American restaurants outside of the U.S.?

http://10mag.com/10-best-brunch-spots-seoul-korea/ is popular in Korea. These restaurants were first located in the foreigners' neighborhood of Itaewon, but after Sex and the City became a worldwide phenomenon, they proliferated.

A few used to open up in Glasgow when I was a student. They'd last about a year then close. I saw two problems:most local people didn't know what to order, so they'd stick with burgers. There wasn't enough of a tourist trade to sustain demand, as "American" food is incredibly regional and they couldn't make one of lots of different kinds of dishes every night.the supply chain wasn't there: the wrong kind of flour, different shortening, no corn syrup. Having tried to do a couple of US style Thanksgivings in Scotland, you'd have to rely on expensive imported ingredients. Since one of the hallmarks of American food is the robust portions, it just didn't work.Scotland puts mac and cheese in a pie and deep fries it. We're hardcore. You wouldn't eat out to have meatloaf; that's what you do with leftovers. Chicago style pizza is a mysterious sloppy mess to the rest of the world. In Toronto, we don't have the fresh fish to do New England. We also have so many other cultures here that can do food so good you'll weep (srsly: the shawarma I had last night on Lawrence East made me misty-eyed), why would anyone want second-rate facsimile food?

I am revealing my love of terrible TV with this, but there was Momma Cherri's Soul Food in the UK. It closed for a variety of reasons, but she still does workshops and festivals and catering. The UK Kitchen Nightmares episode her restaurant was on discusses some of the challenges in unfamiliar regional cuisines.

We've got four privately-run American places in Nice, three of them run by Americans. They're all good: http://www.yelp.com/biz/texas-city-nice, run by a Texan-French couple. Hearty, authentic, and spicy, yum. The atmosphere is definitely laid-back Texan: the restaurant is large and spacious, filled with Texan deco the owners pick up on their returns to the husband's home state. He's a soft-spoken sort, speaks excellent French; people are sometimes surprised when he introduces himself as the owner, which he doesn't always do. He tends to keep an observant eye on folk. http://www.yelp.com/biz/emilies-cookies-nice has been a huge hit since it opened. It's run by two Frenchwomen, but they definitely know American-style pastries: cupcakes, cookies, bagels, cheesecakes. Feels like a cozy American-style café. http://www.yelp.com/biz/le-speakeasy-nice, a tiny vegan restaurant run by a woman originally from California who's been in Nice for 20+ years now. She has some deee-licious pies, savory and sweet. She also knows gluten-free. The atmosphere of this restaurant is so true to West Coast hippy that I feel like I'm back in Eugene whenever I visit. Then there's http://www.yelp.com/biz/woodys-diner-ii-nice, which is pretty much exactly what it says it is: classic 50s-style diner. Hamburgers, milkshakes, etc. For that reason, I haven't been there, wouldn't be able to speak to its quality. Everyone keeps telling me I have to go for their homemade hamburgers, and I'm like, I'm American, I know how to make hamburgers at home ;) (that and I doubt they have gluten-free buns.) As for chains, Subway has become popular. KFC has a hard time making inroads. McDonald's, yes. No Burger King; there's a European chain named "Quick" that fills a similar niche. A better American-style French chain is http://www.yelp.com/biz/hippopotamus-nice, they have excellent beef.

Paris has an American diner. I haven't been inside, but the menu seems to sample widely from American-style food. I was just going to mention Breakfast In America. I've eaten there; it's good! Paris also has http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/food-and-drink/twinkie-breakfasts, which while not exclusively American does have American breakfast.

I saw a restaurant called Cajun Brasserie near Taksim Square in Istanbul, when I was visiting a couple years ago. I read the menu outside but did not eat there. It was absolutely not Cajun in any regard. I just googled it to refresh my memory about what was on the menu (my only distinct thought was "totally not Cajun"). http://www.cajunbrasserie.com/menu/yemek.html Highlights include "American Breakfast", which is basically a Turkish-style breakfast that includes pancakes and home fries, burritos, Caesar Salad, a bunch of meat courses that don't read as being specifically American to me, but which one can definitely find in the US (grilled chicken, fish, etc). They also have pasta and a whole Turkish menu for people who can't stomach the exoticness of "American"cuisine. You can also have a cheeseburger, of course.

Kansas, in Buenos Aires Argentina is a high-end barbecue type joint. Think Ribs/Steaks/Baked Potatoes and Casear Salads. It was awesome. http://www.kansasgrillandbar.com.ar/

There are lots of American restaurants that go beyond hamburgers in Beijing, shanghai, and a few other cities in china. Most are owned by Americans and are pretty authentic.

That kind of restaurant prevails outside the U.S. for the same reason that stereotypical Chinese and Mexican restaurants prevail here: That is what customers expect and are looking for. Serving meatloaf or barbecue to a European audience would lead to disbelief on the part of most patrons.