British food in Málaga: where to find a cuppa, a pint and the footie

Málaga is a fabulous place to eat Spanish, but sooner or later you'll want a proper cuppa, a bacon sarnie or somewhere to watch your team on a Saturday.

The short version

• British supermarkets: TheFoodCo stocks products from UK suppliers including Iceland, Co-op, Waitrose and Morrisons, with shops in Mijas, Calahonda, Guadalmina and Puerto Banús [1].
• Marks & Spencer: there's a store with a food hall in La Cañada Shopping Centre in Marbella [2].
• The big shop: Gibraltar has a Morrisons and an M&S, a couple of hours' drive from Málaga [2].
• Pubs for the footie in the city centre: Morrissey's Irish Pub, Camden Lock and the Sherlock Holmes Pub all show live sport on big screens [3][4][5].
• Ordinary Spanish supermarkets often have a small international aisle. Worth a look before you drive to Mijas [2].

Stocking up on home comforts

Back home in Blighty you never thought twice about Marmite or a box of PG Tips. Here you'll learn exactly how far you'll drive for them.

TheFoodCo

TheFoodCo is the name you'll see most along the coast. Its store finder lists shops in Spain, Gibraltar, the Canaries and Portugal, and says it's an exclusive supplier of products from Iceland, Co-op, Waitrose and Morrisons [1]. On the Costa del Sol there are five [1]:

Its range runs from biscuits, crisps and hot drinks to sauces and pickles, home baking, frozen bread and seasonal products [1], which is where you'll find your Christmas pud and mince pies when the time comes. There's also an online shop with delivery in 24 to 48 hours [1].

You'll still hear people call these shops "Iceland". Older guides, including andalucia.com's guide to British grocers, list Iceland (Overseas) branches at Parque Empresarial Miramar in Mijas, La Alzambra opposite Puerto Banús, Guadalmina and Calahonda [2], the same addresses TheFoodCo now gives.

Marks & Spencer in Marbella

M&S has a store on the first floor of La Cañada Shopping Centre in Marbella, with a food hall at the back [2]. Don't expect a full Simply Food: the andalucia.com guide describes the range as representative rather than comprehensive, strongest on snacks, cakes and biscuits [2]. It's about an hour along the coast from Málaga, so it's a treat rather than the weekly shop.

A run to Gibraltar

For a proper big shop, some Brits on the western Costa del Sol head to Gibraltar. Morrisons is on Westside Road, outside the town centre, with fresh produce, a bakery and British meat [2]. Gibraltar also has an M&S food hall and a TheFoodCo in Marina Bay Square [1][2]. Take your passport. Gibraltar isn't in the Schengen area, so plan your crossing; the andalucia.com guide suggests arriving around 11am to dodge the worst of the border queues [2].

Spanish supermarkets

Before you set off down the coast, check the international shelves at El Corte Inglés, Supercor or Carrefour in Málaga itself [2]. Ordinary Spanish supermarkets increasingly carry baked beans, cheddar and tea bags, if not always your brand. And while you're there, Spanish olive oil, jamón and fresh fish are a fraction of UK prices, so you might find you need fewer care packages than you thought.

Pubs that show the football

Málaga city doesn't have many British-run "locals" in the way Fuengirola or Benalmádena do, but there are a handful of central bars where you can catch the Premier League with a pint. These all had a 2026 listing when we checked on 7 November 2026.

The 2026 World Cup watch-party map for Málaga also listed The Museum Irish Pub and the Camden Town Pub in La Malagueta among the 59 venues that showed games [5].

A few tips for match days:

• Kick-offs are an hour later than in the UK, because Spain is on Central European Time, so a 5.30pm game back home starts at 6.30pm here.
• Book for the big games. Liverpool, United, City or Arsenal fixtures and the Six Nations fill the central pubs.
• La Liga and Málaga CF are on too. If you want to fit in, you could do worse than adopt the local club at La Rosaleda.

A full English and a Sunday roast

This is where the Costa del Sol really delivers, but mostly outside the city. Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Calahonda and San Pedro Alcántara have plenty of British-run cafés and bars doing a full English in the morning and a roast with all the trimmings on a Sunday. They come and go quickly, so we don't list them here; ask in our community group for Brits in Spain for the current favourites and who does proper Yorkshire puddings.

In Málaga itself, the Spanish breakfast is worth getting used to: tostada con tomate and a café con leche at a bar counter costs very little, and you'll be eating like a local within a week. Málaga has its own names for how much milk goes in your coffee, and the waiter will happily explain them.

When it's time for a cuppa

Spanish bars serve tea, but it's usually a bag on the side and a glass of hot water. If you're fussy:

• Bring your own. Plenty of Brits keep a stash of tea bags in their bag and ask for agua caliente and milk (leche fría, cold milk, or you'll get it hot).
• Try a few cafés. Some places in the centre that cater to tourists do a better pot of tea than the average bar, so once you've found one, stick with it.
• Stock up at TheFoodCo or M&S. Big boxes of your usual brand are easier to find there than in Spanish supermarkets [1][2].

Christmas, Spanish style

Christmas is when the cravings bite hardest. Spain does things differently: the big family meal is often on Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), Boxing Day is a normal working day, and children traditionally get their presents from the Three Kings on 6 January. Málaga's Christmas lights on Calle Larios are a show in themselves.

If you want turkey, crackers, mince pies and a Christmas pud, plan ahead. The British shops along the coast stock seasonal products [1], but the popular lines go early, so buy in November rather than the week before. Many Brits end up with the best of both: a roast on the 25th and roscón de reyes, the Kings' cake, on 6 January.

For church groups, the Royal British Legion and other British clubs along the coast, see British life in Málaga.

Sources

1. TheFoodCo: store finder
2. andalucia.com: British grocers on the Costa del Sol
3. Morrissey's Irish Pub, Málaga
4. Funktion Events: best bars in Málaga (updated 1 August 2026)
5. Watch Party Radar (Dashmote): World Cup 2026 watch parties in Málaga (updated 6 November 2026)

Keep reading

• British life in Málaga
• Nightlife in Málaga
• Cost of living in Málaga vs London and the UK average
• The emotional move