The working harbor at the south end of the waterfront is the emotional center of Eckernförde. Fishing boats still come and go, and the smell on a good day is the combination of salt air and woodsmoke from the sprat smokeries that line the quay. It is not a gentrified marina with expensive yachts and overpriced cocktails, but a functional harbor that happens to have excellent food and a photogenic wooden bridge (the Holzbrücke, which appears in most photos of the town).
Several small cafes and fish stalls occupy the harbor edge. The best thing to do here is to buy a bag of freshly smoked Kieler Sprotten from one of the smokehouses, sit on the quay wall, and eat them with dark bread. The smokeries are generally open from mid-morning until they sell out — the fish are smoked in small batches and often gone by mid-afternoon on busy summer days.