Grill Restaurant in Side — Real Charcoal BBQ Meat & Fish at Hawaii

You can usually tell a real grill restaurant before you even sit down. It's the smell — charcoal and searing meat drifting down the lane — and the sound of fat hitting hot coals. In the heart of Side old town, that trail leads to Hawaii Restaurant & Bar, where a genuine wood fire and charcoal grill has been the beating heart of the kitchen since 2000. No gas shortcut, no flavour piped in from a bottle. Just fire, coals, and food cooked over them the way it should be.

If you've searched for the "best grill in Side" or a proper "BBQ restaurant" near your hotel, this page is the honest run-through of everything that comes off that single flame — so you know exactly what to order before you book.

One real fire, cooking across the whole menu

Plenty of places grill one or two headline dishes and microwave the rest. At Hawaii, the charcoal grill isn't a gimmick tucked in a corner — it's the method the kitchen is built around, and it touches almost every savoury section of the menu. Ingredients are prepped fresh daily, then finished over the coals to order. That's why the same fire that chars a lamb chop also blisters the skin on a whole sea bass minutes later.

Here's what that actually means when you're choosing:

• Lamb, done properly. Lamb chops with that crisp, smoky edge and pink centre, or lamb skewers threaded and turned over the coals. If lamb is your reason for coming, it's a strong one.
• Turkish grill classics. Şiş kebab, hand-shaped Köfte, and chicken skewers all come off the same fire. For a proper spread, the Mixed Grills (for two) is built to share — a good way to taste several grilled cuts on one board.
• Steaks off the coals. This is where a charcoal grill earns its keep. Beef steak, fillet, and the big T-bone (450 gr) are seared over live fire, which is exactly why the crust tastes the way it does.
• Grilled fish and seafood. Sea bass, black bream and trout are grilled whole; prawns come off sizzling. Clean, simple, and let the fire do the talking.

If you want to go deeper on any of these, we've written proper guides: the wood fire and charcoal grill method explains why live-fire cooking tastes different, the mixed grill for the table breaks down what's on the board, and the grilled fish guide helps you pick between sea bass, bream and trout.

Steak, kebab or fish — how to choose

People walk in wanting three different things, and the fire handles all of them. Quick honest steers:

If you want a serious steak

Go for the fillet or the T-bone. A charcoal grill gives beef a depth you don't get from a flat-top, and cooking it to your liking is half the craft — our steak cooking levels guide is worth a two-minute read so you can tell the waiter exactly how you like it. For a special occasion, the Chateaubriand for two is a proper share-plate centrepiece.

If you want the local flavour

This is Turkey — the grilled kebabs are the heart of it. Şiş kebab, Köfte, chicken skewers and lamb skewers all deliver that smoky char. Read our Turkish kebab atlas if you want to understand the difference between the styles before you order.

If you'd rather have fish

A whole grilled sea bass or bream, skin crisp from the coals, is one of the most underrated orders in the old town. Light, fresh, and unmistakably cooked over fire rather than fried.

Why book Hawaii for your grill night in Side

We're in the middle of Side old town, open every day from 10:00 to 02:00, all year round — so whether it's a late lunch after the beach or a proper dinner after sunset, the grill is lit. A few practical things that matter when you're planning:

• Groups and celebrations. Bigger table, birthday, or a group who all want something different off the fire? We host group dinners and birthday events — and a mixed grill board is the easiest way to feed a hungry table.
• Getting here is easy. We offer free round-trip hotel pickup from selected hotels, plus an affordable two-way transfer for hotels a little further out. See how the free hotel pickup works.
• Grilled to go. Prefer to eat in? Charcoal-grilled food travels well — takeaway and delivery to nearby areas are always available.

A word of honesty, because it matters: we serve alcohol and pork on the menu, so we don't market ourselves as a halal kitchen — if that's important to you, just tell your waiter and they'll point you to the plainly grilled meat and fish. Same goes for any dietary needs: the kitchen advises straight, and simple grilled cuts or a fresh salad are always an option. We never invent prices either, so check the live menu or ask when you sit down.

Hungry now? The fire's already going. Reserve your table at /reservation/ or message us on WhatsApp at +90 533 930 12 83 — tell us how many you are and roughly when, and we'll have a spot ready by the grill.