Matunuck Oyster Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

From Potter Pond to Your Plate

Perry Raso started digging littlenecks in Point Judith Pond at age 12. He went on to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in aquaculture and fisheries technology from the University of Rhode Island, then in 2002 founded Matunuck Oyster Farm — a wading-depth aquaculture operation on Potter Pond in East Matunuck, South Kingstown. By 2008 the farm was shipping oysters across the country. When Raso needed commercial dock space, he purchased a rundown restaurant on the pond. Opened in 2009, Matunuck Oyster Bar was originally just a way to sell fresh oysters. It became something considerably larger.

The Place Itself

Sitting directly alongside the shellfish beds that supply it, the restaurant offers waterside and indoor dining every day of the week. The setting — a salt pond, weathered wood, and rose-and-gold Rhode Island sunsets — does most of the decorating. The menu follows the same logic: locally sourced produce from Raso's own Matunuck Vegetable Farm at the north end of Potter Pond, plus farm-raised and wild-caught seafood brought in with minimal distance between harvest and plate. The phrase the restaurant uses — growing, harvesting, serving — is not a tagline so much as a literal description of operations.

What to Order

The seafood menu leans into Rhode Island classics done with exceptional raw material. Fried calamari with cherry peppers, clear clam chowder, and stuffies (stuffed and baked quahogs) are considered near-mandatory. Beyond the raw bar, potato- or pistachio-crusted cod draws regulars, as does simply boiled lobster with lemon and butter. The wine list earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2023 — a notable distinction for a restaurant whose patio vibe might lead you to expect only craft beer, though an oyster-garnished Bloody Mary remains a crowd favorite too.

Beyond the Restaurant

Raso has offered educational oyster farm tours since 2002, beginning on the waterfront patio, and has consulted on aquaculture operations in several developing countries. He delivered a TEDx talk on sustainable shellfish cultivation in public waters. The restaurant has been recognized by the New York Times, USA TODAY, Yankee Magazine, and Time Out, among others — coverage that reflects both the quality of the seafood and the unusual integrity of a supply chain that begins a few hundred feet from the dining room.

For events, the team brings the same fresh-shucked experience off-site, with raw bar catering available for everything from backyard gatherings to weddings and corporate occasions.