Jameson Tavern Restaurant

I have lived about 10 miles away for nearly all my life. I have heard about their clam chowder since the opened more than 30 years.ago. I finally stopped in. The chowder was good not fabulous and it was the smallest bowl size I have every seen. My advice go somewhere else. Though my wife’s salad was huge.

My hubby and I have been here twice and we love it!!!
It’s a historical little hole in the wall tavern in the heart of Freeport. It has tons of atmosphere, a very nice and attentive staff and some delicious traditional New England homestyle dishes.
Both times we have gone I have gotten the same thing. The Baked Scallops. It’s truly traditional New England fare. Just fresh scallops, butter, ritz crackers and salt and pepper. Perfection. Nothing more nothing less. Never over cooked; always tender and delicious. I get them with fries and coleslaw because duh, that’s what you do.
It’s like my childhood on a plate!
My husband got the surf and turf the first time. And the most recent time he ordered the stuffed haddock.
The surf and turf was so much food he had enough for dinner and the next day’s lunch. He absolutely loved the stuffed haddock. He is from Indiana originally so a meat and potatoes boy usually. I have turned him into a seafood lovin New Englander!!!

This is for happy hour only. Alagash Wheat and many other micro brews for 3.00 a pint!!! All well drinks and wine 3.00. I could not believe a good pour of Jamison for 3.00. Seven pints 21.00 plus tax.

Meh. While the outside may show promise, the inside reeks of a schizophrenic identity. Sadly, the décor is a shell of what it could be, interrupted by less than flattering attempts at an historic décor. We just never got comfortable at our table. The waitress was nice enough, but sadly most of our meal was disappointing. My husband enjoyed his calamari, but I just sat there wishing we had gone elsewhere.

I hope the drinks were good, because the food certainly was way, way over-​rated. We’d been impressed with the menu and the historical character of the place, not to mention it’s close proximity to L.L. Bean — a compulsory stop anytime we travel through Freeport or close by.
It was close to Bean, I’ll give it that. And the building is obviously old. The menu was varied and interesting, but the food, not so much.
I ordered the Naked Lobster. I’ve had better lobster — and much closer to actually being legal size — in South Carolina from the tank in the Piggly Wiggly. This one was tiny, like not even legal tiny, and tough as horse hide. Think: lobster jerky floating on a plate of melted butter. Sorry, but no thanks. My family’s meals were equally memorable.
That’s about the best I can say. Freeport offers many better choices. Next time we’ll choose one of them.

Got here just before noon on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Got very crowded soon after. The outdoor seating is really nice. The food was very good! Suggest ordering some bacon on the side for the chowder which together was great! My wife and I split the apple crisp, it was fantastic. Would definitely come back.

It was incredibly busy when my boyfriend and I went, and the service and food was still great! Fast, friendly, and yum!

Super friendly staff. Appetizers were a good size for main meal for us. Mussels amazing — lots of thick, delicious broth. — make sure to get some fresh soft and crusty rolls for dipping. Nachos were a large heap, we added chicken — loaded with lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeños. Our waiter allowed us to wait for the rest of our party to show up — missed his name — bearded guy. Super nice.

We sat outside on the patio on a recent Sunday night. Good variety on the menu, friendly staff. The Chicken alfredo was delicious.

Hamburger was average, fries were not hot, ice tea mix was terrible. Clam chowder was great and patio guitar player was great. Service was fair.

What else is there to say from my review from last year? This is one of my favorite restaurants I have ever been to. We come to Freeport from Nova Scotia not to shop, but to eat here. We sit on the patio, order cold beer and white wine, lobster roll and lobster stew and relax outside on the patio. We have been there three times this week. I wouldn’t consider going anywhere else… I’m counting down the days — 360 — until I’m back here again.

Under the previous owners this place had gone down hill. Under new ownership it is fantastic. The portions are great and everything thus far (3 times) has been awesome.

Delicious seafood! Must try the clam bellies. Friendly service and freshest seafood you can get.

Possibly the BEST burger I’ve ever had! Holy cow! A bit of a wait but well worth it!
Draft beer selection is very good. I had a Alagash wheat that was very good.

Master Tom is still hitting it out if the park! We come to Maine for fresh seafood. Tom catches a lot if the stuff he serves. He is a Fisherman turned chef. Yes you’re going to have to wait. The best restaurants have a following so call ahead. He’s working on expanding the place so take your complaints elsewhere and stay out of my way! I went there for the hat trick: chowder, lobster roll and fried clams. Nothing over done… the chowder didn’t have potatoes, the lobster roll was chock full of fresh big chunks of what I went to a Maine for. Even my waitress, Alison was attentive… And She Was Cute too!
It takes a master chef to kniw enough not to over power the natural fresh taste of food, partucularly sea food. Keep an eye on this place. I think you are going to continue to get blown away. We are going back tomorrow.

I was in town on business so we stopped by the Jameson for dinner. It was a Tuesday night and it wasn’t very crowded. The service was pretty good and the food was good as well. I was a little disappointed in the look of the interior. I was expecting something older. Knowing this was an old Tavern I expected to sort of step back in time but that wasn’t the case. Still, we all enjoyed the meal and I would go back again if I’m in the area.

This restaurant was really good when it was run by the original owners. We were very disappointed when it was closed but then about a year later we heard it was reopening but with new owners.
We walked into the tavern and it didn’t look anything like it did before. It was now very rustic and plain. Since it was cool outside we decided to eat inside. Even though it wasn’t too busy, service was very slow.
We eventually got our order — hamburgers with sweet potato fries. Everything tasted very greasy and it seemed more like a fast food restaurant now.
Even though this restaurant was a place we would frequent when we visited Freeport, we probably won’t return. There are so many better restaurants to get a good tasting meal.

Rustic restaurant. The entrees are simple but good.
Baked Haddock is really good but the vegetables were under-​cook.

The two lobster special ($ 19.99) was two 1lb lobsters, perfectly steamed and with a stuffed baked potato and vegetable. The lobster roll a friend had was loaded with claw meat and the blueberry pie was incredible. The prices are right, the service is friendly and the food is very good. You can’t go wrong here.
Tip: Have a beer in the old historic tavern section. A great experience while shopping in Freeport’s retail center.

I like history. Jameson Tavern is an eatery with a very rich history, dating all the way back to 1779.
I always enjoyed the Tap Room, a great place to grab a beer and a burger after shopping at LL Bean.
Early in 2013, the restaurant closed its doors.
I was really happy to hear the news that the former owner of the terrific Fisherman’s Grill in Portland (home of one of the area’s best lobster rolls), Tom Hincks, along with co-​proprietor, Christian Erdmann, were re-​opening Jameson Tavern in July.
I’ve been meaning to stop by and with friends in town, we decided to meet up in Freeport for dinner.
The place was hopping. I figured it would be on a Saturday night, and we made a reservation with that in mind. Unfortunately, when we got there, the hostess said there was a mix-​up and it would be another 10 – 15 minutes ’til our table was ready. I wasn’t real pleased, as that’s why you make reservations, right?
We plunked down on the bench in the hallway and it was only a mere 5 minutes of waiting, as the apologetic hostess had us seated.
The place is smaller than I remember it, when the front of the house was the main, formal dining room. Jameson Tavern now occupies what was the former Tap Room.
I had the Allies Trio, which was a cup of clam chowder, a small lobster roll, and fried clams, and french fries. My wife had the same.
This is a hearty serving of food. While the clam chowder was overly thick and saltier than I prefer, the lobster roll was excellent and so were the fried clams.
Our waitress also notified us that the first round of drinks were «on the house» because of the reservation snafu. That was a nice touch.
I’d give Jameson Tavern a solid four stars for my first time back. If they can bump the service up just a bit (it was a little slow, although it was Saturday night), and maybe figure out a better situation for those waiting for tables, rather than being tucked in the entrance way, this would be a positive upgrade. This appears to be less of a problem during the summer months, as they have a good-​sized patio area, which doubles the restaurant’s capacity.