Stand aside sangria, roll over Rioja. The typical tipples and drinking customs of Spain are about to be rivalled by an import that has as much in common with the Mediterranean as pease pudding and horseradish.
Wetherspoons opened its first overseas pub this week, and it clearly knows its market: the newest opening can be found inside Alicante airport, one of the most popular arrival and departure points in Spain for British holidaymakers.
It’s a curious expansion into Europe from ‘Spoons owner Tim Martin. But while his cheap pints and bargain breakfasts have their admirers, even the most committed ‘Spoons lover would be hard pushed to claim that the brand represents the finest example of what a traditional boozer can offer a weary traveller.
Here, then, are a dozen more British pubs – far from the White Cliffs of Dover – which go that extra mile to create both a little bit of Blighty for homesick travellers, and a novel experience for any curious locals who simply have to know what a Scotch egg tastes like…
The Churchill Arms – Stockholm, Sweden
Located in Stockholm’s Vasastan district, just to the north of the city centre, the Churchill (churchillarms.se) nails the feel of a proper English local.
Think dark wood panelling imported from old UK pubs, leather armchairs and a kitchen that leans into hearty comfort food.
There are a few Scandi additions, too: why not precede portions of beer-battered fish and chips with reindeer meat spread on crispy flatbread?
The bar pours an ever-changing roster of around 28 draught beers, while sticky toffee pudding rounds off the British theme perfectly.
The Black Horse – Barcelona, Spain
While most English boozers in Spain are scattered around the coastal resorts, the Black Horse is an unusual Brit-pub outpost in the Catalan capital, complete with stone walls, arched ceilings and a small bar.
There’s a heartwarming commitment to include locals, too: English language lessons are held regularly, and there’s a weekly bilingual pub quiz.
There are also plenty of imported beers and ciders on tap that feel more London than Las Ramblas, while the regular live music nights make the place feel very distinct from the glut of bars that adjoin it in the El Born neighbourhood. It’s situated on Carrer de l’Allada-Vermell.
Find it at @theblackhorsebarcelona.
The Cambridge – Paris, France
You wouldn’t really expect Paris to come up with a like-for-like English-style pub now, would you?
But, lo and behold, The Cambridge (thecambridge.paris/en) opened seven years ago in France’s capital, classing itself as a ‘cocktail pub’.
Located in Le Marais on the Right Bank of the Seine, the place looks immaculate, with plush velvet banquettes, Chesterfield sofas and notably tasteful oil paintings (mostly featuring dogs).
Indeed, the decor conspires to form an atmosphere more akin to a gentleman’s club than a spit-and-sawdust hostelry.
That said, while there’s a strong emphasis on cocktails and natural wines here, the owners haven’t forgotten the basics.
You can still order a sausage roll, a meat pie and a pint from their craft beer selection, which includes a lovely French lager called Volcelest Bio – a strong tipple at 5.7 per cent.
The Coterie Social – Dubai, UAE
It’s not reasonable to expect a medieval tavern in Dubai; the English-style pubs here tend to look more like sports bars than the kind of down-home boozer George Orwell or The Likely Lads would recognise.
But despite its unpub-like name, The Coterie (coteriegroup.com/social), found within the Ibn Battuta Mall, is a major draw for homesick Brits.
Live sports are frequently on show on Dubai’s largest indoor sports screen, and there are superb takes on dishes from back home such as steak and stout pie, fish and chips, Scotch eggs, Marmite toasties and an excellent Sunday roast.
Be aware, though, if you’re travelling with the family, younger members will have to stay in the dining area as the sports bar has an ‘over-21s only’ policy.
Ye Olde King’s Head – Santa Monica, California, US
You might find sun-soaked California a little too warm for an afternoon tea or a Sunday roast, but Ye Olde King’s Head (yeoldekingshead.com), which has been a Santa Monica staple for more than half a century (almost Jurassic by American standards) might just tempt you regardless.
The building is utterly incongruous to the area, with a mock-Tudor facade and an interior that’s a surprisingly authentic recreation of a rural Hampshire tavern – though you might want to swerve the gift shop if you really want to pretend you’re in the South Downs.
It opens for breakfast each day, so come hungry to do justice to the King-size English breakfast with bacon, bangers, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and fried bread.
As for beer, there’s an impressive array of native and imported ales and lagers. Take your pick from Boddingtons or craft specialities, such as Californian Firestone Walker 805 blonde ale or Santa Monica Brew Works’ pale ale.
The Churchill Tavern – New York City, US
With a notably un-English evening closing time of 4am (!), the Churchill (thechurchillny.com) is the Big Apple’s best approximation of an English pub. Located in Midtown, there are around a dozen taps dispensing old-school staples such as London Pride, Old Speckled Hen and Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout, while food is served right up until closing time.
Take a seat near the stone fireplace and the upright piano and, even at 3am, you can order fish and chips with mushy peas, or a sausage roll and chips with curry sauce. If this is the city that never sleeps, that might be because of indigestion after eating this just before dawn.
The Horse Brass Pub – Portland, Oregon, US
The state of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest is undoubtedly the craft beer hub of the US, and nowhere serves more of them in one place than the venerable Horse Brass (horsebrass.com).
Dating back to the 1970s, there are close to 50 beers and ciders on draught here – enough to put 99 per cent of British-based boozers to shame.
The interior isn’t a hipster, industrial, warehouse-type environment, either; the wooden decor is characterised by dart boards, beer mats, football memorabilia and portraits of the bar’s late founder, Don Younger.
There’s also a dedicated cask system, so some of the ales are poured by natural gravity, rather than CO2, making for notably superior pints of quirky, little-known brews such as Shuck Around And Find Out oyster stout.
This might also be the only place on the West Coast that serves a Ploughman’s lunch.
The Globe – Hong Kong
China may have taken back Hong Kong close to three decades ago now, but there’s still a few defiantly British pubs clinging on.
The Globe (theglobe.com.hk) was actually opened just two years before the handover in 1997, but it does a very admirable job of looking like the kind of place that you might once have found near London’s Smithfield Market: tiled walls, ancient clocks and a convivial vibe.
Pub-goers themselves are fuelled by a menu of chicken, leek and ale pies alongside lamb chops, and there’s even a British cheese board replete with Colston Bassett Stilton and Red Leicester.
The beer options are impressive, too, with at least nine regularly changing guest ales being poured alongside the full-time staples that include Old Speckled Hen and Guinness.
The Penny Black – Singapore
Overlooking Boat Quay and Raffles Place, The Penny Black (pennyblack.com.sg) claims to be the only English pub in Singapore – the whole place was built in the UK and transported over piece by piece in 1999.
Don’t be surprised if you hear the odd Geordie accent here, either – this is the home of the local Newcastle United supporters’ club.
When there’s not a game on, though, take a seat on the outdoor terrace. The breeze from the harbour might cool you down enough to consider a grilled ham and cheese toastie, a cottage pie or even a deep fried Mars bar (which really does feature on the dessert menu).
The beers are the usual international range, though it often has Old Speckled Hen – a Suffolk bitter that really does get about the globe.
The Duke of Clarence – Sydney, Australia
Right in the heart of the central business district (CBD), this is a wonderful Down Under tribute to the pubs back home, complete with framed lithographs and floorboards that came direct from the old country.
In short, the Clarence (thedukeofclarence.com) is a classy affair, and has more in common with the kind of pub you’d find in Hampstead rather than those in Hartlepool.
The food is of a higher order, too. Highlights include pasture-fed rump steak and chicken schnitzel, while even the humble fish finger sandwich comes with watercress and boiled egg tartare here.
As well as a decent array of beers (including the wonderfully named Lord Nelson Three Sheets pale ale) there are boilermakers (that’s beer paired with a whisky chaser) and an imaginative cocktail list with nods to back home.
The owner is from Liverpool, hence the presence of a Sgt. Pepper martini made with Hickson House Australian dry gin, vermouth, lemon thyme distillate, a black pepper tincture and orange bitters.
Foresters Arms – Cape Town, South Africa
Known to regulars as ‘Forries’, the Foresters Arms (forries.co.za) in leafy Newlands, not far from Cape Town’s famous cricket stadium, has been providing pints of 21 draught beers since the 1850s – including South Africa’s most popular lager, Castle, which was invented by a Brit named Charles Glass in 1884.
It’s joined by a wealth of ales from local breweries including Devil’s Peak IPA (named after the peak next to Table Mountain) and the Bavarian-style Mountain Weiss, from the Newlands Spring brewery.
As for food, there are plenty of fry-ups and burgers on offer, but the highlight for most first-timers is devouring some battered hake (the delicious local alternative to cod) with tartare sauce and chips.
The Aldgate – Tokyo, Japan
From Tower Hill to Tokyo, the pie and mash served up at the Aldgate (the-aldgate.com) might be the furthest the classic Cockney dish has ever travelled.
With four fillings to choose from (including minced beef, and chicken and mushroom), you can eat yours with a choice of around 20 draught beers and ciders, currently including Wells Bombardier, London Pride and, yes, there’s Old Speckled Hen again.
The owners are real vinyl junkies, and there are more than 5,000 LPs lining the walls of this well-worn, cosy bolthole that does a very passable impersonation of the kind of back-street local you might stumble across after an afternoon watching Wigan Athletic.
Sushi is, emphatically, not on the menu here – though there’s a fine selection of Japanese whiskies if you fancy a chaser.
