Motek Opening in Former Maty’s and Itamae AO Spots in Midtown Miami

Mediterranean restaurant Motek is taking over the former locales of Maty’s and Itamae AO, award-winning restaurants in Midtown Miami that abruptly closed this summer. 

The 6,000-square-foot outpost at 3255 Northeast 1st Avenue will house a Motek restaurant as well as a Sesame bakery, another venture from Motek’s hospitality group, Happy Corner Hospitality. The restaurant and bakery are expected to open before the end of the year, according to Jared Robins and Nick Wax of Inhouse Commercial, who represented the tenant. 

The lease comes just a few months after Maty’s and Itamae AO, Peruvian concepts run by siblings Valerie Chang and Nando Chang, closed — even though the restaurants had garnered many accolades. Itamae AO earned a Michelin star this year, while Maty’s was featured on the best restaurants lists of both Bon Appetit and New York Times. Both siblings also won James Beard awards.  

A representative for the landlord, Sterling American Property, declined to comment.

For Motek, the deal marks its latest expansion since opening in Downtown Miami in 2020. The chain now counts eight locations. This year, the concept made its New York debut, opening a location in the Flatiron District. Two more are slated to open on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.