When you walk down a British high street you are often greeted by the familiar sight of a Wetherspoons or a Sainsbury’s.
Some of us love our reliable brands so much so that we are even on the hunt for the tastes of home while abroad.
From the sunny shores of Spain to warm Italian cities, imitations of British classics are dotted throughout the continent.
MailOnline takes a look at the knock-off restaurants and shops abroad – and why Brits are loving them.
Weatherspains – Malaga, Spain
When you journey to Spain you expect to be trying paella, but if you head to the Costa Del Sol you can get the full British experience at Weatherspains
The restaurant boasts amazing reviews on TripAdvisor and Facebook, with a ratings of 4.5 our of 5 and 4.8 out of 5 on each site respectively
Similarly to Wetherspoons, Wetherspains allows customers provides customers with a table service – getting rid of the hassle of going to and fro from the bar
When you venture to to sunny southern Spain, you expect to try tapas, paellas and maybe enjoy a few sangrias.
But a Wetherspoons dupe on the Costa del Sol is offering British punters a far cry from traditional Spanish fare.
Located in Benalmádena, Weatherspains boast all the pub classics of home, including gammon, chips and peas, sausage and mash, as well as an assortment of different flavoured pies.
The British-themed restaurant also dishes up burgers, salads, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, starters – and even desserts for those with a sweet tooth.
Similarly to the UK pub chain, the British-themed bar also allows has table service for their customers – saving them the hassle of going up to the bar.
Another feature eerily similar to its British look alike is the variety of affordable pints and cocktails on offer.
Although it may share a number of commonalities with the quintessentially British pub, there are several aspects of this restaurant that are different.
The British had a myriad of humble dishes found in the UK, such as gammon and chips, sausage and mash and more
But there are a few differences between the two, unlike the British chain, Weatherspains hosts weekend events, such as raffles and karoake
But glistening sunrays aside, the establishment also hosts various events on the weekends including, raffles karaoke and bingo.
The British-owned restaurant has proved to also be hit with customers, bagging a 4.5 out of five rating on TripAdvisor.
The Spanish pub has only received seven ‘terrible’ reviews, whilst having 137 reviews branded excellent.
One person commented on the review site: ‘We popped in here for a drink, and the staff were very friendly and English and we had a nice chat.
‘The view is amazing looking out at the ocean. Highly recommend.’
Wotherspoons – Tenerife, Spain
But Weatherpains isn’t the only British-inspired pub, with Wotherspoons located just off the Moroccan coast in Tenerife
The pub has proved popular among tourists, bolstering a five out of five TripAdvisor rating
Famous faces have even made a visit to the Tenerife restaurant, namely Scottish comic Kevin Bridges
The trend of look-a-like Wetherspoons does not begin and end on the Costa de Sol, with another British-inspired pub with a similar name just off the coast of Morocco.
Wotherspoons Cafe Bar in Tenerife has not only proved to be a hit with customers, it has also had some famous punters make a surprise visit.
The restaurant, which boasts a stellar TripAdvisor rating of five out of five, has even had comedian, Kevin Bridges pop up for a visit.
Poll
Would YOU visit a British restaurant abroad?
Yes, I love British food 36 votes No 69 votes Maybe if I want fish and chips 23 votes
The Scottish owned pub carries a range of alcoholic drinks which are popular among Brits, including Strongbow, Gordon’s Pink Gin and Guinness.
Although they serve a range of British meals, including ham and cheese toasties, tuna baguettes and fish and chips, they also plate up some food you would not expect to find in a traditional Weatherspoons.
From Ariabata pasta to pasta with calamari and butterfly prawns, their menu is mixture of British and Mediterranean inspired cuisine.
One review read: ‘Absolutely excellent. Loved every minute of our experience watching rugby. We will be back. Great tempura shrimp.’
Another said: ‘Really welcoming service and very homely feeling. Food was fantastic, a good price and tasted delicious. Would highly recommend.’
One more gushed: ‘What a find!! This place is a must if you are in Tenerife. Shona and Barry go out of their way to make you welcome and nothing is too much trouble. Food is absolutely outstanding – steak pie is the best I have ever tasted.’
Oh My God! – Padua, Italy
It’s not only Spain’s British themed hotspots that are leaving people baffled, Oh My God! in Italy has also caused quite the stir on Reddit
The establishment located in Padua, Italy, has a whole host of British dishes and even has dishes dedicated to particular region in the UK
But it’s not only Spain’s British themed restaurants leaving people baffled.
Based in Padua, Italy, Oh My God! caters to the tastebuds of tourists flocking to the country’s northern region.
The restaurant has given it their best go to capture the taste of Britain.
From pork pies, Cornish pasties, to Welsh rarebit, Oh My God! has gone to extreme lengths to embody delicacies from various regions across the Isles.
Reddit users have been amazed by the business, with one person writing: ‘Some decent looking attempts there, well done to them!’
‘They’re trying to cover all of UK with a recipe for each region so fair enough for that.’
Another chimed in: ‘I love this, it’s a pretty good effort and most of those dishes are traditional and delicious. Especially love the sound of Jack the potato!!’
Some found their menu mishaps particularly amusing, with one user pointing out that they had placed an icon or a bunny rabbit next to Welsh rarebit – and had even misspelt the country’s name.
Many were up in arms about what the UK themed restaurant mistakes, including labelling a Lancashire hotpot as a North eastern cuisine
Others saw the brighter side, finding it hilarious that they had spelt Wales incorrectly and had even put an image of a rabbit next to the Welsh rarebit description
However, not everybody was particularly thrilled by some of the restaurant’s menu choices.
‘North east…Lancashire hotpot. I guess that’s like our knowledge of Italian region,’ one quipped.
Another sternly quipped: ‘Salmon in the north east? Cod maybe. Or please pudding. But salmon? F*** no.’
One user was particularly disgruntled about the Cornish Pasty being plated up with a side of beans.
Another was staunchly adamant that Fish and Chips was not a London cuisine despite what the 7.80€ dish tried to imply on the menu.
‘I think most people associate fish and chips with really any seaside British town,’ they stated.
‘Best fish and chips I’ve ever had was in Anstruther, 15 mins from St Andrews. There’s a chippy there that won a number of awards for their food. And everything is as fresh as can be.’
Categorising Scotch Eggs as Scottish was also a massive debate – one even Oh My God admitted in the description:
‘Classic picnic food, whose original recipe is a point of contention throughout the whole of UK. But if it’s called Scotch Egg, there must be a reason?’
Spainsbury’s – Malaga, Spain
It’s not just British pubs that are inspiring the continent, it is also our supermarkets, as Malaga has its very own ‘Spainsbury’s’
The corner shop is stocked with British goodies from Quality Streets, Braces Bread to cumberland sausages – the shop has it all
It’s not only British pubs popping up around the globe, imitations of classic UK supermarkets are also making an appearance.
A few streets away from Fuengirola beach in Malaga, you will find the British-themed convenient store with a retro red and blue sign – Spainsbury’s.
In the heart of Los Boliches, the corner shop is stocked with a wide range of feel-good snacks Brits will recognise.
Among their varied selection includes, Braces bread – both medium and extra large slices – Quality Street and Roses tins, Walkers crisps and Lurpak.
The shop even an English TV channel guide for your favourite soaps for Brits abroad wanting to catch up on Hairy Bikers or the BBC’s Death In Paradise.
The British-themed shop goes the extra mile to stock more traditional items including traditional pork and Cumberland sausages as well as Robertson’s mincemeat.
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