Motek South Beach — Restaurant in Miami Beach

I recently visited this location, and I have to say, I have mixed feelings about it. The service, provided by Fiorella, was nothing short of outstanding, and the drinks? Absolutely delicious! But let’s get to the food. While I appreciate a good salad (beets + arugula), I found the dressing to be overwhelmingly salty. It’s like they got a bit too carried away with the seasoning.

And let’s talk about pricing because, wow, it’s steep! Everything feels like an add-on, and it’s frustrating when you’re used to places offering a complete meal without having to pay extra for every single component. For example, I expected to see plates with chicken, salad, and hummus all included, but here, everything is an extra charge. It’s a bit of a letdown, especially when you’re paying good money. In contrast, at other Motek locations, like the one in downtown, you can find more inclusive meal options that provide better value without compromising on quality.

On the brighter side, the outdoor seating area is charming, especially when you’re nestled under that beautiful tree. It creates a lovely atmosphere that makes you want to linger. But still, I can't shake the feeling that the high prices reflect the rent they have to pay for such a prime location rather than the quality of the food.

And can we talk about the restroom situation? One toilet for women? In a place that’s aiming for a premium experience, that’s simply inadequate. It creates a bit of a bottleneck during busy times, which can be annoying.

In conclusion, while there are some highlights to this location—great service, a lovely setting, and tasty drinks—the food’s pricing and the restroom situation leave much to be desired. It’s worth a visit, but just be prepared for a hefty bill and a few inconveniences...

Motek is becoming my safe spot in town for Mediterranean food. I recall they started inside an old building in downtown and since then, have expanded throughout the city.

As a local, their ambiance, service and consistent quality from location to location are appreciated.

This last time, I was at their South Beach location and had some of my favorite dishes such as, the babaganoush, labneh za’atar and ribeye on baguette. I also tasted other new dishes to me : crispy cauliflower and the fennel and pomegranate salad.

As usual, the labneh and babaganoush were outstanding. That smokiness of the babaganoush is so on fire, well done!

The fennel and pomegranate salad was refreshing with the perfect acidity that rounded up all the flavors. It was indeed delicious but I think $18 is too pricey for the size and considering there is no protein in here.

The ribeye in baguette which I have had before at other locations was not as great as I remembered. The coleslaw had too much dressing/liquids that dripped through the bread and made it soggy. Should the coleslaw be drier preventing the juices from getting into the bread, it would be a 10 out of 10. Flavors were spot on.

Lastly, my least favorite, the crispy cauliflower. This was not crispy probably because after the deep-fry some sauce was poured on top, making the cauliflower soggy. Also it was cold, which made me believe this was made and left on the kitchen for a while before bringing it to the table. Also the batter powdery flavor was coming through. The best part was the pickled onions, it had some sort of cinnamon flavor infused and improved the cauliflower by a lot when you had with it. I had higher expectations for this dish. I will like to try it again and see if it is...

Do NOT dine here if you have any type of food allergies. We told our waiter multiple times about my nut allergy and to please leave the pine nuts off ALL the dishes. He repeated it back and even asked my husband if he had any additional allergies to be aware of. Then the hummus comes out with pine nuts on top - we sent it back - then the next dish comes out with pine nuts on top of it too. At this point I tell them to cancel the order as I can NOT take the risk of dining at an establishment that can not follow a simple direction about an allergy.

When the manager comes over to see what is happening we explain that not ONE but TWO dishes come out with pine nuts on top after we specifically said to leave them off due to an allergy. He just stared at us blankly and then walked away. Did NOT even apologize. Did NOT even say he will talk to the kitchen. He could care less that they tried to serve someone with a nut allergy TWO dishes with nuts on top. This could have ended very dangerously - thankfully pine nuts are noticeable on top and we saw them right away.

Again, do NOT dine here if you have any type of food allergies. The kitchen will not follow directions and the manager will not even care enough to apologize. Really dangerous - they should be embarrassed...