diff --git a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.html b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d286695d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.html
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<li *ngFor="let item of items; let idx = index" class="menu-item"
+  ngClass="menu-item-level-{{item.level}}{{item.active ? ' active' : ''}}">
+  <label class="menu-item-header" [ngClass]="{disabled: !item.ready}" (click)="activateItem(item)"> {{item.name}}</label>
+  <ul *ngIf="item.items" class="menu-subitems">
+    <side-menu-items [items]="item.items" (activate)="activateItem($event)"> </side-menu-items>
+  </ul>
+</li>
diff --git a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.scss b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.scss
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f59ce73c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu-items.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+@import '../../shared/styles/variables';
+
+.menu-item-header {
+  cursor: pointer;
+  color: rgba($text-color, .6);
+  -webkit-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -moz-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -ms-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -o-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  display: block;
+  padding: $side-menu-item-vpadding*2.5 $side-menu-item-hpadding;
+
+  &[hidden] {
+    display: none;
+  }
+
+  &.disabled, &.disabled:hover {
+    cursor: default;
+    color: lighten($text-color, 60%);
+  }
+}
+
+.menu-item {
+  -webkit-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -moz-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -ms-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  -o-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
+  list-style: none inside none;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+
+.menu-item:hover,
+.menu-item.active {
+  background: darken($side-menu-active-bg-color, 6%);
+}
+
+.menu-subitems {
+  margin: 0;
+  font-size: 0.929em;
+  line-height: 1.2em;
+  font-weight: $light;
+  color: rgba($text-color, .9);
+  padding: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  height: 0;
+
+  .active > & {
+    height: auto;
+  }
+}
+
+.menu-item-level-0 {
+  > .menu-item-header {
+    font-family: $headers-font, $headers-font-family;
+    font-weight: $light;
+    font-size: $h5;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+  }
+
+  > .menu-item-header:hover,
+  &.active > .menu-item-header {
+    color: $primary-color;
+    background: $side-menu-active-bg-color;
+  }
+  &.active {
+    background: $side-menu-active-bg-color;
+  }
+}
+
+.menu-item-level-1 {
+  > .menu-item-header {
+    padding-left: 2*$side-menu-item-hpadding;
+  }
+
+  > .menu-item-header:hover,
+  &.active > .menu-item-header {
+    background: darken($side-menu-active-bg-color, 6%);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.html b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.html
index 3328bd3b..638ff025 100644
--- a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.html
+++ b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.html
@@ -7,17 +7,7 @@
 </div>
 <div #desktop id="resources-nav">
   <h5 class="menu-header"> API reference </h5>
-  <div *ngFor="let cat of categories; let idx = index" class="menu-cat">
-
-    <label class="menu-cat-header" (click)="activateAndScroll(idx, -1)" [hidden]="cat.headless"
-    [ngClass]="{active: cat.active, disabled: !cat.ready }"> {{cat.name}}</label>
-    <ul *ngIf="cat.methods.length" class="menu-subitems" [@itemAnimation]="cat.active ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed'">
-      <li *ngFor="let method of cat.methods; trackBy:summary; let methIdx = index"
-        [ngClass]="{active: method.active, disabled: !method.ready}"
-        (click)="activateAndScroll(idx, methIdx)">
-        {{method.summary}}
-      </li>
-    </ul>
-
-  </div>
+  <ul class="menu-root">
+    <side-menu-items [items]="menuItems" (activate)="activateAndScroll($event)"></side-menu-items>
+  </ul>
 </div>
diff --git a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.scss b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.scss
index 22144b21..2cd849c2 100644
--- a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.scss
+++ b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.scss
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ $mobile-menu-compact-breakpoint: 550px;
   box-sizing: border-box;
 }
 
+ul.menu-root {
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+
 .menu-header {
   text-transform: uppercase;
   color: $headers-color;
@@ -13,81 +18,6 @@ $mobile-menu-compact-breakpoint: 550px;
   margin: 10px 0;
 }
 
-.menu-cat-header {
-  font-size: $h5;
-  font-family: $headers-font, $headers-font-family;
-  font-weight: $light;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  color: rgba($text-color, .6);
-  text-transform: uppercase;
-  background-color: $side-bar-bg-color;
-  -webkit-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-  -moz-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-  -ms-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-  -o-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-  transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-  display: block;
-  padding: $side-menu-item-vpadding*2.5 $side-menu-item-hpadding;
-
-  &:hover,
-  &.active {
-    color: $primary-color;
-    background-color: $side-menu-active-bg-color;
-  }
-
-  &[hidden] {
-    display: none;
-  }
-
-  &.disabled, &.disabled:hover {
-    cursor: default;
-    color: lighten($text-color, 60%);
-  }
-}
-
-.menu-subitems {
-  margin: 0;
-  font-size: 0.929em;
-  line-height: 1.2em;
-  font-weight: $light;
-  color: rgba($text-color, .9);
-  padding: 0;
-  overflow: hidden;
-
-  &.active {
-    height: auto;
-  }
-
-  & li {
-    -webkit-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-    -moz-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-    -ms-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-    -o-transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-    transition: all .15s ease-in-out;
-    list-style: none inside none;
-    cursor: pointer;
-    background-color: $side-menu-active-bg-color;
-    padding: $side-menu-item-vpadding*2 $side-menu-item-hpadding*2;
-    padding-left: $side-menu-item-hpadding*2;
-    overflow: hidden;
-    text-overflow: ellipsis;
-  }
-
-  & li:hover,
-  & li.active {
-    background: darken($side-menu-active-bg-color, 6%);
-  }
-
-  &.disabled, &.disabled:hover {
-    cursor: default;
-    color: lighten($text-color, 60%);
-  }
-}
-
-
-.menu-subitems li.active {
-}
-
 .mobile-nav {
   display: none;
   height: 3em;
diff --git a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.ts b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.ts
index 63a36c59..fc3d1925 100644
--- a/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.ts
+++ b/lib/components/SideMenu/side-menu.ts
@@ -1,36 +1,50 @@
 'use strict';
 
-import { Component, ElementRef, ChangeDetectorRef, OnInit, OnDestroy } from '@angular/core';
+import { Component, EventEmitter, Input, Output, ElementRef, ChangeDetectorRef, OnInit, OnDestroy } from '@angular/core';
 
 //import { global } from '@angular/core/src/facade/lang';
 import { trigger, state, animate, transition, style } from '@angular/core';
 import { BaseComponent, SpecManager } from '../base';
 import { ScrollService, MenuService, OptionsService } from '../../services/index';
 import { BrowserDomAdapter as DOM } from '../../utils/browser-adapter';
-import { MenuCategory } from '../../services/schema-helper.service';
+import { MenuItem } from '../../services/schema-helper.service';
 
 const global = window;
 
+@Component({
+  selector: 'side-menu-items',
+  templateUrl: './side-menu-items.html',
+  styleUrls: ['./side-menu-items.css']
+})
+export class SideMenuItems {
+  @Input() items: MenuItem[];
+  @Output() activate = new EventEmitter<MenuItem>();
+
+  activateItem(item) {
+    this.activate.next(item);
+  }
+}
+
 @Component({
   selector: 'side-menu',
   templateUrl: './side-menu.html',
   styleUrls: ['./side-menu.css'],
   animations: [
-    trigger('itemAnimation', [
-      state('collapsed, void',
-        style({ height: '0px' })),
-      state('expanded',
-        style({ height: '*' })),
-      transition('collapsed <=> expanded', [
-        animate('200ms ease')
-      ])
-    ])
+    // trigger('itemAnimation', [
+    //   state('collapsed, void',
+    //     style({ height: '0px' })),
+    //   state('expanded',
+    //     style({ height: '*' })),
+    //   transition('collapsed <=> expanded', [
+    //     animate('200ms ease')
+    //   ])
+    // ])
   ],
 })
 export class SideMenu extends BaseComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
   activeCatCaption: string;
   activeItemCaption: string;
-  categories: Array<MenuCategory>;
+  menuItems: Array<MenuItem>;
 
   private options: any;
   private $element: any;
@@ -54,11 +68,10 @@ export class SideMenu extends BaseComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     this.menuService.changed.subscribe((evt) => this.changed(evt));
   }
 
-  changed(newItem) {
-    if (newItem) {
-      let {cat, item} = newItem;
-      this.activeCatCaption = cat.name || '';
-      this.activeItemCaption = item && item.summary || '';
+  changed(item) {
+    if (item) {
+      this.activeCatCaption = item.name || '';
+      this.activeItemCaption = item.parent && item.parent.name || '';
     }
 
     //safari doesn't update bindings if not run changeDetector manually :(
@@ -74,22 +87,19 @@ export class SideMenu extends BaseComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     if ($item) $item.scrollIntoView();
   }
 
-  activateAndScroll(catIdx, methodIdx) {
+  activateAndScroll(item) {
     if (this.mobileMode()) {
       this.toggleMobileNav();
     }
-    let menu = this.categories;
 
-    if (!menu[catIdx].ready) return;
-    if (menu[catIdx].methods && menu[catIdx].methods.length && (methodIdx >= 0) &&
-    !menu[catIdx].methods[methodIdx].ready) return;
+    //if (!this.flatItems[idx].ready) return; // TODO: move inside next statement
 
-    this.menuService.activate(catIdx, methodIdx);
+    this.menuService.activate(item.flatIdx);
     this.menuService.scrollToActive();
   }
 
   init() {
-    this.categories = this.menuService.categories;
+    this.menuItems = this.menuService.items;
 
     this.$mobileNav = DOM.querySelector(this.$element, '.mobile-nav');
     this.$resourcesNav = DOM.querySelector(this.$element, '#resources-nav');
diff --git a/lib/components/index.ts b/lib/components/index.ts
index ed445ecb..4b4ffc32 100644
--- a/lib/components/index.ts
+++ b/lib/components/index.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { RequestSamples } from './RequestSamples/request-samples';
 import { ResponsesList } from './ResponsesList/responses-list';
 import { ResponsesSamples } from './ResponsesSamples/responses-samples';
 import { SchemaSample } from './SchemaSample/schema-sample';
-import { SideMenu } from './SideMenu/side-menu';
+import { SideMenu, SideMenuItems } from './SideMenu/side-menu';
 import { MethodsList } from './MethodsList/methods-list';
 import { Method } from './Method/method';
 import { Warnings } from './Warnings/warnings';
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ import { Redoc } from './Redoc/redoc';
 export const REDOC_DIRECTIVES = [
   ApiInfo, ApiLogo, JsonSchema, JsonSchemaLazy, ParamsList, RequestSamples, ResponsesList,
   ResponsesSamples, SchemaSample, SideMenu, MethodsList, Method, Warnings, Redoc, SecurityDefinitions,
-  LoadingBar
+  LoadingBar, SideMenuItems
 ];
 
 export { ApiInfo, ApiLogo, JsonSchema, JsonSchemaLazy, ParamsList, RequestSamples, ResponsesList,
 ResponsesSamples, SchemaSample, SideMenu, MethodsList, Method, Warnings, Redoc, SecurityDefinitions,
-LoadingBar }
+LoadingBar, SideMenuItems }