King’s Head Pub on Commercial Street in Portland recently launched a Freeport location in the historic former Jameson Tavern building on Main Street.

The new pub is the third location in the King’s Head family. The original Commercial Street location has been open for 11 years. Owner Justin O’Connor launched Queen’s Head Pub in Bridgton in 2023.

The Freeport King’s Head is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. O’Connor said the venue will soon be open seven days.

Like the Portland King’s Head, the Freeport location will be geared primarily toward serving local residents, he said, offering the same “elevated but approachable” pub fare.

“We’re dedicated to being the restaurant you don’t even have to think about, it’s just open,” O’Connor said. “A pub is a community gathering place, and you really have to be there for them.”

The historic building, which dates back to the 18th century and has served as a tavern since the early 20th century, needed extensive renovations including plumbing and electrical overhauls and new flooring, O’Connor said.

“The space needed a lot more work than I had anticipated,” he said. “I love old buildings. They’re a challenge to own a restaurant in, but a pub kind of has to have a soul of its own.”

The venue sports antique decor like old fly rods and decoys, and black-and-white photos from the Freeport Historical Society. O’Connor added a live-edge pine bar top and Edison lighting.

“I wanted to give it the feel of a tavern that maybe your grandparents had dinner in,” he said.