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My teen chose The Hat for her birthday lunch. We frequent The hat here in Murrieta often, so much so that my teen would ask to eat here. There's plenty of parking. There's plenty of seating inside and out. You order at the counter and pick up your food there. I like that they have lemon slices by the soda machine so that you can have lemon in your water. They're well known for their pastrami dip so that's what I got along with onion rings. I must say that they do not skimp on their meat or their fries. Their prices are reasonable. The pastrami was seasoned very well. The bread was soft. I loved the hot au jus that came with it. Delicious! 9/10 The onion rings were crispy on the outside. Portion size were big 10/10.
Nice and clean and has a classic feel or feels like your in the past. They have receipts hanging on a clothes line. Soda machine that activates by placing your finger between 2 censors. The Pastrami sandwich, fries & chilli. There are others things I want to try but hard to say no to the Pastrami. Have a nice day! Lastly lots if people working hard nice to see.
There's The Hat in Las Vegas now but the lines are always so dang long that I'm turned off to go. :( On my first visit years ago, I didn't remember much about my food. However, this time around, I remembered how amazing the sandwiches were. We ordered 2 pastrami dip sandwiches, small fries, small onion rings and a drink. My least favorite was the french fries. It was just okay. The onion rings were the best. It was so good and good portions too. Lastly, the pastrami dip sandwhich was devine! The bread they use is soft and the pastrami is yummy! The portion size is huge that I took some of the meat out just so I can bite into the sandwich. Whatever is in the sandwich makes it so good. Overall, great spot and delicious food.
One of my favorite places to get a good pastrami sandwich everything in here is good the chili cheese pastrami fries are huge the small fries looks like a large and the customer service here is always good the only reason I don't give them 5 stars is because of the meat portion it's not the same at it use to be but overall good food..
Wednesday, 7-29-2026: We came here on the suggestion of one of our friends. We all belong to the Temecula Valley Elks Lodge #2801 and we were busy today. There was a planning meeting & decorating for Pirate Night for Friday. We worked up an appetite when one of our friends suggested The Hat. We always saw the signs from the freeway but had never been. So, why not? The interior is spacious, clean with plenty of tables & seats. Nothing fancy just functional. So glad we came here! I split a pastrami melt sandwich with my friend and she recommended that one order of fries would feed all three of us. She was right! Food came out quickly. I savored that pastrami melt half. The fries were plentiful and so good. Our cashier, Karen, was friendly, sweet, and patient. We enjoyed talking with her. I liked it so much, I'm bringing my entire family the next time.
Old classic, new town. Safe to say the food is as expected, which is what a good chain restaurant should offer. Fries were excellent and plentiful. Was eating them for days. Pastrami was good and also as expected. Seems like there are better pastramis these days, but an old classic always hits the spot. Also ordered a cold roast beef, which I hadn't tried in some 20 years. Have to admit, I recall it being much better back in the day. Roast beef tasted like something you can buy at the store. Was ok, but recalled much better. Service in the drive through was excellent though. Order and customizations were on point. Pickles on the side. Chilis and ketchup to go, all perfect. Nice lady taking order was very pleasant and made sure to get everything just right. Definitely worth a return trip when back in the neighborhood.
So we learned the hard way that everything in Murrieta closes early on a Friday. We walked in key before 10pm and ordered a burger with cheese extra lettuce and a pastrami to share. We had no idea they were closing. The took our order and allowed us to eat while they did there thing. This was our first time trying their burgers. Wow!!!! The pastrami always hits.
I love pastrami and love The Hat. So glad its on the drive to San Diego, and located in a nice shopping area. Before we could only get it in Ontario, Claremont area. Always getting the classic is never a disappointment. Hits the spot for sure. Did not get the fries this time because we were driving. But it is a big order for sharing. Gravy and cheese. Kinda like a poutine. Ordered, went to bathroom and it was already to go. That's fast service. Yum!
A Southern California chain that serves sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs. But best Known for world famous pastrami dip. We had the pastrami burger on a soft sesame bun and I have to say, I was blown away. I'm used to pastrami's being sliced thick and being extremely salty. However, it's not the case here. I've been having it wrong all this time! The pastrami ($12.60) was sliced thinly and it wasn't salty. The onion rings ($4.85) came in a brown paper bag and it soaked up the grease. Nicely battered. We got chili fries ($8.60) and added cheddar ($1.99). I didn't like that the cheddar was not melted. Next time we would get small regular fries ($3.99) and a cup of chili ($2.99). The soda fountain has touchless systems for the cups.
A bit far from my place. But sometimes when you want a good pastrami and chili cheese fries it worth the drive.
Excellent customer service good food and large I mean large portions. it seems like the staff was right on it as soon as the table will get dirty the staff cleaned up the table and got it ready for another customer. The restaurant was very clean and the staff were great. Great customer service thank you.
We were in the area and looked this place up on Yelp, the reviews drew us in, and it was packed when we arrived which is usually a good sign. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and hubby got the roast beef. The pastrami sandwich was so packed full of meat it and very flavorful and filling, but not overly salty like some other sandwich shops. We also ordered a large side of fries that looked like an extra large, it was enough for 4 people. We almost got the pastrami fries because they looked so good, but I will have to make another trip here. The staff was great, ordering was quick and easy even with the big crowd. Excellent place to check out.
A friend of mine took me here while we were in Temecula Dang it was bomb! The pastrami sandwich has soo much meat! The meat is sliced perfectly right, not to thick not to thin. They are well known for their pastrami sandwiches but they also have a full menu of other items They even have a veggie sandwich I'd recommend stopping it They have their own little lot with plenty of parking spaces.
10 months ago
Sunday night was a mad house in here. The drive thru line was crazy long too. The inside was packed as usual and the floors were filthy. The tables were dirty and we didn't see anyone cleaning them. The trash cans were full and the employee took a plunger to push it down instead of taking it out. The cashier lady was not friendly at all. She seemed annoyed or didn't want to be there. The guy putting the orders together and calling out the numbers was friendly and helpful. The roast beef sandwich with au jus was very tasty. The bread was soft and fluffy. The meat was tender and had great flavor. I was just disappointed on the portion size for the price I paid. The cheeseburger was just okay. It was definitely smaller than what I thought it would be. The portion size was not good for the price it cost and taste. I've had better cheeseburgers at other places and they are bigger for the same price or less. The chili cheese fries were huge! Portion size won here for the price we paid for them. You can share them with 3-4 adults. The chili does lack flavor, so I had to add salt and chopped onions to it. I love that they have Orange Bang Bang as a refillable drink. I was sad to see the pineapple one wasn't working. Overall, it's over priced fast food. I would eat here again if I was in the area, and I felt like a good roast beef sandwich. read more
5 months ago
We were driving through the city and my sister stopped here for a quick bite. Tried the Onion Rings and they were light and crispy and just pure delicious! The pastrami tasted great too. Drive thru service was busy, but it was handy since they were packed inside. This is a nice place to grab a bite to eat! read more
5 months ago
10 months ago
I had a great experience at The Hat I ordered a chill dog and it was served very quickly. The food was absolutely delicious, the chili was perfect. The meat was generous and very tasty. The ambiance was good, clean and organized. I will definitely return for the pastrami. read more
3 months ago
3 months ago
7 months ago
Expensive. But the biggest disappointment was the Chili Cheese Fries. Almost no flavor. Tommy's is leagues better. Not even a comparison. Always heard good things, but was terrible. read more
1 year ago
Was out in Murrieta and saw The Hat Drive Thru open for business. I've been hearing a lot about The Hat and turns out they have been in business for 74 years with a lot of history of great service and good food. The menu is very simple and classic. I had to try the World Famous Pastrami Dip and Grilled Cheese Sandwich on the first day. On the second day, I ordered and tried the Pastrami Burger and the Roast Beef Sandwich with Au Jous. THEY WERE ALL SO GOOD!!! I'll let the pictures I took speak for itself. Very generous portions of meat, tasty and well seasoned. The sandwich roll was soft and tasty. And I really enjoyed the grilled cheese. Wow! Wish I had tomato soup. I'll be back to try other sandwiches on the menu. read more
My family's first time eating at The Hat was in Sept 2018, when their Murrieta location opened. Since that first and only visit, we never ate at any of The Hat locations until this Saturday afternoon, Dec 14, 2024. After watching multiple You Tube Foodies sharing their thoughts on eating at different locations, it motivated me to give The Hat another try. We were warmly greeted by a gentleman standing at the registers. It wasn't too busy when we arrived at approximately 1345 hours. Our call/ticket # was "51". Our order: 2 Pastrami Burgers; Double Cheeseburger; Cheeseburger w/Small Fries-Plain; 4 Large Sodas Total Cost: Approx $62.00. (No receipt was issued, emailed or offered a choice of). After about a 7-10 minute wait, our order number was called. Once our orders were removed from the paper bags all orders, eat-in or take out are placed in, I opened up my pastami burger. Holy crap, the pastrami as the photos indicate, was spilling out, off the burger. It was a very generous amount of pastami! The burger was decent in size and cooked medium, but one is here for that salty, fatty, smoky pastrami! Yeah, my doctors would be wringing their hands if they knew I was wolfing down this really tasty burger! My wife ordered the same and was really enjoying hers as well. She took half of it home to polish off later. Both our sons unwrapped and devoured their burger choices so quickly that I was too late to take any photos of their burgers. Both gave their thumbs up approvals. The small order of plain fries was quite a generous portion; at most places this portion size would be considered a very generous large. My son who ordered the fries loved them; he's a carb lover. My wife and I each tried a french fry: they still tasted like the same batter extruded tasting frozen fries we ordered during our first visit. Sorry, those type of fries are not to our liking but that's a personal preference. I observed many patrons enjoying their different style of fries never-the-less. To sum it it, I'm going to increase this visit's rating to four stars from my previous first 2018 visit rating of only three stars. Why? For the price, this Hat location gives you a very generous portion of food that is still pretty tasty that definitely scratches that itch for rich, fatty delicious tasting pastrami. Another bonus, both my wife and I commented later at dinner, how neither of us were really thirsty as often happens when eating a pastrami entree. Based on this visit, we're adding this location of The Hat to our family favorites. read more
10 months ago
9 months ago
Just tried it while we were in Murrieta over the weekend. I'll have to say I'm excited for when it opens in Vegas this summer! For a lack of better words YUM! We had the chili cheese fries with tomatoes and pickle. Which were good until we tried out pastrami burger! Just wow! It will definitely be my staple every time. Of course the onion rings were amazing. Next on the list to try is the hotdog. .. Oh, I can't forget- we got this orange soda but it had ice cream.. I'm pretty sure it was ice cream. ?!? lol.. Ahhh-mazingggg!! Only thing I can complain about is the ranch-- it was in a ketchup packet? Yea-- I'll have to pass. read more
9 months ago
We normally come here after church on Sunday mornings. We've had their double cheeseburgers, pastrami dip, pastrami burger, and onion rings. The burgers are good. They use shredded lettuce on it instead of leaf lettuce. The burger itself is huge, so bring your appetite!! We also get the large onion rings w a side of their bbq sauce (the onion rings are big enough to feed the 5 of us: me and the 4 kids). I love their pastrami dip and pastrami burger. A double cheeseburger for almost $7 is not bad at all. I like my burgers w the yellow chillies, though most of the time they're not spicy at all. The cost is cheaper here than most burger places we've been to, and I highly recommend if you're craving a burger but don't wanna spend a lot. read more
1 year ago
Came by for lunch. Initially, I was going to avoid this place due to the number of negative reviews given, but I gave it a chance.. I don't see how people didn't like the food or service. The service was really easy, fast and great. The food came out in less than 5 minutes. I was recommended the pastrami dip and fries and got a large drink. The food has so much good flavor, and the fries are nice, crispy, and freshly made! The ambiance is clean, mellow and friendly. read more
5 months ago
2 months ago
5 months ago
Food is mid. Pastrami is usually a bit salty, this pastrami tasted like straight beef no seasoning just vibes. The chili was also alright. To top it off, their ranch is the elementary school buttermilk packets. It was truly a 2/5 experience. To hear so many people rant and rave about this place is scary. Go try Tams!!! read more
1 year ago
I really wanted to like The Hat, but unfortunately, the experience was underwhelming. We ordered three pastrami chili cheese fries and a roast beef sandwich with au jus. They forgot the roast beef sandwich entirely, which was frustrating. When we finally got to the fries, they were a letdown -- the pastrami was okay, the chili was just average, and the fries themselves were bland and lacking flavor. Several of the straws we grabbed were also broken inside the wrappers, which just added to the frustration. Once we finally tried the roast beef (after pointing out the mistake), it was pretty boring, and the au jus was extremely salty -- almost inedible. The only real highlight? The pickles. Those were actually delicious. Overall, not worth the hype for me. Probably won't be back. read more
6 months ago
10 months ago
5 months ago
I had always wanted to try this spot...I am a fan of a great pastrami sandwich! Well yesterday I finally made it...ordered the pastrami dip and a small order of onion rings...met a client for lunch who ordered the same sandwich but had the chili fries....he had tried the place before and loves it. I like when the pastrami is charred on the grill...this isn't like that....I wasn't a fan of the meat texture. A bit chewy for my taste. I also prefer it on a nicely toasted bread...but it's on a soft bun. Onion rings were great....a small order has a ton of rings. Place is cool on the inside and everyone seems to love it so that's just my opinion above. Clean restaurant and good service. So many other items to choose from. read more
The "hat pastrami" is a style of pastrami sandwich served at The Hat, a chain of restaurants in Southern California. They are famous for its the dip sandwiches, which feature generous portions of thinly sliced, seasoned pastrami piled high on a French roll. The sandwich is often served with mustard and pickles, and the roll is sometimes dipped in au jus to enhance its flavor and juiciness. The Hat's pastrami is known for its tenderness and rich, smoky flavor, making it a popular choice among sandwich enthusiasts. Their onion rings are also to die for. This location has a large dinning room and outdoor seatings too. It's a must stop by if you're on your way to San Diego or up to LA area. Service is good and very fast. read more
6 months ago
6 months ago
I've heard a lot of good things about this restaurant and I finally got to visit it earlier this week. The portions are huge! The flavor was amazing and everything was so fresh. I did notice a few things, there are no combos here everything is separate, kind of pricey ($46 for two people), the service was okay. There was a nice lady who came to wipe down our table for us even though it was clean. The inside lobby was decent, lots of space and seating. I'm excited to come back here and try something else on the menu. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more
8 months ago
8 months ago
1 year ago
Food was great and enough for too people . Services was on point even those it was almost closing time.. very clean restaurant ambiance was nice... been there a few times and plan on coming back read more
1 year ago
Protein Style Mustard Pickle - no bun! The Hat Pastrami! Served on a tray! Yum! Served on a bed of lettuce! read more
1 year ago
Five Stars!! The Hat makes THE BEST pastrami sandwiches. Usually we visit the Pasadena location but we're closer to Marietta, so stopped in for a bite. 3 Pastrami dips and one pastrami burger that seemed to have been made by the Pastrami Gods. Oh My!! It was pure deliciousness. I kid you not. The restaurant itself was nice and clean. Our service team was impeccable. Thank you to The Hat for providing consistent quality and service!!! We will be back! read more
1 year ago
10 months ago
Haven't been to the Hat since my late teens. Back then would get the gravy fries and pastrami. The portions were large then and it was great to see that they are still large. The pricing is very reasonable. Don't know what took me so long to come back but I will definitely visit this place more frequently. read more
9 months ago
More info about The Hat
40476 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd
Murrieta, CA 92563
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(951) 304-2244
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https://thehat.com
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