Mediterranean Restaurant Motek Takes Over Midtown’s Rue 57 Space
By Larry Getlen November 4, 2025 2:55 pm
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Miami-based Mediterranean restaurant Motek will be opening its fourth New York City outlet this spring after signing a lease for 6,700 square feet at 60 West 57th Street, the former site of Rue 57.
The New York Post was first to report on the lease for the space at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 57th Street.
Motek, which is Hebrew for “sweetheart,” has developed a strong following for its kosher-style recipes and dishes made without seed oils. Developed by Happy Corner Hospitality, the burgeoning chain has been making rapid moves into New York City.
“Miami is often called the sixth borough of New York, so expanding here feels like a natural next step,” Charlie Levy, Motek’s co-founder, said in a release on the restaurant’s website. “We’ve built a loyal following in Florida, and, after countless requests to bring Motek to New York, now is the right time.”
In April 2025, Commercial Observer reported that Motek, which debuted in Downtown Miami in 2020 and has since spread throughout South Florida, was about to open its first New York City location in 7,000-square-feet over two levels at 928 Broadway in the Flatiron District.
Then, in August, the company announced two more new outlets in New York City: one in the Arthouse Hotel at 2178 Broadway on the Upper West Side, and one at 168-170 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as CO reported at the time.
The company’s website also notes that Motek will be opening Sesame Bakery, a “fast-casual bakery concept with Mediterranean flair,” in Battery Park.
Motek worked with design firm SZProjects on the look of its Flatiron outlet. It is unclear whether the firm worked on the other restaurants as well. SZProjects did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The length of the newest lease and the asking rent were unclear. Average asking rent for Manhattan retail corridors in the third quarter of 2025 was $671 per square foot.
The brokers on the deal were also unclear. Jared Robins of Inhouse Commercial was part of teams representing Motek on all of its previous New York City leases this year. Robins and Happy Corner did not immediately respond to requests for information.
Rue 57, which had occupied two floors at the location since 2000, closed in April when its lease was not renewed, according to Upper West Side local paper The Spirit.
The once-hot restaurant reportedly had trouble reviving after a COVID shutdown in 2020. In January 2025, paperwork filed with the state indicated Rue 57 would be shutting down in April, providing the reasons for closure as “COVID-19” and “economic.” Sixty workers were laid off at the time.
Larry Getlen can be reached at lgetlen@commercialobserver.com.
