Margherita Pizza in Side: Tomato, Cheese and a 33cm Thin Crust at Hawaii

The Margherita at Hawaii Restaurant & Bar in Side old town is our simplest pizza: a thin, Italian-style 33cm crust topped with tomato and cheese, and nothing else. It comes from a kitchen that has fed Side since 2000, using ingredients brought in fresh every day — check today's price on the live menu.

Tomato and cheese — and that's the whole point

Order a Margherita here and the menu tells you everything: tomato and cheese. No hidden third topping, no drizzle of something fashionable. In Naples they would finish it with basil; our version stays with the two ingredients that actually decide whether a pizza is any good — the sauce and the melt.

That simplicity is exactly why it is the hardest pizza to get right. There is nowhere to hide. The base has to be right, and ours is thin, Italian-style, a full 33 centimetres across, so the tomato and cheese do the talking rather than a heavy layer of dough. The tomato has to taste of tomato, which is one reason the kitchen buys fresh ingredients daily rather than working out of a cold store. And the cheese has to melt into the sauce, not sit on top of it like a lid. Hawaii has been cooking in Side's old town since 2000, over real wood fire and charcoal, and the Margherita is the quiet benchmark of the pizza list: if you like this one, you will like the rest.

Who should order it — and when

The Margherita earns its keep with four kinds of eaters. Kids, first — next to the kids menu, it is the one order that rarely comes back half-eaten. Second, anyone skipping meat: tomato and cheese means there is no meat on this pizza at all, though we should be straight with you — we do not run a certified vegetarian or vegan menu, so tell the staff if your requirements are strict. Third, the purists who judge every pizzeria by its plainest pie before trusting it with anything more ambitious. And fourth, anyone who simply wants a lighter plate: a thin 33cm base is an easier eat than a deep, heavy pizza.

Timing is flexible because we are open every day from 10:00 to 02:00. It works as an easy lunch between the beach and the ruins, and just as well as a late plate when the karaoke stage is warming up and you realise dinner was a long time ago.

What to drink with a Margherita

A pizza this simple pairs with nearly everything, so choose by mood — a cold beer, a glass of wine, or something from the cocktail side of the bar. If you are firmly in holiday mode, browse the bar's signature cocktails or go the frozen cocktail route — about as unserious and enjoyable as dinner gets. Time your first round with Happy Hour, which runs daily from 19:00 to 20:00. The kids are covered too, with alcohol-free kids cocktails so nobody at the table is toasting with water. Whatever you land on, the live menu shows the current drinks list alongside today's prices.

Where it sits on the pizza list

Think of the Margherita as the front door to a much longer pizza section — all thin-crust, all 33cm. If you want to see the full line-up before committing, our pizza menu guide walks through it, and there is more background on why we bake them thin at 33cm. Meat-free eaters can go well beyond tomato and cheese — see our vegetarian pizza and veggie food guide. If you are feeding a table of mixed ages, a Margherita or two anchors a proper family pizza night. And if you are still weighing us against every other oven in town, here is our case for the best pizza in Side.

Prices, tables and getting here

Prices move with the seasons, so we do not print them on this page — the live menu always shows today's numbers. You will find us on 512. Sk. in Side old town, open daily 10:00–02:00. If you have a particular evening or time in mind, it is worth a moment to book a table. Staying in one of the selected pickup hotels? Hotel pickup there and back is free; from farther out we run an affordable two-way transfer. And if tonight is a balcony night, takeaway and nearby delivery are both available. Message us on WhatsApp at +90 533 930 12 83 to order, book, or arrange your pickup.