This place is the devil--the portions are HUGE and oh so good. The cheese fries are to die for and enough for 6 people. The grilled cheese is also out of this world, but more portion-friendly. I'm sure this place is on the Weight Watchers no list, for sure. My friend Harry loves the gravy fries (I think they call them wet fries), but I won't try them--I know it's not much different than mashed potatoes with gravy, but I like my mashed potatoes naked. LOL Anyways, if you want to splurge and don't really care how many calories are in something, this is the place. Just come hungry. And thirsty--the drinks are bottomless. read more

I have had Johnnie's over on the westside and like the pastrami sandwich on rye and fries. I would definitely say that you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to a pastrami sandwich here at The Hat. The sandwich is a fairly good size and delicious.The wet fries are plentiful (one order can feed two people) and tasty. read more

Had pastrami sandwich, which was good. different style of sandwich to Langers, probably most comparable to Togos #9 hot pastrami. Will have to visit again to try chili fries read more

Very overpriced. Pastrami sandwich was good, however the portion of the chili cheese fries could have fed 5 people easily . They also were only mediocre . What a waste of food- nobody likes cold leftover fries . I spent $18 for one sandwich , an order of chili cheese fries and a soda read more

Chili Fries with Tomato & Pickle- My friend insisted that we try the chili-cheese fries, which she described as a mountain. Indeed, it was suitably massive, unabashed in its considerable corpulence. I quite enjoyed the chili, which I even found superior to other joints like the Hat. I appreciated its richer texture, how its gravity was cut by the tangy pickles and juicy tomatoes. The fries themselves were also quite nice, crisp but not overly so, demonstrating that classic French fry flavor. Overall, the chili fries here compared very favorably to those from my chili fries benchmark. I would like onion on top for next time. Even sharing a single portion we had to dump a significant amount in the trash. read more

Bomb!!!!! Love the chili fries and pastrami burger, so much fires and chili you will need 2 other people. Great spot for pastrami love this place. read more

lives up to reputation.... decent place. good portions. usually bustling and busy no major complaints.. read more

I ordered the roast beef dip. The portion of roast beef was very small for the price. The taste was also bland.

The pastrami chilli cheese fries will feed 4 people. Dont make my mistake of ordering that solo. It needs to be shared. The pastrami sandwich is amazing. ..can use a little more pastrami for the price but you can def tell the pastrami is high quality. Made the right way just pickles n mustard. None of that bullshit tomatoes n lettuce like subway read more

Another post hike food joynt for me. The order of fries are too large, but are tasty. One thing unique about The Hat is the assortment of condiment packets they have. 1000 Island, Honey Ranch, horseradish, spicy mustard, etc., etc. I do enjoy creating different sauces for the fries. Otherwise its a nice small chain semi greasy burger place that I have no problem frequenting. Even when busy, which they often are, they do a good job of keeping things moving which I certainly appreciate. read more

Ate here tonight with my husband. We split the world famous pastrami and onion rings. The pastrami was amazing. Totally worth the hype. read more

The Hat - Onion rings - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I had the pastrami dip & it was pretty good. I think it would have been better if I got the burger. All the other reviews are accurate.

Don't understand how they can have 4 stars. I came in here for lunch. Place seemed like an old moms and pops type pf restaurant so i tough food will be good. To begin with Pastrami dip sandwich with small fries and orange drink costed me $16. When i ordered food no one asked me if it was for here or to go. Then they just put it in bags for me. I then told them i want to eat it here. So they just pointed out where the paper plates are. I think for $16 you don't have to unpack your food like a moron and waste time. The pastrami dip sandwich was nothing more then a low quality hot dog stand type sandwich with no dip in it other then mustard. I hope owner reads my review. read more

I heard about this restaurant long before we actually tried it out. Everyone says that it is iconic in the area and best known for their Pastrami sandwiches ... although they have many other items on their menu including cold sandwiches, burgers, and lots of sides. We decided to load up and bring everything home to eat. It was quick and efficient and we had our food in no time. It delivered as promised and the pastrami sandwiches were incredible. Something that can make even a non-sandwich person (me) go back again and again. Due to the comments of others we also decided to have the chili cheese fries. They were good, but I could have done without them given the size of my Pastrami Dip. Maybe next time we'll split a sandwich and chili fries. I was surprised to find out that this is not the only Hat. There are 10 more spread around the area -- but this is the original. read more

It may not be perfect, but it is a form of perfect. The Hat checks every box on a delicious pastrami and adds a couple additional like convenience and value. You get sooo much food with a sandwich and it's presented in a paper wrap. read more

hey this place is great. big stuffed sandwiches and piles of fries with chili. if you ate here all the time, you'd be dead. the people are nice, work hard, and try their best. never a bad attitude. read more

One of the best pastrami sandwiches I've had. Their chili cheese fries topped w/pastrami is good also.

I got the world famous pastrami dip here with Swiss, and it was delicious. It tasted better with spicy mustard in my opinion. The fries though are soooo large as in it can feed 3 people..... Other than that good experience and lots of room to sit read more

I love The Hat. I love the name, the store and the food. No, it's not good for you. But, it's the real deal when it comes to your local sandwich, hot dog, polish, onion rings, chili boat kind of place. It's WAY better than Pink's, and while I may only come here a couple of times a year. It's always consistent and good. Try The Hat for a great time, some good people watching ( you'll see everyone here - it's like being at a NYC subway stop with a restaurant) - Bravo! read more

A stop here on every visit to So Cal for a Pastrami Sammy has replaced any craving for In & Out. My good friend Joe W turned me on to this. Thx read more

Hands down, best pastrami I've ever had, 6.99 for the standard dip, can't miss it. Run Foos!

The Hat! The BEST pastrami sandwich! They definitely SMOKE Johnnie's Pastrami. Not even close. AND they're 3 dollars cheaper. I had my first Hat pastrami sandwich about 2 weeks ago, and I LOVED IT. They have some interesting items on their menu, but I think it'll be a while until I can get past the pastrami! read more

Purchase the Pastrami Dip Sandwich. Trust me...don't do what a buddy of mine did and head to the hat and then buy a burger and complain that it wasn't as good as he'd heard. Also, if you need some vegetables with your well balanced meal, purchase either the fries w/ gravy or the chili cheese fries. read more

Talk about outrageous portions! I highly recommend bringing a few friends along to help you out with your meal. As for the food, it was pretty good, but not quite as amazing as the other reviews led me to believe. The pastrami is sliced very thin and lacks the flavor I have become accustomed to. It's a simple sandwich as well. Basically just pastrami, pickles and bread. Good, but not mind blowing. We ordered fries and onion rings for four of us and it was way too much! The rings were great, but the fries are just not crispy enough for me. That is just a personal preference issue though. It's worth a stop if you come across the Hat, but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for it. read more

Great pastrami sandwiches. Can't beat 'em!

Easily the best place for amazing pastrami and great chili cheese fries. They never disappoint me.

I had the sandwich they are "Famous" for. Not impressed AT ALL. The Pastrami was overpriced and over-hyped. They do have quite the condiment packet selection though. read more

The quantities are huge make sure you come prepared to eat. An order of large fries will feed a small village.

Ok, I'm not really big on places like this because like millions of other Americans, I need to lose weight. But sometimes, one has to chow down - especially if a football game is on! My son, who is way skinnier than I, said he was going and asked if I wanted anything. "Two chili dogs with just chili and onions" I responded. Lo and behold, when he got home I had to chili dogs that looked like they had everything from the menu (I especially hate pickles and mustard on my hot dogs). The receipt had the correct order, it's just my dogs were made wrong. They even had jalapenos on them! Ugh. Usually I would just throw it away, but since the receipt was correct, I jumped in the car and drove back to the location. The guy at the counter listened and apologized. Ordered me two new chili dogs and gave me my money back. Even threw in an order of onion rings. It cost them some food but they have won a new customer for life. While I was there, I looked around at what folks were eating. One guy had a mountain of chili cheese fries that made me kinda queasy. Another guy had a stack of pastrami that could have fed twenty people in a third world country. But everyone was having a good time! America, the land of plenty. I didn't feel guilty - I work hard for my money. The lesson here is don't go there unless you are hungry. Don't go there if you have high blood pressure. But if you crave Chili dogs (Pinks is a long way from Pasadena), pastrami, or chili cheese fries, DO go there! There's a reason the booths have plenty of space between the seat and the table! read more

Hands down this is the BEST pastrami sandwich in all of LA. Bread is moist pastrami has great flavor and its not fatty. Chili cheese are huge! Good for 3-4 to share. The have an assortment of sauces to choose from. Parking is somewhat small but I'd you go during off peak hours shouldn't be a problem. Highly recommend this spot. read more

OMG!!!! absolutely AWESOME pastrami sandwiches and the gravfries OR the chili pastrami fries are simply amazing and wonderful!!! If you are on a diet.....dont go her lol read more

Wow cant say enough about this place. Amazing pastrami sandwiches. Very well done and juicy. Must try.

Never have a chance to try other than pastrami dip. Tried many times thru the years every times placing the order is pastrami again!! They are just good. read more

The Hat is the go to spot for pastrami sandwiches and chili fries. Their pastrami sandwiches are simple, but juicy and fully loaded to the point that you'll be picking up tons of extra pastrami off the sandwich wrapping paper. And the chili fries are just amazing. It's a huge order that can easily feed a few people, but they provide a generous portion of chili topped with cheddar cheese. For those who want to get a little more creative, they do a full loaded chili cheese fries topped off with pastrami and pickles and tomatoes. Ultimately, it's great comfort food. I suggest exercising a lot in the days after consumption. Their pastrami sandwiches have become more expensive in the last few years, but considering the amount of food you get, one can't complain too much. I don't come here too often for obvious health reasons, but when I do, I make sure to go all out. read more

This is a great little burger and fry diner, but it was far too expensive! My wife, and two toddlers went in and ordered one pastrami burger, one roast beef dip, some fries and a large drink and it cost us $30! Pastrami was good, but not world famous quality like advertised. And my wife said she prefers Arby's roast beef. Nice place to try out, but not all its kicked up to be. read more

Great place. Extremely fast service- my pastrami was ready literally seconds after I ordered. There are other good things on the menu, such as the pastrami burger, but I still recommend getting the traditional pastrami dip instead. read more

Pastrami sandwich is well known but I go for their chili fries with cheese taste good and never felt hungry, the portion is same big, the time will change well as economic but to the owmer/s don't change your methods... read more

No matter which location you visit except the outdoor only locations, you will have a early identical experience. Always love a pastrami sandwich and the fries could feed an army. I love the wet fries with gravy on side! Chili fries look amazing, but too overwhelming for me! read more

The Hat's pastrami dip sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat in Pasadena. My husband and I (athletes, big eaters) can split a pastrami, and The Hat's HUGE pile of chili cheese fries, and have had plenty to eat. I would recommend it to anyone. read more

The Hat - Mountain of chili cheese fries! - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Great pastrami for the price in the fast food game most pastrami is kinda shitty, their stuff is better than any chain pastrami sandwich. Its not as good as langers but they have 10x more locations and are half the price. Overall I will be back next time I want pastrami cuz langers is only open until 4pm read more