In 1999, when Clint Eastwood asked his good friend Kaiser Morcus to reopen the Original Hog — which the A-list actor-director-producer had owned for more than three decades in Carmel — the now 80-year-old patriarch of the Palm Springs-based Kaiser Restaurant Group jumped at the chance. And when, in 2004, the developers of Old Town La Quinta offered Morcus a choice spot on Main Street, the veteran restaurateur had the stroke of genius to retell his Northern California success story in this charming, set in Southern California, Spanishstyle village. Thus was the Desert Hog born.
This explains the murals, movie posters, and vintage Hollywood photos depicting Eastwood that pepper the walls throughout this warm, Southwestern-themed, second-story eatery that won both a Diner’s Choice Award from Open Table and a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor in 2013. With the spacious saloon, rustically sophisticated dining room, private boardroom accommodating up to 36 people, and sun-drenched patio all offering stellar views of the Santa Rosa Mountains beyond and Old Town La Quinta Plaza below, guests are invited to recline, unwind, and savor the mid-to upper-level, all-American classics cooked up by seasoned Chef Gabino Reyes. See More...
Open daily: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., lunch till 3 p.m., happy hour 3-6 p.m.; dinner starts at 4:30 p.m.
Hog’s Breath Inn
78065 Main Street, Old Town La Quinta, CA 92253
760-564-556
www.hogsbreathlaquinta.com