Where to Eat in Side Tonight: The Honest Local Guide (2026)

It is 18:30, everyone is showered and hungry, and someone has just asked the eternal holiday question: "so… where are we eating tonight?" Side's restaurant streets all shout at once. This page is the quiet answer.

We will be honest about who we are: this guide is written by Hawaii Restaurant & Bar, cooking in Side since 2000. But it is organised around your craving, not our ego — and one kitchen that does many things well is exactly what a mixed table needs.

"We want steak."

Side's steak scene is a minefield of frozen shortcuts. You want a kitchen with a real steak section: ours runs from Fillet Mignon to a 450g T-bone, with the classic sauces made properly. Start with the best steak guide.

"We want real Turkish food."

Then you want charcoal, clay pots and a menu that goes past "kebab, chips, salad": şiş, köfte, lamb chops, Ottoman kebab and the table-side theatre of the Testi kebab. Full tour in the Turkish food guide.

"The kids just want pizza."

Perfect — fifteen pizzas, a dedicated Kids Pizza, and children's cocktails named Spider Man and Barbie. The family pizza night guide has the tactics.

"Something from the sea."

Grilled sea bass, black bream, trout, prawns, calamari and a mixed sea plate for two — the Mediterranean is fifty metres away and it shows on the menu.

"We're craving curry, actually."

The quiet surprise of our kitchen: chicken tikka masala, korma, curry, Bombay — proper comfort for British palates — plus a Mexican corner of fajitas, burritos and nachos.

"Just drinks and a vibe."

Thirty-plus cocktails (Blue Hawaii, obviously), Turkish wines, cold Efes, and karaoke — see the cocktail bar guide.

The one-table-fits-all answer

The real reason mixed groups end up at Hawaii: nobody has to compromise. Steak for one, testi for two, pizza for the kids, curry for the homesick, veggie pot for the vegetarian — one kitchen, one bill, zero arguments. Open daily 10:00–02:00 in the heart of Side — book your table.

And getting here? Handled.

One more reason the answer keeps being Hawaii: free hotel pickup from selected hotels (round trip included) and affordable two-way transfers from farther along the coast — plus takeaway and nearby delivery for balcony nights. Whatever tonight's craving, the logistics are no longer part of the decision.