New fast-casual restaurant brings Israeli cuisine to a historic Miami building

If you’ve got a craving for Israeli cuisine, Motek Café has you covered.

The new fast-casual concept comes from New York chef Einat Admony, the creator of the fine dining Middle Eastern restaurant Balaboosta and the falafel spot Taim. It serves Israeli favorites in a historic spot: downtown Miami’s Seybold building, famous for its family-owned jewelry shops.

Motek Café, now open on The Seybold’s first floor, is Admony’s first Miami restaurant. The Tel Aviv-born chef plans to source many of her ingredients locally, using bread from Miami Beach’s Bettant Bakery, hydroponic produce from Box Greens in Little Haiti and pastries from Caracas Bakery in Doral.

“Cooking is a way to express my love and compassion for those around me,” Einat said in a press release. “It is also a way to connect the past with the present and future. The flavors, the smells, the sounds, they flood me with memories and bring me instantly back to my childhood. And make me feel whole.”

The menu includes hummus bowls, sandwiches, burgers, salads and a variety of small plates.

Indoor dining is prohibited due to Miami-Dade County’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, but all items are available for takeout.

Motek Café

Where: 36 NE First St. Suite 132, Miami

Hours: Open for coffee and pastries 9-11 a.m.: lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.

This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 1:12 PM.