Love the pastrami dip. Omez with lots of meat, however it better with b the cost of 12.60 gor a sandwitch.

The pastrami is little scraps of fat and meat. If you get takeout, be sure to ask for each component separately because the bread gets soggy. Not much flavor. read more

The Hat is a classic. My wife and I love to share the chili cheese pastrami fries because it's absolutely huge. The best pastrami around and just a classic institution that has been around for years. read more

The Hat - The pastrami Chili Fries - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I typically only get pastrami and fries, sometimes with a side of gravy. Pastrami is always good, has gotten smaller no doubt over the years. Wouldn't put it in my fav or great category but satisfying nonetheless. The fries are just meh to me. If I get as they cook them, they're a bit under and pretty limp, never crispy or even close. If I ask for them crispy then they're way over cooked, Good enough to satisfy the pastrami craving. read more

The Hat is the place to be if you want anything with pastrami. From their pastrami dip sandwich to their loaded fries, you will not be disappointed. One word of advice, bring an appetite because their portions are plentiful. The workers were very patient and helpful with suggestions. This was my first time visiting and it will definitely not be my last. The Hat would be perfect here in San Diego, but for now I will have to get my fill when I'm in Orange County. I highly recommend The Hat. You will not regret it. read more

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Good quality and variety of hot and cold sandwiches, as well as burgers, specialty items and sides. The pastrami is very good, as is the roast beef, and, for a change, In ordered the Ham & Swiss on a French roll. All ingredients were fresh and the sandwich was a nice size. I'm not personally a fan of their thick, meaty chili, as I prefer with beans and a bit lighter, but I know that for those who enjoy a "Tommy's" style of chili, it is similar, but not quite as spicy. Onion rings and fries are always very good. Fast and courteous service, as well! read more

It doesn't much better than this. The food is always amazing and the customer service is top notch. I recommend the pastrami if you've never had one from the Hat but the chili cheese fries are amazing!!! You cannot go wrong here. Enjoy! read more

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I love this Hat. We drove from the Midwest to California and went to this Hat because we were in the area. I have been to many Hats in my life time but the service here was really good and the food was amazing. The portions were big and filling. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area. Be warned though, prepare to share your food with someone because the portions are big. You get your money's worth. read more

This photo shows only HALF of the full massive sandwich absolutely STUFFED with pastrami. Well-priced, incredible portions, super fast service, and delicious. Pastrami sandwiches don't get better than this! read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

If you're in the mood for a little guilty pleasure, come to The Hat. If you've never been here before, then start with their world famous Pastrami Dip, which is what they are best known for. You'll have plenty of time to ease into the rest of the menu on subsequent trips because believe me... you'll be back! The Hat is a So Cal fast food restaurant chain that has been around since 1951 - that's 68 years! You don't last that long in the restaurant business unless you're doing something right! When you walk into The Hat, it feels like you're stepping back in time with their greasy spoon interior and retro neon sign that lights up their logo, which happens to be a chef's hat. Fun fact - that's also where they got their name! You can choose to drive through as well. Either way, the service isn't the fastest, nor is it the greatest, but you'll forget about all of that once you dive into the food. My go-to is the Pastrami Dip for $9.99, which as you can see from my photo, is just so "in your face". I could make out with it all day long. They offer a variety of other hot & cold sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, sides and drinks, including Orange Julius! If you're really gonna throw the diet out the door, try their chili cheese fries for $6.99. The dish is massive and it could truly feed a village. The Lake Forest location is one of only two locations in Orange County - the other being in Brea. They are conveniently located right off the 5 fwy and Lake Forest Drive/Rockfield Blvd. Stop by if you're in the area and feel like making out with a little pastrami. read more

The Hat - World Famous Pastrami Dip! - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Tried their sandwiches for the first time. Had the pastrami burger, pastrami sandwich, hotdog, and fries. My favorite was the pastrami sandwich. Each bite was oh so good. The pastrami was fresh and melted in your mouth. The fries...loved them! Large crispy hot fries. If you are near the area, it is worth a stop in. Give it a try and you will be back. read more

The Hat - Menu - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Ok... if you are hungry.. this place will have you covered and some. ADVICE!!! Share the fries and onion rings!!! One order is huge. You can easily split it between 3-4 people. Their pastrami sandwich is one to contend with also. While its not as big of a portion as its sides, its quite hearty. Taste is amazing! Add a little hot sauce and bam!!! Simple bliss. We ended up bagging the fries and onion rings since it was so much for the 3 of us. My coworker ordered the turkey sandwich and that tasted good too. I would recommend that you be mindful of lunch rushes here. Parking can be quite limited and the line can be quite long too. Seating may also be a factor as well if you have a large group. You may ask people around you to share table space if they are flying solo. Wouldn't hurt to ask, especially those of you who are on a time crunch. I heard their chili fries is also an item to sample. People are also recommending that you share that with 2-3 people since its also a large order. I was quite impress when I saw their sauce package selection. Its an entire aisle of sauce packets. If you plan to dine here, prepare to do sit-ups and relays to atone later. Truthfully, I would make the sacrifice for their pastrami sandwich. Its worth every crunch and pull up. :P read more

The best pastrami sandwich in OC! Half a sandwich was enough to satisfy us. The onion rings are amazing!!! The chili cheese fries are A LOT (would recommend the onion rings over the fries) read more

The Hat - Pastrami Burger, Onion Rings, Chili Fries - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The food was great and so was the service! Pastrami and chili fries are the best ! Food is served quickly and the pricing is also reasonable read more

The world famous pastrami @the Hat is awesome. Great food, great people, good times.

Love this place!! I forgot the pics!! I always get their double cheeseburger with no lettuce or tomatoes!!! It's juicy and delicious!! Mom gets their famous pastrami which she loves!!! I love their fries, always served nice and hot!!!! Huge portion! Place is always clean and service is friendly and efficient!! They do a great job!! You need to go if you have never been here! I go to the Brea location also when I'm over there!! read more

The food is great. Great portions, nice staff, love the vibes. You need to try it out

The Hat in Irvine or Brea are pretty much a must stop on our trips to SoCal. I keep thinking I'm going to try one of the other sandwiches but I always get the usual pastrami and I am never disappointed that I didn't try something else. We tend to order a larger size than needed for sides (fries/onion rings). They serve a lot so we end up wasting some sides. Can't waste the pastrami though. read more

This place never disappoints. The food is good and plentiful. Service is quick & food comes out hot. Tried several different locations and pretty consistent with food & the service. They do get busy but manages to move the crowd efficiently. read more

The Hat has been so highly recommended and I can't believe I've never tried before! The pastrami sandwich we got on sourdough was definitely the highlight of the meal, I wish we had gotten the extra soup to juice things up a bit! Pickles and mustard are a must on this sandwich, it adds all the flavor you'll need to the already juicy thin-cut pastrami. The chili cheese fries were somewhat of a let down, as I think we were both used to thinner chili, this one had the texture of glue and was rather chunky. The cheese also hadn't melted fully, and gave off the impression of Kraft cheese. I'd definitely come here for the sandwich though, and skip on the fries next time. read more

The Hat - Pastrami Sandwich - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Yeah this food is not great. I ordered fries well done and to their credit they were actually cooked perfect;however, they tasted like oil and contained no salt. I was hoping they had some ketchup in the bag but they did not. I did get a side of gravy which tasted like it was straight out of a jar. I got the junior burger with cheese ($2 extra for a slice of American cheese). The burger was single patty, mustard, mayo, and a pickle. Honestly would rather go to McDonald's for a cheap cheeseburger. We also got two pastrami sandwiches. I was told they were ok but one was cut in and half and a good chunk of the meat was spilled all over the bag and it made a huge mess. The reviews were horrible for the steak sandwich so I didn't order that. Honestly unless they step up their game I wouldn't be back. read more

Greetings were nice! Really busy, especially for arriving during lunch hours! Busy, it must be a good sign! Order Chili fries are good for 2 or 3 ppl! Delicious! Definitely recommend! read more

The Hat - Double cheese burger - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Best pastrami in so cal. Great onion rings too. We go every week. They even have drive thru Ask for fries extra crispy. Best onion rings in oc and they give you a ton! read more

Yummy pastrami sandwiches. The onion rings portion was very large. At the next table a person was having g a loaded fries with pastrami that looked great. Definitely a place to visit with friends to share !!! read more

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Let's be honest, we know why we are here, for the pastrami! If you are having a craving for pastrami, this is definitely the spot to be. The pastrami is most and flavorful, on the saltier side because it is a salt cured meat. If you are feeling a little adventurous, go for the pastrami chili cheese fries or pastrami burger, you can't go wrong! The hat is a fast food/charbroiler type spot, the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast. There is even a drive thru. The portion sizes are good and the food is filling. Plenty of seating inside, just order at the counter, take your number, and sit wherever. read more

The Hat - Pastrami sandwich - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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This place is located next to the Taco Bell in Lake Forest across from the FedEx store. It is a PokéStop. Our choice of food was based on our understanding of the menu which had no pictures. What we ordered turned out to be very similar to what we could get at Arby's at a discount. It tasted fine as far as food was concerned. It was very busy inside so we ate in the car though that didn't stop us from looking at the decorations on the wall while waiting for the food, not that they were interesting or PokéStop-worthy. Numerical rating is due to our poor selection of food. I might go back sometime to order something that did not seem to be on the menu by showing a picture of it and saying that I want it. If they had pictures of items available for ordering we could be better informed and make a better decision. read more

Love, love, love their onion rings! Best ever. Sandwiches are filled sky high with meat. Very flavorful and filling.

The pastrami is awesome. The chili cheese fries are HUGE. Good for sharing with 5-6 people. Seriously. Love this place but I noticed the price is way higher now. Still a great place but sad it for expensive. Pastrami is basically 12 bucks now. read more

The chili fries are so delicious! The picture doesn't even do it justice. Not greasy, just so tasty. read more

The Hat - Turkey Sandwich with Swiss cheese and I asked for mustard and extra mayo. It was delicious! - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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This place has grown on me since my last review of it about eleven years ago. Where does the time go? I'll chock up my now eleven-year-old review to perhaps a bad day on the part of The Hat. Every place has one now and then, even my go-to favorite places. Subsequent visits to The Hat over the years have been without disappointment. First of all, pastrami is what this place is all about, so go with that. They do burgers and dogs, too, but I've never ordered them. The pastrami sammiches are great if a bit different than what you will find at a Jewish deli. I'm a fan of both. At a Jewish deli, the pastrami is sliced pretty thick and stacked high between two slices of rye bread. The Pastrami served at that hat is a generous portion sliced very, very thin and served on a sliced roll. Also, The Hat puts pickles on theirs, which works very well. Is one better than the other on account of these differences? No. The Hat's pastrami sammiches are their own thing. My comments about the onion rings still stand. They would benefit from thicker slices of onion and a lighter batter. Having said that, they are still pretty good, and lots of places do their rings the same way. Pro tip: Order the large size onion rings. If you do, you will be rewarded with a very sizable bag of onion rings that is more than enough for four people. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Went to The Hat for the first time in a while. I got the pastrami dip and my boy got the chili cheese burger with wet fries. The pastrami seemed greasier than I remember, but the flavor is still fantastic. Portion sizes are still ridiculously generous read more

The Hat - Pastrami Dip - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Love love love The Hat so much! There's nothing that even comes close in San Diego and this location is the perfect stop on the drive from OC back to SD. Always get a pastrami dipped sandwich with onions rings. The rest is extra. A root beer pairs well with this combo. Have been a customer of The Hat since I was a teenager and won't be stopping anytime soon. read more

This place is an institution in El Toro. You have got to try the chili cheese fries. They give you a crazy amount of fries, make sure you have someone or four someone's to share them with. The burgers and sandwiches weren't memorable but those chili cheese fries sure were! read more

We ordered too much for 2.5 people. Ordered: 1) roast beef au jus $9.99, decent but husband said Arby's tastes better 2) pastrami dip $9.99 3) pastrami chili cheese fries- this was huge, can feed 4 people read more

The Hat - Pastrami chili fries - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Quick and cheap meal to go to after bowling in the area. The food was good and the portions are huge. I ended up having leftovers but it's best to finish it once you get it or share with someone. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The Hat in Lake Forest has a classic old-timey feel to it, definitely gave throw back vibes to a bygone era when fast food was simple. And the menu is quite simple too, plenty of choices without being too overwhelming. Went for the chili dog, which was LOADED with chili (maybe TOO much chili?)...tomato and pickle was a pleasant surprise. Also got a "wet" fries (gravy poured on top) which, again, perhaps TOO much of a good thing... the order was HUGE! Taste is good for level of quality, price is fair. It's nothing elevated, but if that's what you want, you'd never find yourself there in the first place! read more

If your hungry, come here. If your sick come here, if your sad, come here... why you ask? Because the cheese burger, chili cheese fries, chili hotdog will make feeling better and happy. Solves all problems. Nice cosy diner with an old school feel with old school food, parking is fine, and tons of condiments. We ordered a pastrami sandwich, great factor of pastrami, love how fine cut the meat is so when you eat into it, it falls apart in your mouth. I would recommend to add sauerkraut and more thousand island but it's fine the way it is. It taste what you would expect. Cheese burger is sorta bland, boring, bread meat and cheese. I added chili cheese fries and white onions to it, bombbbb. Umami. The chili hotdog has a good snap to the casing, it's split in half and grilled so every side of the dog, you get meat, chili, tomatoes, onions. Awesome hotdog. The chili cheese fries... 10/10. No words can explain how damm good they are. Thick, fresh, meaty, cheesy, fresh onions, it's alll coming together. If your drunk, go get these fries. read more

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Love this spot for their pastrami sandwiches and gravy fries! The pastrami sandwiches are so thick and simple - just pastrami, mustard and pickles. The pastrami is juicy and packed with flavor. I always get the gravy fries on the side and they're fast food perfection - crispy, salty, and hot fries smothered in brown gravy. The line can be long here, but it's worth it cause these are the best pastrami sandwiches around and the price point is quite fair. read more

The Hat is known for their pastrami and yes it is delicious! The pastrami fries are not on the menu but they are a must have item. Honestly it's easily a meal for two or a shared side for 4 people. I would say it's a fries mountain loaded with chili, cheese and pastrami that is overwhelmingly big upon first glance. The chili consistency is not to thick but just sticky enough to hold onto the fries. We also had a tuna sandwich with avocado that was delicious. They really don't skimp out on the avocado which is great. All together we had pastrami fries, a sandwich, and two drinks which came out to about $31. It's a little expensive for "fast food" but it's definitely worth coming to get every once in awhile. Looking at another review I second that the pepperoncinis are really spicy so be warned! read more

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Updated Review June 17 2023. Quality and portions are still very good. Looks about same size as my last photo. I still order my sandwich PLAIN, and then I manually add my own mustard to the sandwich. If you don't put it on yourself, they tend to put way too much mustard on the sandwich. read more

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