The Schiffercafé in Kiel-Holtenau

The Schiffercafé is located on the Tiessenkai, at the old Eiderkanal at the mouth of the Kiel Canal into the Firth of Kiel. In the past, this listed historical office building was used by “Hermann Tiessen Schiffsausrüstungen“ where he’d sell anything you’d need on a ship. Today you can still find many tokens of memorabilia in the shelves there, like coffee boxes, wooden figurines and other items. And just like old times, there are many traditional sailing ships docked at the wharf right in front of the café, some of the ships are more than a century old.

Ownership

Owner and operator of the “Schiffercafé” is Alexander Stieler. Originally born in Sardinia, Steiler lived in 27 different places worldwide before he decided to settle in Kiel. Since November of 2009 he has been serving his customers regional delicacies, freshly caught by fishermen from Holtenau. For example, the clams are bred directly at the Tiessenkai, and soon there will also be prawns from Strande on the menu. In addition to that, you can have coffee and cake, breakfast items, baguettes and the traditional “Fischbrötchen“. And while you enjoy your meal, you can observe all the incoming and outgoing ships at the Canal.

Let’s Tango!

If you like things a bit more passionate, you should visit on a Sunday, when there is “Tango Argentino“. This weekly event was started by the previous owner of the café who was a captain and got the idea for a tango bar during a journey to Buenos Aires, where there is a major tango scene at the harbour. This is also the reason why the pier in Kiel is called “Little Argentina“, as the dance is about wanderlust and desire, something all seafaring people share.