Comedor opened in July with a splash, placing a serious marker on the Sydney dining map with rave reviews and a chef’s hat. Five months later – and following staff resignations – the Newtown restaurant has closed, with a reopening date yet to be set.

Diners looking to check out the hot new arrival last weekend were met with a warning on the restaurant’s Instagram account: “Comedor is remaining closed until further notice. We sincerely apologise to those who had bookings, and look forward to welcoming you again very soon.”

What happened? Head chef Alejandro Huerta says he followed his kitchen crew out the door. “I was happy with what we achieved, but it wasn’t a great place to work. It was a heartbreaking experience, not an easy decision to make.”

Huerta claims all but one member of the kitchen team resigned. A spokeswoman for Comedor owner Walt Shellshear insists it was “just two chefs that left”.

In a statement given to The Sydney Morning Herald, Shellshear says he’s proud of what Comedor has achieved. “Right now, we are taking time to reassess next steps and plan out 2025. The new year will see an exciting new team and everything will be revealed in due time, once locked in.”

Comedor started with a bang, with its warehouse setting, clever interiors and excellent acoustics impressing The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide editor Callan Boys. And there was Huerta’s quirky Mexican cooking, with some Japanese and Italian influences thrown in. Dishes such as linguine with aged cheese sauce and pork tonkatsu cutlet on salsa verde contributed to its impressive 15/20 score.

Shellshear wouldn’t be drawn on Comedor’s future cuisine or whether it would revisit Mexican flavours.

Huerta, who previously worked at Paddington’s mezcal-fuelled El Primo Sanchez, says he’s looking for a project where he can reboot his cooking.