The Dish
DINING REVIEW
Matunuck Atelier
Perry Raso’ s second, more contemporary post elevates Rhode Island-sourced shellfish and seafood in a more central South County location.
PERHAPS THE MOST UNUSUAL THING THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM about Perry Raso— the one thing that separates him from nearly every other Rhode
LEFT: Ceviche; lobster-vanilla dumplings; gochujang-glazed halibut. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE
Island restaurateur— is that people across FROM TOP: The interior of Matunuck
the state feel protective of him. He’ s been Atelier; seafood bouillabaisse; Palm & a leader in the Rhode Island aquaculture Pearl from the raw bar. community, harvesting oysters in Potter Pond for more than twenty years, eventually building Matunuck Oyster Bar on its shores. When that restaurant burnt down last year, it wasn’ t just the beachfront neighbors who showed up in spirit and support— the entire state did.
Matunuck’ s identity has always been homegrown, a rarity in the field of cooking given
that kitchens are often bringing a distant homeland— Europe, Asia, Latin America— to a local audience. There are certainly a large handful of seafood restaurants across the state but few— Dune Brothers is an exception— owned by individuals who touch every part of the operation.
So it’ s not surprising that Raso’ s newest venture, Matunuck Atelier, is already crowded. It sits just five miles from where Matunuck Oyster Bar pitches its summer tent until the restaurant is rebuilt— close enough to pull its regulars in. That’ s not to say the two dining rooms overlap; far from it.
The original Matunuck was born from something similar to a beach shack perched on the pond. Even as it expanded, and more so as it sits under a tent, a meal feels like lucky real estate: sunshine on your face, sand between your toes, a visceral immediacy to the waters that house your food.
118 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MAY 2026