Regulars at The Square, Sunninghill, remember the Mozambik years; the peri peri smell drifting across the parking lot, and the Friday nights that ran late. When the restaurant closed, the corner felt empty in the way that a suburb feels when its local goes dark. Comida has since moved in, redone the space and given Sunninghill its neighbourhood meeting spot back.

The name means food in Spanish and Portuguese, and the pitch on the restaurant’s website is disarmingly plain: “a neighbourhood spot for good food, great drinks and zero fuss”. The menu leans coastal, with fresh seafood, Mediterranean small plates and cocktails, alongside the comfort dishes that Johannesburg diners refuse to give up. Oxtail and lamb shank sit on the same page as baby kingklip in lemon butter, creamy mussels and baked prawns, and the chicken wings have already picked up a following among the after work crowd.

The redesign is modern and warm rather than showy, and the restaurant lists itself as child friendly, with live sport on the screens and live entertainment on selected nights. You’ll find that the staff get named in online reviews, which is rare, and is usually a good sign. Diners describe them as attentive, and quick to make a fuss over a birthday.

Comida also runs a second branch at Eastgate, but the Sunninghill site is the one that fills from the surrounding office parks at lunch, and the townhouse complexes at night. Trading runs to 23h00 on most nights and to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and bookings go through Dineplan or the restaurant directly.

Comida Restaurant & Bar is at The Square, Sunninghill (the former Mozambik site). Tel 072 237 8557. Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11h00 to 23h00, Friday and Saturday 11h00 to midnight.