Courtesy / Boulos Co.
Greg Boulos, left, with Larry Flaherty, an owner of the Met Coffeehouse in Freeport.
Updated: March 9, 2022
A flurry of restaurant activity lights up Route 1 in Yarmouth, Freeport
Courtesy / Boulos Co.
The Met Coffeehouse, a mainstay in North Conway, N.H., has opened a site in downtown Freeport.
A new cafe in downtown Freeport is just one new addition on the ever-evolving stretch of food spots on U.S. Route 1 in Freeport and Yarmouth.
The Met Coffeehouse, which opened at 48 Main St. (also U.S. Route 1), is described as a breakfast-and-lunch coffeehouse and cafe. It opened Feb. 12.
Some readers might have been to the Met’s flagship location in North Conway, N.H., where it opened in 2015. It also has a site at Settlers Green in North Conway.
The Met is owned by Larry and Diane Flaherty, who noticed the vacancy at 48 Main while traveling through.
They said they were impressed by the vitality of Freeport’s Main Street, according to the Boulos Co.’s Greg Boulos, who represented the landlord in the deal.
“It was serendipity that Greg was the broker on this deal,” said Larry Flaherty. “I didn’t need to sell him on the Met concept — he’s a regular customer. We call him ‘Mr. Large Earl Grey’ in North Conway. He thought bringing the Met to Freeport would be a great addition to the market.”
The Met says it is known for its espresso drinks and organic, fair trade coffees, along with freshly made sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts, including vegan and gluten-free options.
“We’re really excited to open our first store in Maine,” said Flaherty, whose background in food service and commercial development. “We’ve received a very warm welcome from local businesses, the Freeport Chamber, and curious passersby. We’re hoping to continue our growth in Maine in the future — if we can find more locations as perfect as 48 Main.”
The Met is across the street from Starbucks.
Other additions
Elsewhere, the stretch of U.S. Route 1 from Yarmouth to Freeport has been busy with a variety of restaurant activity.
Photo / PETER VAN ALLEN
OTTO Pizza has opened a takeout location at the former Maine Roasters site.
- OTTO Pizza on Friday opened its new site in the old Maine Roasters location, moving from the Thoroughfare location on Main Street. Although in a larger space, the pizza business is still built around its takeout service.
- Clayton’s Cafe & Bakery in Yarmouth changed hands this winter. Martha and Dave Clayton, who retired after three decades of running the cafe. In a letter on the Clayton's website, the Claytons thanked their customers and assured them that the cafe would "remain the same." The new owner was not named in the letter but is Brad Moll, a partner at Brickyard Hollow.
- Gather, a farm-to-table restaurant that had been owned by Matt Chappell, was sold early this year to Krista Cole, the owner of Sur Lie in Portland. The restaurant, though visible from Route 1, is actually at 189 Main St. in Yarmouth.
- Work on the former Conundrum Wine Bistro/El Jefe space in South Freeport is underway. Goodfire Brewery will be the anchor tenant. There had been plans for Mr. Tuna, which has a food truck and a location in the Portland Public Market, to join that space. Instead, the owners of Mr. Tuna are opening Japanese-inspired Bar Futo at 425 Fore St. in Portland.
- Sam’s Italian Foods in Freeport closed late last year, citing the labor shortage. It has since been sold as part of a package of a dozen Sam’s locations. The new owners plan to reopen the space at some point in the future.
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