Is Hawaii Restaurant Halal? The Honest Answer

Yes — the meat and chicken at Hawaii Restaurant & Bar in Side are halal (halal slaughter). Pork is cooked only when a guest specifically asks for it, in a separate area with dedicated equipment to prevent cross-contamination. We're a Muslim-family-friendly kitchen — but also a bar that serves alcohol, so here's the honest, full picture.

If you're a Muslim traveller planning a meal in Side old town, you want a clear answer before you book a table or a hotel pickup — not a vague brochure line. So here it is, plainly. Since 2000 we've run a busy grill kitchen in the heart of Side, open every day 10:00–02:00, and we'd rather earn your trust with the truth than lose it with a claim we can't stand behind.

Our meat and chicken are halal

This is the part most guests are really asking about, and the answer is straightforward: all the meat and chicken we serve is halal, prepared from halal slaughter (helal kesim). That covers the plates our kitchen is built around — the charcoal-grilled lamb, the Turkish grill classics, and the chicken dishes.

• Lamb — lamb chops and lamb skewers, off our real wood fire and charcoal grill. If lamb is your reason for coming, our best lamb in Side guide walks through the cuts.
• Turkish grill — Şiş kebab, hand-shaped Köfte, Testi (clay-pot) kebab and chicken skewers, all cooked over the coals. See the Turkish kebab atlas for the full spread.
• Chicken — from grilled chicken fillet to Tikka Masala, Korma and Chicken Kiev. Our chicken dishes guide covers them.
• Seafood — whole grilled sea bass, black bream, trout and sizzling prawns are simple single-ingredient plates; the grilled fish guide helps you choose.

How we handle pork — separate area, on request only

We're honest that pork is on the wider menu for guests who want it. But it isn't part of the everyday kitchen line. Pork is prepared only when a guest specifically requests it, in a separate cooking area, with its own dedicated equipment and pans. That separation exists precisely to prevent any cross-contamination with the halal meat and chicken the rest of the kitchen is cooking.

In practice, this means the charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, kebabs and fresh fish that most of our Muslim guests order are never cooked alongside pork. If strict separation matters to you, that's exactly why we've set the kitchen up this way — and you're always welcome to ask your waiter to confirm how your specific plate is made. Our team is used to these questions and will answer you straight.

The honest part: we're also a bar

Here's the transparency that protects you from any surprise at the table. Hawaii is a restaurant and a bar, and we do serve alcohol — beer, wine, spirits and 30+ cocktails. So the accurate way to describe us is "halal meat and chicken, with fully separated pork prep on request," and genuinely Muslim-family-friendly — not a strictly alcohol-free, third-party certified-halal venue. We don't hold a formal halal certification; what we can tell you honestly is our own kitchen's practice, which is that our meat and chicken are halal and pork is kept fully separate.

Some house and international dishes may also be finished with a splash of wine or spirits in the sauce. If that matters to you, just say so — we'll point you to a plate cooked without alcohol, or grill something simple to order. The safest bets are the grilled meats, kebabs, chicken skewers and fresh fish, which are cooked plainly over the coals.

Alcohol-free drinks for the whole table

You don't have to drink to enjoy the evening. We make a proper range of alcohol-free cocktails and mocktails — the alcohol-free kids' cocktails are fun for adults too — plus fresh orange juice, soft drinks, Turkish çay and a full line of coffees. A table of guests who aren't drinking never feels out of place here.

Coming as a Muslim family

We're a genuinely family restaurant in Side, with a full kids' menu, alcohol-free kids' cocktails, and a hygienic, family-safe kitchen. Getting here is easy: we offer free round-trip hotel pickup from selected hotels and an affordable two-way transfer from further out — details on our hotel pickup page. We serve Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Sorgun, Titreyengöl, Gündoğdu, Ilıca and Manavgat.

The bottom line

Our meat and chicken are halal; pork is cooked only on request in a fully separate area with its own equipment; and we're a warm, Muslim-family-friendly room — while being upfront that we're also a bar that serves alcohol. If you keep to the charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, kebabs and fresh fish, choose alcohol-free drinks, and ask your waiter when in doubt, you'll eat well and with full peace of mind. New to the area? Start with our guide to the best restaurant in Side.

Want to check a specific dish before you come? Message us on WhatsApp at +90 533 930 12 83 and we'll answer honestly, browse the full live menu, or reserve your table and tell us your requirements when you book — we're happy to help you order well.