Fall 2025

T he Hog’s Breath Inn looms large in Carmel-by-the-Sea lore. This pocket- sized, San Carlos Street restaurant/bar was founded by none other than Hollywood royalty (and one-time Carmel mayor) Clint Eastwood. The actor/director told Today’s Woman magazine in 2007: “Malcolm Moran owned the building, and one day he was show- ing it to me, and he said, ‘wouldn’t this make a great place for a saloon?’ One thing led to another. Walter Becker and I started the busi- ness as sort of a lark.”That was the early 1970s, and except for two years in the 1990s and a recent pause for a major renovation, it’s been serving customers ever since. It featured a rustic wood floor indoor dining room, but the real charm lay outside.There, red- wood slab tables were situated beneath a tow- ering oak, with several fireplaces and overhead heaters to ward off the characteristic and iconic Carmel fog. A cozy, wood paneled bar served cocktails under the watchful eye of a stuffed boar. Eastwood came here often to relax with pals when not filming his latest movie. He owned the restaurant for nearly 30 years, and the building it’s housed in—in fact, the red tape he encountered in developing the property was what spurred him to run for mayor in an effort to ease restrictions on businesses. However, the Hog’s Breath was hardly an exclusive boy’s club. It became a beloved and egalitarian center of community life. “This might have been the first celebrity-owned restaurant,” says current proprietor Lee Morcus. “What made it great was the community embraced it.” Of course, when word got out to the wider public that a mega-famous movie star spent time there, it became a huge draw for visitors, but mainly, it was created for the community. One of Eastwood’s pals was Palm Springs restaurateur Kaiser Morcus. “They were friends 166 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 5 Fireplaces and heat fixtures ward off the cool Carmel climate. Redwood slab tables help replicate the original aura of the patio. The indoor dining room has been completely redesigned, lending a lighter, friendlier atmosphere to the room, though the original rustic wood flooring remains. Walls are lined with original art depicting Eastwood in a variety of settings.