Sunny Side is an iconic restaurant, serving the Wahiawa community since 1977. It offers comfort food and freshly baked pies, especially their popular chocolate cream and peach-pear pies. Owners were the Niino and Shimonishi families that made this old school restaurant where the community congregated for breakfast each morning.
Here it becomes interesting. With the lease coming up for renewal, the owners closed the restaurant on 3/31/18 and decided to sell this business, together with its recipes, to its employees, Britania Fajardo and Evangeline Yuen. On 10/5/19, the employees opened up their own restaurant around the corner on California Ave., using the same recipes, under the name of Tanya's Pies and Grill.
The Niino and Shimonishi families had a change in heart and decided to reopen Sunny Side in the same location in July 2020, much to the surprise of everyone. Using their same recipes, here you have two different restaurants within a block away, serving the same menu items and freshly baked pies and using the same recipes. I guess this is good for competition, as well as having a sufficient inventory for customers, i.e., if one restaurant runs out, go to the other one for the same thing. While I haven't been to Tanya's, I would imagine either restaurant tweaking the recipes to make it their own; however, the recipes, as is, are what made Sunny Side a part of the Wahiawa community.
This review is for Sunny Side, as I have eaten their menu items and their pies (I have yet to visit Tanya's). Sunny Side excels in its breakfast menu, serving loco moco, pancakes, French toast, waffles, eggs Benedict, eggs with breakfast meats, and its popular fried rice special with one egg and hot dog. They also serve lunch items that include sandwiches (burgers, BLT, bacon/egg, mahi, teri beef) and plate lunches (chicken cutlet, liver and onions, fried noodles, teri chicken, pork chops, hamburger steak, teri steak, tonkatsu, mahi, fried shrimp). And you can't leave until you've tried their pies (apple, pear-peach, choc cream, blueberry cream, apple, banana, choc haupia).
Over the years when I was working in town, co-workers who had to do site visits in Wahiawa would always return to the office with Sunny Side pies to share with the office. It was a given that whoever went to Wahiawa, would always return with a pie, which we all devoured in no time!
We've tried the following:
* Fried rice. Excellent and tasty, non-oily fried rice with bits of bacon, spam, and green onions (optional). A winner in my books! Go early to get this, as our most recent visit there about one hour before closing, they ran out of their fried rice.
* Corned beef hash with egg. Great proportion of corned beef to the potatoes and minced round onions! Generous, thick portion that was excellent in taste! Optional gravy over hash, and surprisingly good!
* BBQ hamburger. Thick homemade burger that was soft and flavorful with a teri sauce.
* Pear-peach pie. Although canned pears and peaches are used, this pie is excellent in taste, not overly sweet, and holds up well. Double crusted, so very buttery and flaky crust when warmed up in a toaster oven.
* Chocolate cream pie. For chocolate lovers, so very creamy, not overly sweet, and flavorful with a buttery and flakey crust!
Counter staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu items. They are willing to accommodate any special requests. Go early to get their lunch specials and popular breakfast items, such as their fried rice, as they do sell out.
The restaurant interior is clean and well kept. Diners are respectful in cleaning up their tables after their meal. Nice, cozy and comfortable interior that seats about 30, with regulars oftentimes knowing each other in the community.
Prices are kept reasonable by minimum serving and bussing of tables. For dine-in, you order at the counter, then wait for your order after getting your table. Water in paper cups, utensils, napkins, and condiments are self-service. As your food orders are served on paper plates, you buss your own tables by disposing your own plates.
Hours of operation are from Tues to Sat, 6a to 2p, Sun closed. Free parking available fronting the restaurant in its own private lot. Located next to Fred Wright Park and across from the district courthouse.
Glad that Sunny Side found its way back into the Wahiawa community, as they have established themselves there for the past 77 years! Always a great stopover for brunch or for a pie when in Wahiawa! Support local! read more