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

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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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

Food is great 90% of the time, but my goodness, the prices keep going up. Also, no meals or deals. Times are tough, so give patrons a break.

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

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

The Hat is the best burger place to go if you are.... - hungry - half hungry - not hungry but can eat - feeling sad - feeling happy - just married - on your way back from a funeral - last meal on death row Basically the gravy fries and pastrami burger could solve world peace and world hungry simultaneously. read more

Came here for lunch with some friends and wow, this place is amazing. Their food is heavy and delicious. I got the roast beef sandwich with the dip and it did not disappoint. It is messy, greasy and wonderful. The bag of fries were the perfect addition. They gave generously. Somehow, I was able to finish the whole thing. If you're able to finish the whole thing with the fries, be prepared for a food coma. read more

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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

That was the WORST chili cheese fries I have ever had. Seriously, like added calories with negative flavor. Almost a burnt plastic taste and zero chili taste. Pastrami was good, but hard pass on the fries. read more

Soooo ... we usually go to the Hat in Glendora, it's always amazing. Unfortunately as a result of covid, this time we didn't make it all the way up there to see family - but we still wanted to stop at the hat. I am gluten sensitive and always eat my burger without a bun with lettuce - so we ordered it through drive through since that was all that was open. Unfortunately, this is what I paid $4 for, a simple patty. No lettuce, no tomato, no onions, nothing other than a hamburger patty. This is NOT what I wanted nor ordered ... and in Glendora they have never messed it up :( I would have gone back to complain or get a new one, but the dining room was closed ;( so I ate my sad sad patty ... with my fries :( I'm giving 2 stars because of my burger - but my husbands pastrami burger looked delicious and our fries were yummy :) read more

The Hat - A sad sad bunless burger :( - 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

chili cheese fries w/ pastrami (secret menu): 10/10 my favorite cheat meal for the past five years. portions are consistently generous, service is friendly, pastrami is perfectly smoked and seasoned, chili has the perfect flavor all served on amazingly light and crispy fries read more

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Food: very filling and tasty. They have a good variety of condiments and the portion sizes are h Ambiance: good place for lunch with kids. Very spacious and child friendly. Always a bit chilly, which is nice with the heat storm. 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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Came in with a group of 30 college hockey players, left incredibly satisfied! Food was awesome, portions are huge, and the staff were very kind and organized! read more

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

The pastrami has good flavor, but it pretty salty. The sandwich is packed with a lot of meat, but it would be better to include some veggies to balance out the fat in the meat. There were only 4 pickles in the sandwich which was kind of a let down. Had to drink a lot of water afterwards because the meat was just too salty. It's a bit pricey for a sandwich with just meat and bread, but you do get a large portion of pastrami. If the meat was leaner, it would have tasted less greasy and fatty. read more

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

A complete fail I order a pastrami on rye I got a pastrami on white bread when I got home,This is typical of this place now they always get orders wrong they overcharge now and for what I paid for 12 bucks for a pastrami I wanna Rye not on the white roll but their insistence to get you to buy something else makes them forget about what they ask what you actually ordered read more

This has nothing to do with Covid! No stars! If you want a chili dog, don't get a chili dog here!! Only if you like gobs of chili on a bread roll that falls apart!!! I cannot find no wiener in here!!!!!!! Sooooo frustrating! It really sucked big time! read more

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

Good food and a very clean. The workers were very nice and it had lots of parking. It was very accessible for disabled population.

I love chili cheese fries and pastrami. The chili cheese fries was a big portion for only eight dollars. The pastrami was delicious, which came with mustard and pickles. The place is pretty busy. We got there right in time. Definitely will be coming back. read more

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

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Drove passed this place hundreds of times and finally decided to give it a try. The loaded fries with the pastrami tasted so good! It's a lot of food so defiantly share it with some friends. read more

This place always puts out quality food. We always end up with way more food than we can eat. The chili and pastrami fries are amazing! The chili is super flavorful, and the pastrami is plentiful. I would highly recommend this place. Although, be prepared to wait. This place gets pretty busy and can have long lines and crowded tables. But it is so worth it! read more

Omg, theeee best pastrami sandwich i ever had! Line moves quick and plenty of parking. Super nice staff. read more

The Hat - Sign outside to look for when driving - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I don't know how, don't know why. This is the best damn pastrami sandwich west of the Mississippi. Add extra pickles mustard and cheese and your face will thank you. One order of onion rings or fries will feed a family of six. Simple fast delicious! Family secret: with 5 of us we would order two of the dips. And a loaf of rye and Swiss at a nearby grocery store. You see there's enough meat in two of these sandwiches to make at least four -five more! That with a single order of rings and we are stuffed! I can honestly say we did this a dozen times over the years when we lived nearby. So without having to share one as in today, it's a feast. Three burly dudes couldn't each eat our own sandwiches and finish one order of rings! My arteries are not happy but man is my stomach smiling! read more

My favorite place to come when I am extremely hungry and want something savory. I've been coming to The Hat for about a decade now, and it never fails to change (which is good). I always come with my friends or family, so I always order the Pastrami sandwich and chili cheese fries with pastrami. Ordering is very quick as you just walk up to the counter to order, sit, and wait. The prices are very good for the amount of food you get (less than $10 per person with this setup as it fed the three of us). The food itself is kind of a joke as how large the portion sizes are, especially for the fries. The fries are basically put in a large recyclable container that is bigger than the ones you use to carry out four drinks. At the very bottom of the pile is a small tray that normal fast food places use to portion their fries, which is the size of an In-n-Out fries container. This is literally 10x that amount. I am always satisfied coming to The Hat for its sizes and worth. read more

The Hat - Chili Cheese Fries with Pastrami meat on top - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Amazing food! Delicious pastrami burger. Never dry, always tasty! Customer service is great too.

Food is super overrated and not as expected . Price is ok not expensive but there are so many better places. It's so automated I don't think they put the effort in they use to. read more

Horrible customer service. I ordered a sandwich on my lunch break Turkey on sourdough w cheese, they put tons of shredded cheese on it. Fell apart and tasted awful. I called The Hat in Lake Forest to ask why they put shredded cheese on my sandwich? I was told that is how they make the sandwich that I should have asked if it was shredded cheese or not, that everyone knows that cheddar cheese is shredded, I said well I didn't know that, normally sandwich shops comes sliced. I said I wish someone would have told me when I was ordering. She said that it was not her problem told me it was mine. I proceeded to ask for the manager and she hung up on me. I'll never go back. Horrible service and sandwich. read more

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

We've been coming here for decades and have never been diappointed. We always get the pastrami, because that's what they're famous for, and for good reason. The pastrami is never dry and has the perfect fat to meat ratio! :) The hubby loves gravy on fries. I'm born and raised in So Cal and have never heard of the combo until I met him...he's a New Englander...GO PATRIOTS! The restaurant is always quite busy, but we have always found a table to sit at. The food comes out quick as well. The usual wait time we've experienced is around 5 minutes. This isn't your typical fast food restaurant. A meal for 2 will easily set you back at least $30 but it's totally worth it! read more

The Hat - 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

Best pastrami spot in town! Huge portions and quick service. We love the chili fries with pastrami added.

We've been to 8 of 11 franchises; Murrieta, Pasadena, Glendora, Simi Valley (Home), Alhambra, Rancho Cucamonga & Upland!!! THIS IS THE BEST ONE THUS FAR. We give it a 5 STARS, 10 outta 10 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. staff is friendly service is great, portions were great, SUPER CLEAN, soft fresh bread, flavorful meat on a juicy sandwich, moist & FRESH PASTRAMI. Thanks for such a great experience! Great place for the whole family & more. StopBeef Dip SandwichPastrami Chili here if you're hungry (all props to the night crew!) read more

Best pastrami sandwiches I've ever had, best in OC, and of all time anywhere else. These guys just can't and don't do it anywhere else. No matter if I take a week, month, or even a few years break from eating at this spot, anytime I revisit, the product never disappoints. The consistency is timeless with all their menu items. Nothing else to say here but just try everything that they have listed at least once. read more

This is legit my favorite place right now. If you love pastrami THE BEST from the west read more

The Hat - This is the fricken best i love it - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Don't go here if your doctor tells you to watch your diet!! Onion rings are some of the best I've ever had! Pastrami is good, of course, hot dogs are good... it's all good!! Go get your heart attack on and know the portions are huge! Enjoy! read more

I Heard about this world-famous pastrami spot and wanted to stop by. Ordered their chilli cheese fries at the drive-thru Food: large portion with tasty chilli, cheese and fries Price: A little on the high side at $11 Service: Friendly and Fast Worth trying out for the flavor... read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The best pastrami's in LA any location they're all good all the same can't beat a classic