Motek By The Sea, the beachfront edition of Charlie Levy's Mediterranean restaurant brand, is planned to open this November at the W Fort Lauderdale, taking over the former El Vez space at 401 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. The 12,000-square-foot restaurant — with 315 seats across indoor and outdoor areas overlooking Fort Lauderdale Beach — would mark the brand's first Broward County location, according to Motek's Instagram announcement.

Levy founded Motek as a single Miami location. Per the brand's Instagram, it has since grown to 10 locations across South Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Beach address extends that footprint north into Broward for the first time.

The space itself carries context. El Vez, a Mexican-concept restaurant, previously occupied the ground-floor footprint at the W. Motek's Mediterranean program represents a substantial directional shift for the room. At 12,000 square feet and 315 seats, the format is scaled for the hotel's resident traffic alongside the volume that Beach Boulevard foot traffic generates.

The menu is described in the announcement as Mediterranean-inspired. No additional detail — specific dishes, pricing structure, bar program, or culinary team — appeared in the Instagram post.

The dining layout spans indoor and outdoor seating, with views over Fort Lauderdale Beach. That oceanfront orientation places Motek By The Sea in a category of full-service beach dining that has historically seen high turnover on the strip; El Vez's departure from the W is itself part of that pattern.

For the Fort Lauderdale Beach corridor, the arrival of an operator with nine prior South Florida locations is a different proposition than a single-unit debut. A brand built across Miami arrives with a tested kitchen program and the supply-chain infrastructure that comes with running a multi-unit operation. How a Miami-rooted concept reads to the Beach Blvd audience — and how a 315-seat room performs opening in November, at the shoulder of peak season — will be the early metrics worth watching.

A November opening is the stated timeline per the Instagram announcement. No permit filing status or construction schedule was included in the post.