Fairhaven’s New Mey Breakfast Brings Donuts to a Legendary Spot

Downtown Fairhaven is now immersed in the sumptuous scent of delicious donuts baking fresh daily, as a dormant breakfast restaurant’s ovens have been fired up once again.

Mey Breakfast opened on August 1 in the former Margaret’s on Main Street in Fairhaven, breathing new life into a beloved downtown staple that had been closed for about a year.

It's already a hit.

Mey Tex was working behind the counter on Tuesday afternoon, and said her new spot had seen a steady stream of customers all day.

“Everyone was asking when we’d be opening,” she said. “I just told people about it on Facebook, and people came in all day.”

Tex said she's still working on redecorating the interior and the exterior, but wanted to open as soon as the kitchen was ready.

Mey Breakfast is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be open seven days a week, offering up a full breakfast menu as well as lunch options, coffee and boba teas.

The highlight, though, are the light, fluffy, fresh-baked donuts that rival any others on the SouthCoast.

“We do it all from scratch, so we make them really puffy and really light,” Tex said. “We try to make it special, less sweet so then it’s more healthy.”

Tex said that while all of the donuts are delicious, she does have a few favorites.

“I like a bear claw, an apple fritter, the chocolate cake donut, and the whipped cream and jelly,” she said. “They’re all so yummy.”

Mey Breakfast is Tex’s second breakfast spot; a year and two months ago, she took over The Rise in Somerset, and has had a great deal of success with it since then.

The Rise had its own legacy when Tex purchased it. It was founded by the second generation of the Amaral family of Sunrise Bakery and Coffee Shops, and Tex was able to step in and continue the tradition of delicious baked goods and sandwiches.

She plans to offer much of the same at Mey Breakfast, while also being able to offer things like home fries and eggs thanks to the flattop grill in the kitchen.

Tex said she first looked at Taunton for her next shop, but that things didn’t work out there. That’s when she was informed about the Margaret’s property in Fairhaven.

“One day I came to see it and I said, ‘That’s OK, that’s nice,’” she said. “The location is very good, and it’s close to the beach, to the bike path. It’s a nice neighborhood here.”

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The block of restaurants on the corner of Main Street and Ferry Street had long been owned by the Buker family, but they closed down the three eateries – Margaret’s, Elisabeth’s, and the ice cream stand Brady’s Ice Box in between them – last summer. They sold the property late last year.

The opening of Mey Breakfast means two of the three spots are now once again bustling, with the third soon to follow.

“What they’re doing there compliments what the other operators are doing on the block,” said Jay Lanagan, who oversaw the redevelopment of the Margaret’s-Brady’s Ice Box-Elisabeth’s property.

The Ice Cream Cottage opened this past May in the former Brady’s, and has been serving up scoops to lines around the block almost every night.

“It’s a very good ice cream shop that offers creative options, not just ice cream,” Lanagan said. “They’re doing an excellent job and the community has really embraced the Ice Cream Cottage.”

The former Elisabeth’s will become Olivia’s, an upscale bar and restaurant. Brandon Roderick, the man behind downtown New Bedford’s successful shop The Baker, is at the helm.

Lanagan estimated that activity will begin at Olivia’s in the next four to six weeks, as the liquor license transfer is still ongoing and Roderick is working with consultants on everything from the decor to the flatware to the food itself in order to get everything exactly right.

“Brandon’s really, really dialing into planning this all right,” Lanagan said.

He said Mey Breakfast “rounds out the development,” and noted that his five-year-old son Oscar, “a donut connoisseur aficionado who will only eat the best,” has given his stamp of approval for Mey’s donuts.

“Mey Breakfast offers that breakfast component, the early-morning coffee, the donuts, the lunch,” Lanagan said. “It was nice to see the development fill up so quickly, because there was uncertainty there, but the operators see the potential in the center of Fairhaven.”

Lanagan cited Fairhaven’s “strong boater community looking to spend money,” residents looking for amenities, and the increased use of the bike path now that it has been connected to Mattapoisett as reasons why the area is on the rise.

“We’re hoping this development sort of gets the conversation going about how we can utilize Pierce Park at the end of the bike path to offer more seating, public art, extending the sidewalk in a real way that would allow for outdoor seating at all three locations,” Lanagan said.

He also sees it as something that can revitalize the entire downtown area.

“We hope that this sort of comprehensive development planning proves to be a catalyst for some of the other vacant buildings, the retail sector, along the water,” Lanagan said. “There’s a lot that can be done in the center of Fairhaven that has a beautiful history but is currently being underutilized.”