I moved to Whitemarsh Township in 1993 from West Philly, and the first restaurant that caught my attention was Bruno’s, a classic mix of a breakfast-and-lunch diner and Italian bistro. Bruno’s is located at the intersection of Germantown and Northwestern avenues, the official border between the city and Montgomery County. For me, the natural, easygoing friendliness of the restaurant is one of its hallmarks. Nothing fancy here, just good food, good people and good vibes.

The restaurant was started in 1989 by Tim Bruno, a Chestnut Hill native who can usually be found at the grill cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner — something he’s been doing for 37 years. His son Nick is also often at the grill these days. Bruno’s is currently honoring server Anne Marie Maletta, another Chestnut Hill native, who has been waiting on tables at the restaurant for 25 years.

“I look at [Tim Bruno] as my older brother and my friend,” Maletta said. “I’m grateful for Tim and his wife Darleen for 25 wonderful years and for becoming such good friends of mine.” Maletta’s nephew, Frankie, and her niece, Gianna, have joined their aunt as part of the crew at Bruno’s, both working at the restaurant on weekends.

Over the last 25 years, Maletta has witnessed her share of memorable moments. One of the most vivid was the day she waited on a young couple at Table 13 as Lionel Richie’s and Diana Ross’ “Endless Love” played on the lit-up old jukebox next to their table. “The next thing I know, the guy’s on his knees proposing,” Maletta said. “We all clapped. It was great.”

Then there’s the story about the special order at table A1. “The woman was really pregnant. She ordered cheese fries and a Coke,” Maletta said. Not long after biting down on that last gooey fry, the woman went into labor, right there at Bruno’s. The memory of that unforgettable day surfaced years later when a couple sat down in Maletta’s station and the woman was also very pregnant. “I told them of the earlier incident and, jokingly, suggested she order fries and a Coke — which she did,” Maletta said. “She went into labor after leaving the restaurant!

“I’ve had so many nice customers, here,” Maletta added. “I’ve been invited to weddings, funerals and birthday parties. Lots of good people! They’ve become good friends.”

The menu at Bruno’s includes the soup of the day, hoagies and sandwiches, wraps and salads. The Bruno’s Italian heritage comes out in a tasty line of pasta dishes like Vodka Rigatoni and Orecchiette alla Barese. Of course, Bruno’s offers a full line of breakfast meals, including the classic SOS, or creamed chip beef. And there’s The Father Casey Special: scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and sauce on a roll. Tim describes Father Casey as a wonderfully earthy priest who was a regular and taught at Chestnut Hill College, catty-corner from Bruno’s across Germantown Avenue. And we can’t forget Pasta Madness on Mondays to Thursdays after 4 p.m. where each table can get one free order of spaghetti and meatballs or cheese ravioli.

On a recent day at the restaurant, I asked a young man sitting at the bar how often he came to Bruno’s. It was his first time there, said Leo Greenberry, chief of staff for Bucks County state Rep. Brian Munroe, a Democrat. What was he doing here? Greenberry was on his way to a meeting in Conshohocken and, driving by, noticed the canvas banner on Germantown Avenue honoring Maletta’s 25 years at the restaurant. Here was a man clearly interested in politics and human issues, and a sign honoring 25 years of service made him stop in for a cup of coffee to check the place out.

When asked to elaborate, Greenberry referred, in the abstract, to “third places.” There was home and work, then there were third places “where people go to interact with each other. It’s something lacking in our society,” he said. With a smile, Greenberry described them as places meant to “maintain banter.” Simple human interaction. A sign recognizing a server’s 25 years of service was enough for this political fellow to drop in.

On the “drop-in” note, before it became Bruno’s in 1989, the restaurant was called the Dew Drop Inn. On a recent day at the restaurant, diner Jim Katona, Jr., an earthy philosophical sort of aging man with a full beard down to his chest, was sitting with a friend. Katona has a card announcing he goes by the title “Ambassador to the Spirit of Harmonius Cooperation.” Katona told me of the hitching post on Northwestern Avenue in front of the former Dew Drop Inn, to which he used to tie his horse to drop in and have a meal. Northwestern Horse Stables is across Northwestern Avenue from Bruno’s.

Once a week, you’ll find John and Glynnis Gradwell, of Norristown, dining at the restaurant. Sometimes, they bring their grandkids. “By now, they know what we like to order.” It was a Saturday when Lou Holod was eating in one of the restaurant booths. He owns and operates the old-school Holod’s Hardware store in Whitemarsh on Ridge Avenue. I go there often. I was at the bar and mentioned Maletta’s 25 years when, over my shoulder, I heard a dry comment: “She should get a trophy!” Dry humor seemed to be Holod’s style. I asked him why he liked Bruno’s and, true to form, he grinned wryly and said, “I love it. ... until they get on my nerves.” He added: “I come to get away from my customers.” That kind of ironic, affectionate humor seems normal at Bruno’s.

Jim Donofrio coaches the boys basketball team at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. He also teaches a 7:35 a.m. philosophy class at the high school where he’s challenged to help his students think wisely in these interesting times. Donofrio knew Tim Bruno when they were in college. The high school teacher/coach says he goes to Bruno’s “to decompress. It’s my little peace-of-mind hour,” he said. “There aren’t so many old-school neighborhood diners where everyone knows your name.”