Wetherspoon opens first Spanish pub at Alicante Airport with full English breakfasts and pints of Guinness
The British chain's European debut features a smoking terrace and menu blending home favourites with Spanish dishes
British pub giant Wetherspoon opened its first ever outlet in Spain on Monday morning, February 9, bringing full English breakfasts and cheap(ish) pints to Alicante Airport's departure lounge.
The new pub, called Castell de Santa Bàrbera, is the chain's first venture into mainland Europe and looks set to be a massive hit with the 2.6 million Brits who passed through the Costa Blanca airport last year on their way home from Benidorm and other holiday hotspots.
Located right next to the toilets opposite gate B30, the pub will open its doors every day at 6am and will serve customers seven days a week until 9pm. It has nearly 1,000 square feet of indoor space plus an outdoor terrace where smokers can enjoy their drinks, giving the nearby Budweiser Bar, which also has a smoking area, a run for its money.
One of the very first customers through the door was Kelvin Nicholas, who had the honour of sampling the pub's first ever pint of Guinness."When the taxi dropped me off I saw the sign for Wetherspoons from the outside and thought: perfect. I headed straight here," he said. Kelvin, who visits his local Spoons a couple of times a month back home, was on his way home to Southampton after a holiday in Alicante.
Builder Paul Denovan, 54, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, was another early punter. He'd been visiting his mum and sister who live in Spain and was delighted to find a Wetherspoon waiting for him.
"I've flown out here 12 times in the past six months, so I'm really pleased this has opened. I'll definitely be using it again. The great thing is that it's only a stone's throw from my boarding gate," he said.
Andrea and Warllen Duque from Dublin were tucking into pizza and chips before their return flight. The couple, who own a villa in Spain, were impressed by what was on offer. Retired teacher Mrs Duque, 56, said: "I'm delighted as we don't normally go for the food there is at the airport here. I like the variety of what's on the menu."
And that menu is probably the pub's biggest draw for homesick Brits. Around 90% of what you'd find in a typical Wetherspoon back in the UK is available, including a traditional breakfast with fried eggs, bacon, Lincolnshire sausage and baked beans for €10.25 (around £8.94). That's more expensive than the £5.09 average at British branches but the company says it's cheaper than most of its UK airport locations. Bacon, sausage or vegetarian butties are all €5.95 (£5.19).There are a few notable absences though. Fish and chips didn't make the cut, apparently because the kitchen doesn't have a deep fat fryer. One of the real favourites, British-style curry, isn’t on the menu either, but you can order a Japanese twist in the form of two Katsu curry options. The pub has also added some Spanish flavours including broken eggs (two fried eggs, chips and Iberian ham), Spanish tortilla and garlic prawns.
On the drinks front, a 550ml Amstel or 580ml Stella Artois will set you back €5.95, a Guinness is €7.50 and a BrewDog Punk IPA costs €4.95 (£4.32). For those wanting to keep the holiday vibe going a bit longer, cocktails like Godfather, Woo Woo and Sex on the Beach are €9.95. Not exactly as cheap as you’ll find in your favourite Spanish beach bar, but definitely on par with other airport pubs.
The Alicante branch looks quite different from your typical high street Spoons. Gone is the famous patterned carpet, replaced by Spanish tiles and cream paintwork. It's also considerably smaller than most UK outlets.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: "We are delighted to have opened in Spain. We believe the pub will be popular with a wide range of customers travelling home from Alicante Airport, including those travelling home to the UK and those using the terminal for trips to England and beyond. We aim to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports."
Mr Martin has previously suggested that Benidorm and Majorca could be next in line for Spanish Wetherspoons."It's early days. Since it's all so new, we're playing it by ear," he said.
He even floated the idea of the chain expanding to China, asking: "Given the population overseas, there is huge opportunity. Coffee shops have been fantastically successful in, for example, China. Could this be true of the UK pub?"
The Alicante pub will be run by franchise partner Lagardère Travel Retail. With easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and British Airways all offering direct flights to Alicante, it's perfectly positioned to serve the thousands of Brits passing through every week.
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