Hog's Breath Inn — Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Tldr: Cozy place with decent food. Menu items are definitely hit or miss.

Went here for dinner with friends while passing through Carmel, and we all loves the aesthetics of the place. We sat out on the patio and it was really nice and relaxed. There were a couple of fireplaces set up and it was a nice end to the day. In terms of the food though, not everything stood out. I got the Salinas Valley Greens salad with grilled chicken breast, and it was nothing special, white a small portion size too. The chicken looked great amd seemed to have some dry rub seasoning, but it was very very salty! I had to return it and ask them to replace it. Thankfully they were willing to do that. The salt was right the second time, but it seemed like there was no seasoning anymore, but instead quite a but of oil. I had to soak up 2 napkins to get it all off. One of my friends got the Hog's Chicken Salad and Clam Chowder. He said the clam chowder was good, perfectly hot, and went really well with the cripy slices of bread on the side. His salad was also good and very filling. It came with the grilled chicken breast too, but his was so so good: perfectly seasoned. Both my friends said it was some of top grilled chicken they've had. I didn't taste it myself but the crispy tortilla bowl got mixed reviews. One of them liked that it was a little soft on the inside, but the one who actually ordered didn't like it as much and left most of it. The other friend got the Caesar Salad and sweet potato fries. The salad was quite large, and those were A LOT of fries. She particularly enjoyed the fries and finished the entire serving alone! The salad was just like any other Caesar. Overall I would say it's very average. You'll enjoy the experience if you get...

Very Disappointing

In a time of food allergies and sensitivities, it’s astonishing that a restaurant refuses substitutions for something as simple as a side dish that doesn’t contain cheese. My husband requested to switch potatoes au gratin to fries, mashed potatoes, baked potato. ‘Ahhhhhh, no,’ said the waiter. This is a waiter we’ve had on several visits, a long time employee. Each time prior has been exceptional. Obviously there has been a change in the kitchen or chef. My dish, sautéed sand dabs, wasn’t the same. Similar recipe, bad execution. My husband’s filet was subpar, with a strange sauce on top. For perspective, we have been coming to Hogs Breath since our honeymoon in 1990. The food has consistently been excellent. And substitutions allowed, long before current day awareness that certain foods can make people sick. The restaurant has undergone a major remodel, from new tables and chairs, down to the refurbished fireplaces. The menu touts the adherence to tradition to the days when Clint Eastwood opened the doors of the eatery. But the new owners or managers forgot one thing - the customer. And the fact that customers want a choice, sometimes NEED to opt out of the set menu, to switch one item in a dish, so they aren’t sent running to the newly remodeled bathrooms. Because it doesn’t matter how nice the new tile is, if someone is retching in the stall next to you because the food made them sick. Would you return? We should have paid for our drinks and left to eat elsewhere. Lesson learned. It was a nice 34 years of memories and tradition. New management has missed a mark on something that costs them nothing. Accommodating the customer. And that’s where they failed to follow the simplest tradition of...

I had very high hopes for this restaurant. We were seated quickly and next to an outdoor heater on the patio which was nice. The wait staff met us right away and took our drink order. The drinks were good but unfortunately that’s were the positive experience ended. I ordered a bowl of clam chowder for a starter. They brought artichoke soup. The wait staff then went missing for 15-20 minutes so I could not correct my order. They then finally showed up with a coffee for us…which nobody ordered. Another 10 minutes passed and they brought out our meals. Well they got 3 meals right. My wife’s meal was completely wrong (brought out Fish and Chips). So she sat without dinner while we waited for the correct order. During this time we also ran out of water and drinks…no visits from the wait staff. Finally we finished dinner and still no wait staff visits. It got so BAD that I had to go find the wait staff in the dining room to request my check. That finally ended our horrible experience. I cannot recommend this establishment and really hope they can figure out a way to correct these issues so future customers do not experience...