British pub chain Wetherspoons has opened its first establishment outside the UK and Ireland, and the Costa Blanca is the chosen spot. Find out how much you’ll have to pay for a pint.
With around 70,000 British residents and 6.5 million UK tourists flying in every year, Alicante is in many ways the perfect choice to set up the first Wetherspoons pub outside of the UK and Ireland.
The company founded in 1979 by Sir Tim Martin opened its first pub on mainland Europe inside Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport on Monday February 9th.
It has been named Castell de Santa Bàrbara, after the castle that sits overlooking the bay of Alicante, which shows a local connection to the area, rather than its British roots.
The establishment is now fully operational and is located beyond security, in the boarding area for non-Schengen international flights.
This unfortunately means that only passengers with boarding passes can access it, so it’s not a place residents can hang out with their friends unless they’re catching a flight. The pub is located by gates B30 and B31.
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Those who do visit and know the Wetherspoons brand will find familiarity in its décor, bar and menu.
The pub will serve British classics such as a full English breakfast, fish and chips, burgers, pizzas and other traditional pub fare like draft beer, craft beers and wine. There are also some nods to Spanish cuisine on the menu including tortilla (Spanish omelette) and garlic prawns.
Unlimited refill coffees are going for €3.30, cheaper than at most other bars at Alicante airport.
As for beers, a pint of Cruzcampo costs €4.95, a pint of Amstel costs €5.95, a Stella Artois pint will set you back €5.95, Leffe blonde draught costs €7.95 and a pint of Guinness is priced at €7.50.
Other beers and drinks are also relatively well priced by airport standards.
The pub features an outdoor covered terrace and smoking area, allowing travellers to enjoy an outdoor space within the departure terminal and without leaving the boarding area.
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Alicante was chosen as the pub’s first overseas location outside of Ireland due to the fact that it’s one of the main gateways for British tourism into Spain.
The Costa Blanca province is also home to the largest British population in Spain, with one in every five foreigners residing in Alicante hailing from the United Kingdom.
The aim is to test Wetherspoon’s international expansion in a controlled environment, with a guaranteed clientele and constant turnover.
This means that Alicante airport could be just the beginning of a wider expansion across Spain and potentially Europe.
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin was a prominent pro-Brexit campaigner who donated £200,000 to the Vote Leave campaign.
In November 2025, The Irish Independent reported that Martin would use a newly established subsidiary in Ireland as a springboard for this European expansion in order to avoid Brexit red tape.
