Sunny Side may not be your grandma’s kitchen, but it has been serving the same local, homestyle dishes at its current location in Wahiawa since 1977. Housed in a small one-level building set back from the road, it’s easy to pass by without noticing, but loyal customers continue to keep the staff busy.

Co-owner Britania Fajardo said some of those customers have been coming for so long that some of them notice if an ingredient is missing from their favorite dish.

>> About the business: Fajardo, Evangeline Yden and Ariel Hidalgo bought this Wahiawa fixture from its previous owners, the Shimonishi family, in 2008. All three were longtime employees before they took over. Fajardo had been there since 1997, Yden since 1995 and Hidalgo since 2002.

“All of the employees are longtimers,” Fajar­do said. “Some of the cooks have been here for 20, 25 years. I worked with them before taking over. It’s like a family.”

Sunny Side employs about 22 full- and part-time workers, she added.

The staff has gotten to know many of its customers over the years, photos of local athletes adorn the restaurant’s back wall and the day’s specials are handwritten on a whiteboard hung against the window.

All of this helps add to the lived-in, hole-in-the-wall charm of the place.

>> About the food: As part of the agreement made when they took over the restaurant, Fajardo said, they continue to honor the recipes put in place by the previous owners. They have added some Filipino dishes, but the original menu — fried rice, mahimahi, hamburgers, teriyaki beef and more — remains in place.

For breakfast, Fajardo said the bestseller is the fried rice plate — a heaping scoop of rice with eggs prepared to order and a choice of breakfast meat ($6). French toast and the short stack are also popular options, for those who prefer sweet to savory.

For lunch, she said, many customers enjoy the hamburger steak and teri-beef plates. Pork adobo — one of the dishes added to the menu — has also proved popular. Plates run $8 to $9. The many sandwich options — from mahimahi to grilled cheese, hotdogs and hamburgers — are convenient to eat on the go.

>> What else to order: Sunny Side is also known for its pies, available whole ($10) or by the slice ($1.50). The chocolate cream pie is the bestseller, followed closely by a peach and pear combo, and a world-class banana pie. As with the rest of the menu items, the staff follows the same recipes that the previous owners used in 1977.

>> How to order: Bring cash. Sunny Side does not accept credit cards. It gets busy during breakfast and lunch, and when games and other events are held at the neighboring Wahiawa District Park.

Takeout orders are made at the window facing the parking lot. Those dining in order inside, claim a table, then return to the counter to pick up their food. Phoning ahead for the daily specials and available pie flavors is a good idea.

>> Grab and go: Sunny Side is across the street from the First District Court in Wahiawa. It has a small parking lot with about a dozen stalls, an indoor dining area with about 10 tables and three more tables outside.

Grab and Go focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.