Best Lamb in Side — Lamb Chops, Skewers & Slow-Cooked Casserole | Hawaii Restaurant

If you've come to Turkey and you're on the hunt for lamb done properly — smoky, tender, cooked over real fire and not just microwaved out the back — Side's old town is the right place to be looking. The tricky part is that "lamb" on a menu can mean five completely different things, and a first-timer often orders the wrong one for the mood they're in. This page fixes that. Here's every lamb dish we actually cook at Hawaii Restaurant & Bar, how each cut behaves, and how to pick the one you'll be happy you ordered.

Why lamb tastes better over charcoal

Lamb has more fat marbled through it than chicken, and that fat is where the flavour lives. Cook it over a real wood fire and charcoal grill — which is exactly what we do — and that fat renders, drips, flares, and coats the meat in a smoky char you simply cannot fake on a gas hob or in an oven. That's the whole reason Hawaii's open grill sits at the heart of the kitchen. We prepare fresh ingredients daily and cook lamb to order, so it reaches your table hot off the coals rather than sitting under a lamp. If the smoke and the sizzle are half the reason you travelled, our wood fire and charcoal grill is the page to read next.

The three ways we cook lamb

Lamb chops — the ones to order if you love a char

Lamb chops are the connoisseur's pick. Small cutlets on the bone, laid straight over the coals, so you get crisp charred edges and pink, juicy meat inside. There's a bit of chew, a bit of fat to gnaw off the bone, and that deep grilled flavour lamb-lovers chase. If you eat lamb whenever you can find it, order the lamb chops and don't overthink it.

Lamb skewers — the easy, everyone-loves-it choice

Our lamb skewers (şiş) are cubes of lamb threaded onto a skewer and char-grilled, so each piece gets colour on the outside while staying tender in the middle. No bones to work around, easy to share off the skewer, and a reliable crowd-pleaser. This is the one to point first-timers and slightly nervous eaters toward — it's grilled lamb at its most straightforward and satisfying. Skewers also sit nicely alongside our wider Turkish kebab line-up if you're deciding between styles.

Lamb casserole — for the cold evening or the slow eater

Grilling isn't the only way. Our lamb casserole is slow-cooked so the meat turns meltingly soft and soaks up its sauce — a completely different experience to the fire-charred chops and skewers. It's the comforting, spoon-and-fork option, ideal on a cooler Side evening or when you want something that falls apart rather than something you bite into. Same lamb, gentler method, richer result.

Two more lamb options worth knowing

Beyond those three, our menu carries a lamb special among the house specialities — ask your waiter what's on it that day. And if you're at the table with someone and can't agree, the Mixed Grills (For 2) brings lamb together with other grilled cuts on one big sharing plate. It's the peacemaker order. For couples who want the full grill-table experience, our mixed grill guide breaks down what lands on the platter.

"But do you serve İskender / Adana kebab?"

Fair question, because those are two of the most searched lamb dishes in Turkey — so let's be straight with you. Hawaii does not serve İskender or Adana kebab. We didn't want you arriving expecting one and being disappointed. What we do exceptionally well is grilled lamb over charcoal: chops, skewers, casserole and the sharing mixed grill above. If a proper İskender is genuinely what your heart is set on tonight, we'd honestly rather you knew now. But if what you actually want is real lamb cooked over real fire, you're in exactly the right place. For the wider picture of Turkish grill culture, our Turkish food guide for tourists and our best Turkish restaurant in Side pages are both worth a look.

How to build the meal around your lamb

Start with something off the grill or the meze side — garlic mushroom, deep fried sheep cheese, or a mixed meze plate all set the tone. A crisp Greek salad or the goat cheese salad with walnut and honey cuts nicely through rich lamb. And a Turkish red — a Kavaklıdere Yakut, say — is the classic partner; browse the options in our Turkish wine guide. We won't quote prices here because they change, so check the live menu or just ask your waiter — they'll steer you right, including on portion sizes for sharing.

Come and eat lamb in the heart of Side old town

We've been grilling on 512. Sk. in Side old town since 2000, open every day from 10:00 to 02:00, year-round. Staying a little further out? We offer free hotel pickup from selected hotels (round trip) and an affordable two-way transfer for hotels further afield — details on our free hotel pickup page. Fancy an evening of it? There's a happy hour daily from 19:00 to 20:00 on selected drinks, live sport on the screens, and a karaoke bar once you've eaten.

Do yourself one favour: book a table before you come. Side old town fills up fast in season and the charcoal grill is popular. Reserve on our reservation page or message us on WhatsApp at +90 533 930 12 83 — tell us how many you are and we'll have the coals ready.