A full English or Irish breakfast, a Sunday roast, fish and chips and a proper pint are never far away in the Canary Islands — the main resort strips are packed with British and Irish bars serving exactly the home comforts you'd expect. Whether you want familiar food after a long flight, a taste of home midway through a fortnight, or somewhere to watch the football with a Guinness, the big holiday resorts have you covered. The trick is balancing those home comforts with the genuinely good Canarian food around you. Here's where to find the best of both.
Why the resorts feel so familiar
The Canaries have welcomed British and Irish holidaymakers for decades, and the resort strips have grown up around that. In the main tourist zones you'll find bars run by British and Irish expats, menus in English, prices in euros you can pay by card, and sport on every screen. For many visitors that familiarity is a big part of the appeal — you can relax completely, eat what the kids will actually eat, and never feel lost in translation. None of that stops you exploring the local scene; it just means home is always an easy option.
The full English and Irish breakfast
The all-day full English is a resort staple, and you'll spot the boards advertising it up and down every main strip — bacon, eggs, sausage, beans, toast and a mug of tea, often for a very reasonable price. Irish bars do the full Irish with soda bread and white and black pudding. It's the classic morning-after or lazy-holiday breakfast, and self-catering families love it as a cheap, filling start to the day. You'll find it easily in Playa de las Américas, Playa del Inglés, Puerto del Carmen and Corralejo, among many others.
Sunday roast and fish and chips
Two more home favourites are everywhere in the resorts:
- Sunday roast — plenty of British bars lay on a proper carvery or roast dinner on Sundays, with beef, chicken or pork, Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings. It's popular, so it's worth booking a table, especially in peak season.
- Fish and chips — a resort mainstay, from proper battered cod and chips to cheap-and-cheerful chippy fare. Quality varies, so a quick look at reviews pays off.
For a Sunday roast in a busy resort, ring ahead or pop in earlier that morning to reserve. The good ones fill up fast, particularly during the winter-sun season when the resorts are full of British and Irish visitors.
A proper pint and the Irish bars
The resorts are well stocked with familiar beers — you'll find British lagers and ales, and the Irish bars pour a proper pint of Guinness and Smithwick's. These Irish pubs are the social heart of the strips: live music, sport on the big screens, a friendly crowd and often traditional sessions in the bigger resorts. They're the natural home for watching the game, and our guide to watching football in the Canary Islands covers the sports side — with the islands on UK and Irish time, kick-offs land at the usual hour. For where the nights get lively, see our nightlife guide.
Which strips are most "home from home"
Some resort strips lean much more British and Irish than others. If home comforts are what you're after, head for:
| Strip / resort | Island | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Veronicas & the Americas strip | Tenerife | Dense cluster of British and Irish bars, sport, full breakfasts, lively nightlife |
| Playa del Inglés | Gran Canaria | Big choice of British/Irish bars and food around the Yumbo and Kasbah centres |
| Puerto del Carmen | Lanzarote | The old town and main strip full of familiar bars, chippies and roasts |
| Corralejo | Fuerteventura | Relaxed strip with plenty of British and Irish bars and easy family dining |
These are the strips where you're most likely to hear a British accent and find your team's game on the TV. Quieter and more Spanish-feeling resorts — the northern coasts, Puerto de Mogán, the western islands — have far fewer, which is exactly why some travellers prefer them.
Balance it with the local food
Here's the honest advice: enjoy the home comforts, but don't eat every meal in a British bar, because the Canaries have a wonderful food culture of their own and you'd be missing the best of the islands. At least a few times, seek out the local dishes:
- Papas arrugadas con mojo — the famous wrinkly salt potatoes with red and green mojo sauces, the signature Canarian dish (see our guide to papas arrugadas and mojo).
- Fresh grilled fish — vieja, cherne and more, best in a harbour-front restaurant.
- Guachinches and tapas — rustic, family-run eateries, especially in northern Tenerife, serving hearty local cooking with local wine.
Our guide to Canarian food is the place to start, and eating out in the Canaries covers how and where to eat, from beach chiringuitos to proper restaurants. Even a couple of local meals across a week will give you a real sense of the islands you'd never get from the resort strip alone.
A word on food safety
The Canaries are a safe destination to eat in, and standards in the resorts are high. The usual sensible habits still apply — busy places with high turnover are a good sign, and be a little cautious with buffets that have been sitting out. Our guide to avoiding food poisoning has the practical tips for eating well and staying well throughout your holiday.
The bottom line
You'll never struggle to find a full English, a Sunday roast, fish and chips or a proper pint in the Canary Islands — the strips at Veronicas, Playa del Inglés, Puerto del Carmen and Corralejo are as home-from-home as they come, with familiar food, familiar beer and the football on the big screen. Lean on those comforts as much as you like, but leave room to try the local mojo potatoes, fresh fish and a guachinche or two. The best Canaries holiday mixes the reassurance of home with a proper taste of the islands.