many jewelry businesses…an unusual setting. The Israeli food is very fresh and well-prepared. We enjoyed very smooth hummus, excellent crispy cauliflower, delightful salads, wonderful pita bread, and the best falafel I have ever had. Don’t miss their hibiscus iced tea. If there is a flaw, it is that we had to ask for serving spoons to share the food.

Delicious ! Really a great discovery!! I would go back there again and again! I love everything about this restaurant! The fish was delicious, the hummus wow.. the Cauliflowers too!

Excited to try this place after reading several articles on it. Ordered Hummus and pita and both were very good. However the pita to hummus ratio was not good. Two small breads for a very generous portion of hummus. But the real problem was the shawarma plate. $34.00 for a small portion of meat. The meat was not slices but minced into extremely small (almost scrap pieces}. It was very much overcooked, so dry and hard as to be un-appealing to eat. I enjoy shawarma, eat it often and know how it is supposed to be prepared and taste. I almost felt they wiped scraps off the counter to prepare the dish. Salad that came with it was actually very good. But not enough to make up for the disaster of the main dish. Staff was very inattentive. Their were very few other diners at the time but they stood and talked to each other not more than two feet away and never offered a water refill or inquired if we wanted any thing else or how our dinner was. Their are far better mediterranean choices than to waste your money at this one.

Excellent choice, very rich Israeli food, excellent Mary's attention Very well burnt place To park above the front and in the back

Food desserts and service are great! Special mention to Miguel The dessert table was to die for. Attention to detail is superb

Beautiful place, the food is good, the service is one of the worst. The waitress was very unhappy that we didn't speak Spanish and gave us recommendations on shareables that were really small (say it's smaller and more inviting). She was very short with us and was much more kind with Spanish speakers and gave them great service. I did not expect from such a place racism towards people who do not speak Spanish. I have to point out that the whole staff speaks Spanish and not just honey, but I have never met such racism from the waitress anywhere

So disappointing!! We are snowbirds and were here several times last season. Loved it then. They moved to a bigger space, very pretty, however the menu changed. Small portions, expensive, terrible service. We won’t be back!!

Excellent restaurant!! Delicious food!! This Motek is the best of all Motek restaurants. The service is outstanding! Elena is very kind and knowledgeable about the food!! She is wonderful! This Motek is cozy and charming secret space in downtown. We have enjoyed dinner and lunch in this place since it’s opening. Excellent Option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!! I really recommend this place!

The restaurant charges a 20% service tax!!! It doesn't matter if you are alone or with one other person!!! There is no negotiation!!! The master simply forced us to pay the 20% without any other option. And food isn't even those things. Pure pepper. I do not recommend this restaurant!!!

Most amazing food!! Located in a shopping centre Some of the best food I have had in Miami We ordered a chicken gyros bowl with crunchy eggplant w taziki and lamb chips which were incredible Can’t recommend this place more

Buy some fine JEWLERY then come have a most excellent meal. Not a bread person but wow. Holly Molly Good. Pistacho Baclava is a benchmark. My Chicken and Humus, spot on. Grilled cheese? WHAT? Oh yeah!

Good food Good price No valet parking Accept credit cards Good service Price $$$ . Try falafel/ Hamburger / schnitzel / homos

During an off-site business meeting, I was introduced to the foot at MOTEK. Talk about impressed! As a vegetarian, Mediterranean cuisine holds wide appeal for me. They did not disappoint. I had the falafel sandwich with a side of fries and one of my co-workers ordered hummus for us all to share. First of all the pita that my sandwich was served in was heavenly. The bread light and airy, hosting the fresh veggies and the warm falafel, held together with a bright tahini dressing. When I dipped my extra pita into the hummus, this was the creamiest hummus I've ever had in the US! To top this all off, our food was delivery, not an in-store dining experience. So often the delivery is sub-par but not for this restuarant. Even my fries were still warm by the time the food got to our hotel. I wish we had a MOTEK in our town. I'd be there every day!

The hostess attitude was TERRIBLE, the place is empty and they didn’t want to seat us until the entire party was here, we were only missing 2 out of 6. The service in general is very bad, the food is ok but definitely not worth the bad service and the hostess attention. Won’t be coming back. There are a lot of better restaurants in aventura, do not waste your time or money.

Great food, great service. We yelped this place and the pictures of the food and reviews looked good. Tucked away inside the middle of a building, it has simple elegant decor - cafe style. Food arrives in authentic cookware. Everything we had was amazing! We are coming back next time we are in Miami!

We were a very large group And we were lucky that my daughter’s reservation was still good when we arrived at 7:30pm. We have never been here ever since we are tourists and we shared the plates: Israeli salad , cauliflower couscous , Hummous mushroom, crispy chicken schnitzel, chicken shawarma, some laffa bread , French fries . And Turkish Lamb kebab . Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals ! Very delicious food !! Fast service !

From the service to the food, this place was amazing!!! You do need to bring your own bottle of wine. We had the lamb kebabs and lamb shawarma. Delicious!! The broccolini and lemon potatoes also excellent. For desert we shared pistachio cheese cake. Best I ever had!!

Best in downtown Miami . If you look for a quick breakfast or lunch in downtown Miami go to Motek . Highly recommended the Jerusalem toast and the chicken Schwarma. Great place

The babaganoush, eggplant salad and Israeli salad were very good. But the hummus (w/ tahini) was tasteless; no flavor of lemon or garlic or parsley or anything. So bland it could have been wallpaper paste. Very glad I didn't order a hummus plate. And the pita wasn't the good kind.

What to say about this place? Perfect, delicious food! Hummus is the best I've ever eaten in my life, we've been back several times! The place is beautiful and the service is perfect.