Brits flock to fake Wetherspoons 5,000 miles from UK – that shows Premier League matches and it’s £2.34 a pint

Pool tables, dim lighting and a huge menu offering English breakfasts and fish and chips.

You would be forgiven for thinking this was a description of one of the nearly 900 JD Wetherspoon pubs in the UK.

But this pub is 6,000 miles from the UK on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast in the city of Pattaya.

‘Try our big beef burgers,’ reads a sign by the bar. 

Witherspoons is a sports bar with daily specials from different parts of the world, including British classics.

But unlike the UK, you can bag a pint for £2.34 and watch Premier League matches.

While Wetherspoons in the UK famously refuses to screen league football, a lookalike boozer in Pattaya, Thailand, is pulling in punters with cheap pints and wall-to-wall sports coverage.

Witherspoons, the Thai take on the classic British chain, screens everything from Premier League clashes to NFL games.

Witherspoons is a sports bar with daily specials from different parts of the world, including British classics

While Wetherspoons in the UK famously refuses to screen league football, a lookalike boozer in Pattaya is pulling in punters with cheap pints and wall-to-wall sports coverage

Back home, Wetherspoons doesn’t show Sky or TNT matches, only making rare exceptions for massive events like the World Cup.

The chain avoids live sport to dodge pricey broadcast fees – and the rowdy atmosphere that can come with it.

But over in Pattaya, it’s a different story.

Once a quiet fishing village, Pattaya is now lined with resort hotels, high-rise condos, shopping malls, cabaret bars and 24-hour clubs. 

And despite Thai being the official language, you’re more likely to hear English being spoken in one of these joints.

In the first six months of 2025, the UK was one of the top sources of foreign tourists visiting Thailand, with 674,640 arrivals, a 17.9 per cent increase compared to 2024. 

Over the weekend, the bar screened nine Premier League games, Wales vs South Africa in the rugby, and the Qatar F1 Grand Prix.

The venue is packed with 35 TVs, blasting sports from every angle.

Witherspoons, the Thai take on the classic British chain, screens everything from Premier League clashes to NFL games

Witherspoons is a popular destination for British holidaymakers seeking a familiar pub experience abroad

It comes as Thailand is taking steps to crack down on cannabis use after it was decriminalised in 2022, which led to a boom in dispensaries and cafes opening across Thailand.

This was particularly prevalent in holiday spots like Pattaya, where tourists took full advantage. 

As of 2025, tourists can technically only purchase and use cannabis in Pattaya and the rest of Thailand for valid medical reasons with a doctor’s prescription, though sources suggest it’s still very popular among visitors.

Many dispensaries get around a ‘grey area’ of the law by employing an on-site doctor to issue immediate prescriptions.