If you’re looking for local oysters or fresh seafood Matunuck Oyster Bar is the place to go! Don’t let the crowd and long wait deter you. Enjoy a drink on the patio or do what we did…stand near the inside bar until seats open up then eat at the bar. I actually prefer sitting at the bar.  There’s so much action going on and I love to watch the shuckers! Not to mention the bar staff are so friendly and attentive! Jordan and Carter took great care of us!

If you chose to wait for a table the hostess takes your cell phone number and puts you on the wait list. It’s a pretty cool system called “Table Up.” You’ll immediately receive a link via text so you can watch the status of your wait and always know how many parties are in front of you. If you end up with a seat at the bar you can cancel your table right from your phone. It’s that simple!

Recently named “One of America’s Best Oyster Bars” by Food and Wine Magazine, Matunuck Oyster Bar only serves local RI oysters. Tonight’s oysters are from Watch Hill, Winnapaug Pond in Westerly, Jonathon Island off the coast of Narraganset and, of course, their very own Matunuck oysters grown on site on their 7 acre farm on Potters Pond, land they lease from the State of Rhode Island.  (According to RI Oyster Trail (RIOT) there are 24 oyster farms in the state of Rhode Island.)

After shucking between 5000 to 7000 oysters that night, Joe, one of the shuckers, gave us a lesson on oysters and the history of the Oyster Bar.  He told us how it began with the owner, Perry Raso, farming oysters in RI waters, to starting the Matunuck Oyster Farm in 2002 to opening the 4.9 star restaurant, adding a full patio/bar outside and a second level to the restaurant inside. His most recent development is the purchase of the marina next door to start a hatchery. They employ approximately 250 extremely friendly employees ranging from hostesses, runners, shuckers, bartenders, bar backs, servers, not to mention all the staff behind the scenes. We had the pleasure of watching them in action on a very busy Saturday night. It’s a fast pace environment for sure but what a system they have. The teamwork was quite impressive. As Peyton said, “When you’re working in a place like this you have to have teamwork! We have a lot of fun, work hard and get it done!” They sure do!

Joe and the others appeared excited to answer all my questions and to share they’re knowledge with us.  They certainly had our attention. We learned a lot about the life cycle of an oyster. Did you know….the male oyster releases sperm into the ocean and the female releases eggs which when fertilized turns into larvae. The larvae then grows a muscular foot which attaches to ground up oyster shells. From there it takes 18 – 24 months to mature. Who knew? I’m suddenly fascinated with oyster farming and harvesting. I’ll will be taking one of The Matunuck Oyster Farm’s 60 minute farm tours in the near future.

It doesn’t stop there. Not far away is the Matunuck Vegetable Farm where they’ve been growing organic herbs and vegetables year round to use in their dishes. I love their website motto:

“Growing. Harvesting. Serving. Farm to Table & Pond to Plate”

Now let’s talk about our dining experience! The “Summer Cocktails” menu had lots to choose from. When I came upon the “Potter’s Pond Bloody Mary” I couldn’t resist. Especially when I saw the option to add a Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp!

The shrimp was chilled, crunchy and oh so good that we ordered 4 more from the raw bar. I will warn you, however, make sure before you mix all the horseradish into the cocktail sauce that you have plenty of water and a fire extinguisher. I suggest you only add a little and do not give your husband the pleasure of mixing it in!

I never pass up little necks when I see them on an appetizer menu. One of my favorites, and often just a few clams, I typically don’t share. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the dish was served. There were at least a dozen clams, lots of chorizo and two good size Crostini’s. There’s nothing worse than a bowl full mouthwatering broth and teeny little toast tips! This was one little neck appetizer that was plenty to share!

Sticking with appetizers, for dinner I ordered calamari and a stuffie. I’m not kidding when I tell you it was the best stuffie I’ve ever had! It was moist and so delicious! The calamari was light and tender with just the right amount of cherry peppers and a citrus aïoli drizzle. I requested marinara on the side for dipping and I must say the combination was heavenly!

For an entrée Mike chose Clams & Linguine. There was no shortage of clams in his dish. He managed to eat about half of his dinner as he couldn’t resist my tender calamari. With so many options on the menu it was hard to narrow it down. Next time I’m going to try the clams casino!

The atmosphere was loud and fun. Be prepared to talk with others as it is a small, intimate dining room. We had some good laughs with nice people we met and as noted above, the staff were a joy to be around. We stayed and chatted until the restaurant closed.  It was truly more than a dining experience!

Matunuck Oyster Bar is open year round, 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. They offer both indoor and outdoor waterfront dining. Read more about Matunuck Oyster Bar by going to rhodyoysters.com or on their Facebook Page. If you’re looking for someone to accompany you to lunch or dinner be sure to reach out to me. I’d love to join you!