A Fairhaven restaurant known for its Eastern European menu closes after 13 years
A longtime Fairhaven restaurant announced that it has closed.
Magdalena’s Bistro & Creperie announced the closure on social media. Owner Magdalena Theisen said in the post the decision comes with “very heavy hearts and not just a few tears.”
“We will take some time to care for ourselves and those in our care, ponder the big questions of life and what might come next, personally and professionally,” Theisen said in the post.
Along with its crepes, the breakfast/brunch restaurant was known for its Eastern European menu that included handmade pierogi, Polish soups and sandwiches.
Theisen opened the restaurant at 1200 10th St. in October 2009, having moved to Bellingham from Poland earlier that year. In an interview soon after opening, Thiesen said she didn’t think her background in accounting would translate well in the U.S., so instead of taking classes to update those skills, she pursued her passion of cooking.
“My life had completely changed (by moving to the U.S.), so I thought it was a good time to open a restaurant,” she said in the interview for a December 2009 article in The Bellingham Herald. “I want it to be the kind of place where people get a different experience, to try out things they haven’t had before.”
The restaurant opened during a time when the economy was suffering the impact of a global financial meltdown. Theisen noted in her post that the restaurant also had to reinvent itself multiple times to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magdalena’s also became a place where people could donate food and other items to be sent to Ukraine soon after the war started there earlier this year.
“Thank you for your love, support, friendship, and hugs for the last 13 years. This is goodbye for now, but not farewell,” Theisen said in her post.
Greg Theisen, Magdalena’s husband, said in an email that the stress involved in running a restaurant for more than a decade reached a point where they decided a break was needed.
“All of those challenges behind the scenes exact a toll over time and after 13 years, the reality of all the physical work, long working hours, and the stress of managing an evolving workforce, the personal sacrifices on a physical and mental level outweighed the joys of providing our service in this particular business model,” Greg Theisen said. “We need some time to recover and reflect on what might come next.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
