Oliver and Liana Annan the owners of Klay Keramik and Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany, pose for a picture on July 22, 2025. The couple opened the combined food and pottery establishment earlier this year. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Oliver Annan smiled when speaking about a recent German news article that compared his downtown Kaiserslautern neighborhood to a hip area of Berlin, in part because of the cafe and ceramics studio he and his wife, Liana, opened a few months ago. “Maybe not Berlin,” he said. “But something is happening in Kaiserslautern.”
A dog sleeps near the coffee bar at Klay Keramik and Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 22, 2025. Owners Oliver and Liana Annan say they like to welcome people at their restaurant, and that sentiment extends to pooches as well. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A painting depicting lemons, top left, that was created by a customer and given to the owners of Klay Keramik and Cafe hangs on the wall at the restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Customers enjoy food and drinks at Klay Keramik and Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 24, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
On a Tuesday morning, about an hour before opening, daylight poured through the picture windows of the historic sandstone building next to the Union Cinema that the couple converted into the modern Klay Keramik & Cafe.
Soon the space filled with an eclectic mix of patrons. I once ate there in the company of an elderly man reading a book, two young women gossiping over an iPhone, a mother breastfeeding her child and a Labrador napping under a table.
Like some other popular places nearby, Klay Cafe offers a health-focused, vegetarian-friendly menu with cakes made from organic ingredients and a variety of coffees.
But two things make the new establishment stand out from similar places nearby. First, there’s a ceramics studio in the back, and handmade pottery is everywhere, some for sale, some used to serve food and drinks. Second, the food is better.
That assessment may reflect my soft spot for dill. A few months ago, my best friend from college asked if I’d had any good dill dishes lately. I hadn’t. But after ordering the savory waffle at Klay, I sent her a photo with an exclamation point.
It showed a warm, unsweetened square waffle topped with an organic soft-boiled egg and a sauce made of avocado and creme fraiche but with dill being the dominant flavor.
It was so different that it forced me to eat slowly to fully appreciate just how well the unusually paired flavors went together.
That has also been the case with every dish I ordered at the cafe, courtesy of Liana’s culinary experimentation. I was surprised to learn that she taught herself to cook, in part to make healthy meals for her family of four.
The savory waffle at Klay Keramik and Cafe is a warm, unsweetened square waffle topped with an organic soft-boiled egg and a sauce made with avocado, creme fraiche and dill. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The organic burrata salad at Klay Keramik and Cafe consists of tomato and orange slices topped with a large ball of burrata cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a homemade seasonal pesto. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The crunchy homemade roasted nut granola served at Klay Keramik and Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The organic burrata salad is another standout among her creations. It’s a bed of tomato and orange slices topped with a large ball of burrata cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a homemade seasonal pesto.
After the cheese is sliced, its liquid center spills onto the fruit, which can be scooped up with the slices of brown bread that are served with the dish.
It was the first time I’d eaten oranges with tomatoes or bread or cheese, but the combination was light, fresh and satisfying on a summer morning.
One other dish that impressed me is the homemade roasted nut granola, served with organic yogurt, a sweet mango-and-apple puree, organic silken tofu chocolate mousse and tangy berries. I was also surprised to taste rosemary in a bite or two. The dish has a lot going on, but it works.
Born in Turkmenistan, Liana moved to Kaiserslautern when she was 12. Oliver grew up in the city. After finishing school, the couple moved to various places, including Berlin, Vienna and Seoul, before returning to Kaiserslautern a few years ago, largely so their two children could be closer to family.
The exterior of Klay Keramik and Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The eatery occupies a historically listed building next door to the Union Cinema. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Pottery is Liana’s primary passion, and she teaches classes on site, including on Wednesdays when the kitchen is closed. Oliver, who also works as an economist, liked the idea of opening a cafe. In the end, they merged both.
The hybrid space has been attracting many of Kaiserslautern’s creatives, they say. One regular who paints during her visits even gifted them a still life of lemons, which now hangs on the wall.
Patrons who come in to make their own art, play games or read often order hot drinks and cakes, of which several varieties are offered each day.
The lavender and lemon, carrot and cardamom, and banana cakes each got thumbs up from two colleagues who sampled slices I recently brought to the office.
One compared it to Starbucks cake but said it tasted “more rustic, homemade and not as super sugary, which is to its benefit.”
The other said she’d have preferred a bit more sweetness to satisfy her American palate but added that the carrot cake, which she’s usually not a fan of, was one of the best she’d ever tasted.
Finding a seat at Klay can be tricky, as there’s only about 15 inside. A few additional outdoor tables are available in warmer months.
Oliver said they hope their current model proves sustainable, as they like the role the cafe is carving out in the community.
“We are a very small place, and people stay here for a while, but that’s OK for us,” he said. “We’re very liberal and open-minded. Our attitude is that we like to welcome people.”
Klay Keramik and Cafe
Address: Kerststrasse 24, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Sunday.
Prices: Main dishes range from 10.50 to 15 euros; cake slices, 4.50 euros
Information: keramikcafe-klay@outlook.de, www.instagram.com/klay_keramik_cafe
