diff --git a/.storybook/preview.tsx b/.storybook/preview.tsx
index 45415c2d447..e2ba33fff7d 100644
--- a/.storybook/preview.tsx
+++ b/.storybook/preview.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 import React from 'react';
 import type { Preview } from '@storybook/react';
+import { MINIMAL_VIEWPORTS } from '@storybook/addon-viewport';
 
 /*
  * Preload all EuiIcons - Storybook does not support dynamic icon loading
@@ -93,6 +94,9 @@ const preview: Preview = {
         date: /Date$/,
       },
     },
+    viewport: {
+      viewports: MINIMAL_VIEWPORTS,
+    },
   },
   // Due to CommonProps, these props appear on almost every Story, but generally
   // aren't super useful to test - let's disable them by default and (if needed)
diff --git a/src/components/side_nav/side_nav.stories.tsx b/src/components/side_nav/side_nav.stories.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fdbfae7c9e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/side_nav/side_nav.stories.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0 and the Server Side Public License, v 1; you may not use this file except
+ * in compliance with, at your election, the Elastic License 2.0 or the Server
+ * Side Public License, v 1.
+ */
+
+import React from 'react';
+import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react';
+
+import { EuiText } from '../text';
+
+import { EuiSideNav, EuiSideNavProps } from './side_nav';
+
+const meta: Meta<EuiSideNavProps> = {
+  title: 'EuiSideNav',
+  component: EuiSideNav,
+  decorators: [
+    (Story) => (
+      <div style={{ width: 200 }}>
+        {/* The side nav is visually easier to see with the width set */}
+        <Story />
+      </div>
+    ),
+  ],
+};
+
+export default meta;
+type Story = StoryObj<EuiSideNavProps>;
+
+const componentDefaults: EuiSideNavProps = {
+  mobileBreakpoints: ['xs', 's'],
+  items: [],
+  // mobileTitle does not have defaults; they are being set here as they are shared between examples
+  mobileTitle: 'Mobile navigation header',
+  isOpenOnMobile: false,
+};
+
+const sharedSideNavItems = [
+  {
+    name: 'Has nested children',
+    id: 'normal_children',
+    items: [
+      {
+        name: 'Child 1',
+        id: 'child_1',
+        items: [
+          {
+            name: 'Selected item',
+            id: 'selected_item',
+            onClick: () => {},
+            isSelected: true,
+            items: [],
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Has forceOpen: true',
+    id: 'force_open',
+    forceOpen: true,
+    items: [
+      {
+        name: 'Child 3',
+        id: 'child_3',
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Children only without link',
+    id: 'children_only',
+    onClick: undefined,
+    items: [
+      {
+        name: 'Child 4',
+        id: 'child_4',
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+];
+
+export const Playground: Story = {
+  args: {
+    ...componentDefaults,
+    heading: 'Elastic',
+    headingProps: { element: 'h1', screenReaderOnly: false },
+    items: sharedSideNavItems,
+  },
+};
+
+export const MobileSideNav: Story = {
+  args: {
+    ...componentDefaults,
+    isOpenOnMobile: true,
+    items: sharedSideNavItems,
+    mobileTitle: 'Toggle isOpenOnMobile in the controls panel',
+  },
+  argTypes: {
+    // This story demos the side nav on smaller screens; removing other props to streamline controls
+    'aria-label': { table: { disable: true } },
+    heading: { table: { disable: true } },
+    headingProps: { table: { disable: true } },
+    items: { table: { disable: true } },
+    renderItem: { table: { disable: true } },
+    truncate: { table: { disable: true } },
+  },
+  parameters: {
+    viewport: {
+      defaultViewport: 'mobile1',
+    },
+  },
+};
+
+export const RenderItem: Story = {
+  args: {
+    ...componentDefaults,
+    renderItem: ({ children }) => <EuiText color="accent">{children}</EuiText>,
+    items: [
+      {
+        name: 'Kibana',
+        id: 'kibana',
+      },
+      {
+        name: 'Observability',
+        id: 'observability',
+      },
+      {
+        name: 'Security',
+        id: 'security',
+        renderItem: ({ children }) => (
+          <EuiText color="success">{children}</EuiText>
+        ),
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+  argTypes: {
+    // This story demos the renderItem prop; removing other props to streamline controls
+    'aria-label': { table: { disable: true } },
+    heading: { table: { disable: true } },
+    headingProps: { table: { disable: true } },
+    toggleOpenOnMobile: { table: { disable: true } },
+    isOpenOnMobile: { table: { disable: true } },
+    mobileBreakpoints: { table: { disable: true } },
+    mobileTitle: { table: { disable: true } },
+    truncate: { table: { disable: true } },
+  },
+};