Buffet Skola

Buffet Skola is a tiny sandwich counter at Antuninska 1 in Dubrovnik's Old Town, just off the Stradun, in Croatia's Dubrovnik-Neretva region, and one of the most reliable cheap lunches inside the walls. The format is counter service with no tables to speak of, and the kitchen's identity rests on sandwiches made on home-baked bread with local cold cuts and cheese. The signature item is the prsut sandwich, made with Dalmatian dry-cured ham, and the counter also offers marinated cheese and sardines, which fit the traditional Adriatic pantry of cured meat, cheese and preserved fish. These simple plates are emblematic of how Dalmatians eat at midday, and the venue gives visitors a taste of that tradition at fast-food prices. A sandwich costs about EUR 3-7, which is a fraction of the price of a sit-down meal in the Old Town and makes the counter popular with students, budget travellers and anyone short of time. The setting is informal and fast, with no dress code, moderate noise from the lane and steady turnover. There is no reservation system; visitors queue at the counter, order, and eat standing, on nearby steps or on the move. The drinks selection is limited to soft drinks, beer and basic wines, so the stop is about the food rather than the wine list. Listed hours run from about 9AM to midnight daily, and the counter is useful both for an early breakfast sandwich and for a late snack after an evening walk on the Stradun. The phone number is +385 20 321 096. Lines are longest from noon to 2PM in summer, and ordering ahead of the cruise-ship rush or after it keeps waits short. Takeaway packaging makes it easy to carry a sandwich up the city walls or to a bench by the Old Port.