Clint Eastwood Founded This California Restaurant Known For Steak And Seafood

There is no shortage of restaurants that are owned by celebrities, but very few have had the good fortune of being open for nearly 60 years. Such is the case for Hog's Breath Inn, a restaurant opened by legendary actor Clint Eastwood in 1970 in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Eastwood initially envisioned Hog's Breath Inn as a saloon in the town he called home (and was once elected mayor), but there was too much more potential in the structure. Instead, he turned it into a place where locals and out-of-towners could drink, eat, and relax. Much importance has been placed on local ingredients when it comes to the menu, which boasts stand-out steak and seafood dishes.

Carmel-By-The-Sea is a tiny town that encompasses about one-square mile, but it sits adjacent to Monterey on the Pacific Ocean. The treasures that come from the sea are plentiful, and many are included on the Hog's Breath Inn menu, like big-eye tuna, sand dabs, red snapper, Pacific swordfish, and calamari and Bay shrimp in the fritto misto appetizer. The steak choices — which are all hormone- and antibiotic-free and aged for a minimum of 35 days — include tender filet mignon, New York strip, and rib steaks.

Naturally, there are several dishes and drinks that pay homage to Eastwood's famous film roles. The "Original Spaghetti Western" pasta entrée is not short of meat sauce, meatballs, and mozzarella cheese. Additionally, there is a famous "Dirty Harry" burger, which Eastwood counts among his favorite eats, and Sister Sarah's Mules (as in Moscow Mules) are on the cocktail menu. The Hog's Breath Inn certainly knows how to honor its founder.

Since opening in 1970, Hog's Breath Inn has been open almost continuously, but it did close its doors in the late 1990s for about two years. Clint Eastwood actually decided to close the restaurant after owning it for nearly three decades, but his close friend, Kaiser Morcas, decided to buy it in order to keep it open. But upon Morcas' death, his son, Lee, took over ownership of the restaurant. Like Eastwood before him, he also closed Hog's Breath Inn in 2025, but this time, it was simply to renovate the space. Rather than completely changing it, the younger Morcas freshened everything up while maintaining the original spirit of this piece of Eastwood's legacy.

Scrolling through the whole menu, you'll see that attention is paid to every dish, even beyond the steaks and seafood that draw visitors in. It appears that Hog's Breath Inn puts a considerable emphasis on local ingredients. Produce, cheese, breads, beers, and wines are sourced locally; even the sea salt sprinkled on their potato chips comes from nearby Big Sur, California. One of the most charming elements at Hog's Breath Inn is its "Pooch" menu, as dogs are welcome on the patio. Their human companions can order them an unseasoned grilled steak, hamburger, or a chicken breast, which come on a bed of rice in a doggie bowl.