What is the food like at all-inclusive hotels in Side, Turkey?

One August 2026 report says fish-themed days occur twice a week and have an especially large selection: around 20 types of fish appetizers, including red caviar. The caviar and tuna tartare are portion-served; seafood is also available on regular days, but with a smaller range.

There is a separate seafood à la carte restaurant. The soup with squid, fish and shrimp was just average, but the vegetable-and-shrimp roll, steak, and hot halva with ice cream were excellent. Kids get a separate menu (fries, nuggets). Downside: dirty cutlery and tablecloth.

Per a September 2025 report, the hotel has many dining venues, and à la carte restaurants require no reservation — guests can visit them every day if they want.

Lightly salted red fish, previously served daily at breakfast in past seasons, was not available this year.

Lunch is available not only in the main restaurant but also at an outdoor spot on Side street outside the hotel, plus a separate on-site pizzeria.

A 2026 report notes that lunch and dinner daily offer a choice of 3-4 ready-made fish dishes, plus fish from a tray is grilled to order in front of guests — fresh and tasty, with no queues.

No packaged yogurts at breakfast, only served from a shared bowl. The 'porridge' is actually cereal flakes soaked in warm milk rather than cooked.

Meat is available at lunch if you look for it: a steamed meat dish is always present, vegetable dishes are often cooked with meat, and fish can be found among cold appetizers; grilled fish sometimes appears at lunch too, though dinner has a better selection. Near the end of the stay, the kids' area was expanded with tables of fruits and vegetables, plus canned peaches added at breakfast.

According to 2026 reports, options for picky young children can be limited: guests did not find familiar items such as omelettes, syrniki-style pancakes, plain sausages, single-serve yogurts, borscht, or cutlets. The à la carte children’s menu was mainly Bolognese pasta, creamy chicken pasta, and pizza; some children largely ate cereal, bread and butter, Nutella pancakes, and macaroni with cheese.

The Mediterranean à la carte restaurant received a poor review: the shrimp were described as very small and served with a processed-cheese-style sauce, and the guests went to the main restaurant afterwards to eat. Do not set high expectations for seafood there.

Fish availability appears to vary considerably by stay. Some 2026 guests found dorado, sea bass, and trout daily, with baked salmon on Mondays; others saw fish only twice in 10 days and advise arriving within the first hour before popular dishes run out. For fish, it is best to go at the start of dinner.

One 2026 report says the Turkish and fish-themed evenings were held on Fridays. The fish dinner included tasty shrimp and squid, but crayfish and mussels shown in older photos were not served during that stay; the sushi was considered mostly vegetable-based and underwhelming.

Recent 2024–2025 reports say breakfast now includes fresh-squeezed orange juice, plus assorted carton juices. This conflicts with older reports that said no fresh juice was available.

Some guests report that the hotel has a dedicated diet section in addition to the regular buffet.

Next to the main restaurant, a separate sushi station operates from 19:00 in the evening: about 6 types are served, with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger. On one day, guests also reported an Asian-themed dinner with rolls, ramen, and rice.

Newer reports link the seafood dinner to Wednesday rather than Thursday: shrimp, crayfish, squid, and other seafood are set out outside, suggesting the themed seafood night may have shifted.

According to recent reports, the pool snack bar stays open until 16:00; besides burgers, it also serves waffles and stuffed baked potatoes, along with sides, meat, fries, and fruit.

Breakfast includes salmon and around 4 types of salted fish, a wide variety of cheeses, pastries, and good ham. In a previous season, avocado, red fish, caprese salad, and eggs benedict were also served — but not from the start of breakfast, appearing later on a separate round table near the entrance.

Food is varied overall: meat (chicken, turkey, beef), side dishes (rice, bulgur, spaghetti), soups (lentil, tomato). Downsides: meat is heavily over-salted, and the breakfast rice porridge is tasteless. Fruits include watermelon, melon, banana, apple, pear, plum, and peach. Fruit juices are very good. The snack bar serves pizza and self-assembled burgers. Ayran is available. Desserts are plentiful but oddly served only at dinner.

A 24-hour café operates on site, useful if you miss the main lunch. Standout dishes there include a tuna salad and a flatbread with cheese. Desserts in the main restaurant are varied and well-regarded.

The grill zone is highlighted as one of the strongest parts of the food offering. Grilled fish and seafood are available daily, though red fish and large shrimp may appear only once in 10 days or on special occasions.

Cheeses and olives at breakfast are heavily over-salted. The children's dining area is an exception, serving unsalted cheese. Bar cocktails are diluted with powdered juice (Yupi) instead of real juice. Freshly squeezed juices are not available.

Gözleme (Turkish flatbread pancakes) are available at the Benjamin bar in the second building. The bar operates until 2 a.m. and serves ice cream in the evenings.

Thursday dinner turned out very seafood-heavy: grilled trout, large decorated whole fish, marinated anchovies, smoked trout, shrimp salad, squid salad, fried calamari rings, a shrimp terrine with a jelly topping, and seafood rice. A wide variety of seafood in multiple preparations.