Fire guts Matunuck Oyster Bar; iconic Rhode Island restaurant could be a total loss
The Matunuck Oyster Bar, a well-known Rhode Island seafood restaurant that has been called one of the best oyster bars in the world, was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday morning.
The fire broke out shortly before 4 a.m. on Succotash Road in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The building was still standing after sustaining significant damage, but fire officials said it could be a total loss.
Union Fire District Chief Steve Pinch told WPRI-TV there was "a major fire" at the popular waterfront restaurant. He said crews arrived within eight minutes, but it took about 90 minutes to knock down the flames amid windy conditions.
"Everybody in town either works or knows somebody that works at the oyster bar, or comes here and enjoys the oyster bar," Pinch said. "We're just saddened for all the employees and the owner."
No injuries were reported. There was no immediate word on what caused the fire.
Matunuck Oyster Bar
The Matunuck Oyster Bar, which opened in 2009, was just named one of the best restaurants of 2025 by USA Today. The newspaper says it offers a "taste of Rhode Island" and recommended that diners watch the harvest oysters get cleaned on the deck or shucked at the raw bar.
Restaurant owner Perry Raso was profiled on CBS Saturday Morning's "The Dish" in 2022. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island, where he studied aquaculture, and started a small oyster farm in 2002.
Raso has been a proponent of sustainable shellfish farming to feed the world. Diners at the oyster bar could literally see where their food comes from.
"To be able to see where your food is coming from, to see the farmers coming in with the oysters, putting them right in the fridge and serving them right here, it's a unique thing," he said.
