Just as Motek Cafe announced that it would be making the jump up the coast from Miami to New York City with a location in the Flatiron District this fall, the restaurant group also revealed plans to bring a second concept to the city. Their fast-casual Mediterranean concept Yalla Motek will be heading to New York City in winter 2026, according to a release. As of now, an exact location has not been revealed.
Yalla Motek is a fast-casual version of its parent restaurant, Motek Cafe. The counter concept serves kosher Mediterranean street food. Yalla, which is Hebrew for “come on, hurry up,” signifies that the brand is an express version of Motek Cafe.
“Transporting you to the bustling ancient streets of the Middle East, here you can find authentic shawarma, bowls, sandwiches and salads, all in the convenience of time,” the Yalla Motek website states.
Currently, there is only one location of Yalla Motek open in Miami. As with Motek Cafe, this will be the first expansion for Yalla outside of South Florida. Motek Cafe currently operates locations in Coral Gables, Brickell, Downtown Miami, South Beach, Miami Beach, Aventura and Boca Raton.
Yalla Motek is both kosher-certified and dairy-free. Menu items include chicken shawarma, falafel and a crispy chicken bowl.
Husband-and-wife team Charlie and Tessa Levy are behind the Motek restaurant group, which they launched in 2020 in downtown Miami. Now, they operate seven locations of Motek Cafe, the one location of Yalla Motek and Sesame Bakery in North Miami, which fuses European baking with Israeli influences.
“I spent 20 years in New York before Miami became home,” Charlie said in the release. “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.”
