Being pastrami lovers, we always wanted to try this place. Sunday at 2:30 PM we walk in. Order two pastrami sandwiches, some chili fries and an iced tea. Our order number was 80. Every few minutes, they call another number. All of 70s are called. Then 82, 84, 81, 88...then they get into the 90s. We've been waiting for 30 fucking minutes. NO FOOD. Finally, I get the attention of the super gruff guy fulfilling orders. "Where's order #80?" He looks at my order, looks at the pile of orders he's filled and shrugs. Another worker comes up. I ask her where our order is. She asks what we ordered. I tell her. APPARENTLY THEY LOST OUR ORDER. JUST PLAIN LOST IT. My kid and husband are starting at me starving while the workers at The Hat run in circles solving nothing. Mind you, this is close to 3 pm on a Sunday, not rush hour. Finally, they ask me to give them my order again. TWICE. About 8 minutes later it's handed to us. Almost 40 minutes waiting for two sandwiches that do not need to be cooked and some freakin' chili fries. Sure, everything tasted fine. But the 40 minute wait for two sandwiches and some fries at what's supposed to be a quick service location was unacceptable. Never going back. read more

Love! Love! Love this pastrami!!!! Always a great place for a traditional pastrami sandwich! Stop by the Hat and enjoy the rich history of this great deli shop!!!! read more

Amazing pastrami sandwiches. I usually go to the one closer my my house but I love all of there locations.

Cool spot for classic diner burgers, delicious burgers and cool staff and good service. Never had these burgers but i can see why they have a huge following. Classic burger done the old School way, just cant go wrong. Ambiance is classic diner with all its fixings. A good pit stop before heading home up north. read more

The Hat - We already started eating and I couldn't take a picture lol - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

on the freeway heading here didn't know it was closing in 18 minutes. i instantly hit call in order fem: answered the phone and i placed my order she said give it 15 minutes.instantly a smile like christmas and my mouth start watering like a fountain . i arrived security was at the door. lady saw yelping a couple of fellow were eating. it was clean they were closing and cleaning. i decided this is my go to from.now on! sandwich was good next time i will get double dipped. i got a lill from the bottom of the pot and when i say seasoned it. was good. i love flavorful pastrami and food period. thank you the hat. job well done read more

The Hat - Got the GOODS.. LET'S SEEE WHAT THE HYPE IS ALL ABOUT - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

What they specialize in bares no resennbllence to proper pastrami. It is overcooked tasteless soggy mess. Go to Langers Deli if you want pastrami read more

The staff here was mad disrespectful. Waited in line and the cashier walked away as soon as i walked up and pretended to act like i was with another group of random people. Food was very bland and underwhelming no seasoning and just flavorless. The restaurant itself was very calm and quite no too busy at the time i went. I definitely would not visit this place again. read more

First let me start off by saying I was a hats pastrami lover for more then 25 years. Purchase two pastami sandwhich the portion size was very skippy. Old meat and just horrible. I watch the server put meat on my sandwhich and a manager whispered in his ear and he took half of the meat off my sandwhich. when I ask the manager why my sandwhich was so skippy he said thats how the are served now due to pricing. And pastrami must be put on a scale wieghted. I basically had bread musterd and pickles sandwhich I want be going back to that hats any more. read more

1-24-2025 Customer #66 Pastrami sandwitch and a bowl of chili. Photos dont lie. This is what customers are getting spending their hard earned $14 on? Hard fat collegen strips in the meat? Couldnt get a refund or partial refund. Obviously after 70 years they still cant purchase top teir pastrami. Good luck to custome4s who dont choke on this poor quality meat. read more

See all

Amazing sandwiches!! This place is always busy, lots of friendly staff ready to take your order. The place is immaculately clean, even the restrooms. I highly recommend The Hat! read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've seen this restaurant everywhere so I had to try it. The ambiance is a diner vibe wood floor and wooden seats . The workers there looked like they actually enjoyed their job. The burger and the chili fries were perfect after a long day of riding . Will return. read more

See all

Prices raised and reduced amount of food. I used to like the food and prices were reasonably and you would get big portions. Value for your money. Not any more. Service you would think would be better since raising price but it's still mediocre. I will start buying my food at better places. read more

The Hat - Roast beef dip - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Food was alright. Not the same as before. People were friendly. The service was good. Just the food has no salt or flavor

HATS OFF to solid pastrami, excellent chili, amazing wet fries (some of theeeee best fries we've ever had period and apparently the gravy thang is not a common offering here on the west coast), and extremely affordable pricing. Big portions. They also don't hold back when you ask for condiments. We got like 30 packets of mustard, which they offer both yellow and spicy. Yum! &Free refills for pop. They wouldn't take back the 30 ketchups I didn't touch, which is a bummer. But they clearly take their sanitation very seriously here which is not a bad thing. They filled a separate cup with soda and dumped it into my cup when I got the refill. We've had better cheeseburgers but still decent. Especially under $6. Slightly on the dryer side, and I prefer my burger lettuce un-shredded. They have cute little booths so I recommend having a seat and eating your meal HOT. Peep the photos on the wall of back in the good ol' days. Had half the pastrami sandwich, more than half the fries leftover, and most of the chili (they actually manage to pack more chili than you'd think in that small-ass cup). Everything reheated super well the next day and was just as indulgent and filling as it was the first time. We made chili cheese fries and split the half sandwich. Tastyyy! Of course we had to grab a shirt for $12. Gotsta reprezent. Cheers to another 70 years!!! read more

The Hat - DA HAT! Shine on. - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Diner-like vibes and pastrami sandwiches. Excellent pastrami sandwiches! Super packed sandwiches with delicious pastrami. Amazing warm sandwich indeed. For the price of $12, I think it is very well worth it. The inside has those booths where one person sits across the other. There is a parking lot (not very big). Overall, highly recommend trying this place! read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

I ordered hamburger, onion rings and a medium drink. The price was $15. I do not know what kind of meat was in the hamburger. It was the worst tasting hamburger I ever had the meat had a weird like perfume taste to it. The onion rings taste like fried crust. There was only a small string of onion ring inside, and it did not taste like onion. 2nd time I'm done with this place. read more

YUM! Fries, pastrami, chili, gravyyyy all in one, what else could you need? A friend introduced this to us and although it looked unassuming at first, when I tried everything with the gravy it was perfection! Obviously it can get quite heavy, but for what it is it actually wasn't too greasy which is surprising. Bonus points for the LARGE portions so we were able to enjoy it for 2 meals! What a gem and a must try! read more

This place has probably the most delicious pastrami sandwich I've ever tasted! Open Since 1951 they've had plenty of experience and reputation to prove it! You order up at the counter and they give you a number. As they call your number you grab the bag that's wrapped carefully all of your goodies. I hope they recycle that's a lot of paper LOL! You can choose burgers and dogs, fries so it's not just pastrami but I wanted to go for what they're famous for. Parking lot is free so just roll right in for a delicious historical treat that takes you back to 1951!! read more

See all

Full sandwich and burger menu. I go for the famous pastrami dip. Comes with pickles on the French roll. I order with a slice of tomato and hold the mustard. Also good onion rings. For a drink, I like the Orange Bang. Fast service. Plenty of tables for eating inside. Parking onsite. read more

Nice atmosphere. Good parking. Crowded but still able to get a seat. Drive by this place all the time and had to try it out. I also keep hearing about it as a place to check out. The pastrami dip sandwich is tasty. Good peppery pastrami flavor. Mustard and pickles balance sandwich well. A little messy, pastrami will fall onto your plate. It's good but I dont get the hype. Maybe I'm not that into pastrami. Portions are good. People here rave how huge it is. I finished it and was still hungry. It's big if you are used to eating at Subway, but I make my sandwiches bigger at home. If you like a pastrami sandwich, I cant think of another place to send you. I just dont find myself craving pastrami. Glad I tried it and can cross it off my list read more

Was hyped to hear here, but everything was pretty bland. The pastrami sandwich didn't have much flavor unfortunately. Dissatisfied

i always get the roast beef and wet fries. pastrami burger is good too. service is always fast

Came in on a Saturday afternoon for some Pastrami Dip sandwich & a Pastrami burger. Meal #1 $11:99 The sandwich comes out hot jammed packed with pastrami meat, mustard, pickles & wrapped to perfection. Ask for the dip on the side Meal #2 $11:99 The Burger is a big handful packed with pastrami, diced lettuce, tomato, pickles and Mustard. Service is always great, polite & welcoming at this location. Restrooms are clean with only two restrooms available. Great place to eat if you are in the area. It's quick, deliciously good and definitely worth the pit stop! read more

See all

World Famous Pastrami - The Hat is always worth the taste & experience. Staff is pleasant to deal with and helpful. Food is always fantastic. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

This is my go-to for pastrami and chili cheese fries. My wife is t fond of pastrami but lives the roast beef with au juice. Nothing special to say about their service. You order at the register and pick up your food when your number is called. I've never waited too long for anything but I typically go for take out here. There's also nothing special about the ambiance. It's a casual dining spot, though I do have to say they always seem to do a good job keeping the dining area pretty clean. read more

I visited the hat with a few friends and ordered their signature Pastrami Dip and Chili Cheese Fries with tomatoes and pickles. I have to admit that I was shocked by how plain the Pastrami Dip was. The bread didn't have too much flavor and was on the tougher end though airy in the middle. The sandwich came with quite a bit of pastrami, and it tasted as it should, being the only flavor in the whole sandwich. I'm glad I got mustard and mayonnaise because it wasn't too edible otherwise. Overall, it was quite filling for one meal. The chili cheese fries were also very filling, with their thick potato slices. The thickness left a baked potato type of feeling in the center, but other than that, the fries were super salty if not drenched in chili. If the fries were in chili and tomatoes and pickles, it was much more bearable. I can see this being comfort food, but I have to admit that I didn't quite enjoy eating this more than one bite. Other than the food, parking here is very easy, and the staff are very friendly. read more

The Hat - Pastrami Dip - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Good food and super clean establishment! Great customer service as well! I got he chili fires and they were delicious read more

I'm usually not a big fan of pastrami but I was hungry and passing through this area so I decided to check out what the hype was all about. And let me tell you- the hype is spot on! I ordered the chili fries with pastrami, a pastrami sandwich and the roast beef sandwich for my family and I had bites of all- the P. sandwich was Heavenly!! The mustard and the pickle and the soft bread- wowza! So bomb! The fries were HUGE but also very tasty. Enough for a family of 4-5 can share! The spouse ate the roast beef and said it was "just ok." I had a bite and yeah, it wasn't amazing but the dip for it was a nice touch. The service was nice, friendly and pretty quick to get my order. What I did find a bit odd was that they don't have containers for the fries. They wrapped it up in paper and placed it on a drink holder: creative and more early friendly- yes! But convenient to take to go and travel with- nope. It worked out in the end- no biggie. I def would go back ! Epic food. read more

The Hat - Chilli fries with pastrami- soooo good! Not so good as leftovers so eat day of! - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

It's The Hat. Some of the best burger stand type food in Los Angeles! Pastrami is a go to, chili and chili fries, dips, it's all so good. This trip we went on a Passover Friday so we got a grilled cheese and a tuna melt and they were so good! Place never disappoints it's a Southern California classic! read more

The best pastrami sandwich for a reasonable price. Roast Beef is also great and includes au jus. Easy parking in lot.

Overrated for sure pastrami was super bland fries were mid at best had higher hopes for this place

Simple, no frills, comfort food. It's off-menu now I think but I always get the loaded fries with pastrami and all the fixings and it is always such a portion that I can't finish it alone. For comparison I typically eat a whole large pizza alone so that can give you an idea of the serving portions! The person taking my order was delightful. Prices have gotten a little tough to manage but the value is still there. I'll be back! read more

In 1951 a little sandwich shack, that recently bought a failed Hot Dog Stand on the corner of Garfield Ave. and Valley Blvd in Alhambra, just half a dozen miles east of LA's downtown-city center, opened. It was called "The Hat", and it offered a limited menu of common American fast-food items like Thick Burgers, French Fries, Milk Shakes and Mild Red All-Meat Chili (mom's beloved family recipe). But the One Especially Unusual menu item, and the Cornerstone of the new young owner's food-stand concept, was Pastrami. Pastrami was a very typical sandwich meat in Jewish Delicatessens all over New York, and on a recent visit to NYC, the owner's family had eaten a lot of those sandwiches, and they loved them. But all of the Delicatessens in Los Angeles were on the Far West Side, up to 40 miles from where "The Hat" was to be located in Alhambra. And so the young owners wanted to bring this delicious sandwich to the people from the part of town where he and his wife grew up: the Eastern Suburbs of Los Angeles. But in order to do this the owners had to change the recipe a little, to open it up to the Anglo taste-buds a bit more. So the bread was changed from Rye to a Sub-Sandwich Roll, the Sauerkraut was exchanged for sliced Pickles, the brown deli mustard was switched to yellow mustard, and the entire sandwich was dunked in meat juice before serving (like a French dip). And all of these above mentioned fast food items were sold out of the old hot dog stand's walk up window. Just a few decades early this corner would have been considered at the heart of Alhambra's seriously "white-folk" dominated suburban fringe. But by 1951, after WW2 had ended, numerous Asian communities that had previously been conquered and even enslave by the Japanese, were suddenly free to leave those horrible memories behind, and emigrate to the United States under the safety of a very liberal "Welcome to America" post war policy. And the majority of these immigrants came from southeast China (Canton, Fujian, and Hong Kong, for the most part). Maybe the new young owners of " The Hat " hadn't done their homework on why a once successful hot dog stand closed and sold it's property for 1/3 its market value, but I guess the young owners of " The Hat " didn't care. Subsequently, they invested everything they had in a food stall no bigger than a small bedroom, on a corner in a busy neighborhood that was quickly becoming the very epicenter of Los Angeles's growing Chinese immigrant population. And, at that time, these many thousands of Chinese immigrants not only had NO Idea what pastrami was, but Frankly, they didn't even care. However, the new young owners of " The Hat " didn't care either, first, because the price was right for the stand, and second, they had a bigger plan in mind than just selling Pastrami Sandwiches to the locals. They sincerely believed that the quality of their unusual food would see them through - until "The Hat" could become a household name. And they had a really great plan to get the word out: DELIVERY TRUCKS. Using the stand in Alhambra as a base & kitchen, and the money that they had left over from the discounted property purchase, the owners of "The Hat" bought half a dozen trucks and painted them all the same, with the Hat's new emblem on the side. Then they hired some good-looking drivers, dressing them all in a nice "The Hat" uniform, and sent them out to sell their Pastrami Sandwiches. The trucks went to anyplace where workers were hungry for a hot lunch: construction sites, office buildings, strip malls, bars, beaches, and shopping centers. "The Hat" trucks became the roving Food -Courts of their day. And soon, those workers on their labor-sites began to depend on "The Hat" truck to bring them a much better meal then they had in their lunch box. So, after a while, when the word got out, and those workers started hitting the walk-up window to take some pastrami sandwiches home for dinner so their families could try it, "The Hat" expanded - in all directions. Vacant Properties were purchased in Pasadena and the Inland Empire. New buildings for "The Hat" were designed and constructed as sit-down restaurants (albeit very fast-foody in a 1950s diner style). And Dozens more trucks were bought, all with the now famous "The Hat" logo on them. And just a few decades later, "The Hat" had expanded to 10 restaurant locations and over 100 delivery trucks. "The Hat" soon became an LA fast food phenomenon, not to be missed. Only "In & Out Burger" trumps "The Hat". It is rumored now that "The Hat" serves up 13 to 15 tons of pastrami per week. Now that's some serious turnover. YUM! read more

Thanks to LA Yelp Friend Doug S for recommending this visit to this iconic Pasadena as a surprise dining experience on North Lake Avenue. We enjoyed the Lightscape Holiday Lightshow at the LA Arboretum in Arcadia, which started at 5:30 PM, but the cool, er, no, COLD outdoor night air but were making our way back to my brother's-in-law home in West LA when our stomachs started to rumble and grumble. The N Lake Avenue location of The Hat was straightforward to navigate from the I-210 W, even for us Hawaiians who aren't used to driving in California at night. This location is well-lit and very well-maintained. Upon entry, we quickly scanned the menu and couldn't resist ordering the "World Famous Pastrami Dip," a side of fries with gravy and a soft drink. The Hat's menu offers other sandwiches and burgers, but honestly, how can you not order their "World Famous Pastrami Dip?" As we were strolling to find seating in this restaurant, I stopped to watch one of the workers assembling one of our sandwiches. OMG! She loaded the huge steamed roll with pastrami until it overflowed, and I could feel my heart beat faster with excitement. I could smell the delicious aromas through my KN95 face mask and hoped that I wouldn't start to drool. It's a rarity for us to drink carbonated soft drinks, but the Coca Colas was thirst-quenching and well-carbonated. The bubbly soda pop cleared our throats and brought on a series of burps before we had even gotten our food. Sorry... TMI. Fortunately, we ordered the small cups but still couldn't drink it all and took them out to sip along with the drive home. An employee called out our order number, and we jumped up to retrieve our meals. After unpacking the packages, my husband and I knew that we could only eat half of our sandwiches and part of the fries. It's just too much food to eat in one sitting and would set us up for a food coma. The pillowy-soft steamed bread roll encasing the treasure trove of hot pastrami held up without disintegrating in our hands as we greedily gobbled down the hot sandwich. We didn't get a cup of dipping broth with our sandwiches which were just as well because the pastrami was flavorful, tender, and juicy. Our sandwiches were dressed in mustard with dill pickle slices. The "wet fries" were outstanding when dipped in its accompanying brown gravy and were a treat on this cold LA night. Would I or could I even dare compare The Hat's pastrami with other LA establishments like Langer's or Canter's or Wexler's? No! The Hat has its neighborhood ambiance, friendliness, flavors, and value. We'd return to The Hat even if all of its closest locations took us on a 20+ mile drive from West LA. read more

See all

When I tell you I had the best onion rings in probably 5 years at The Hat!!!! OMG delicious. The pastrami sandwich was perfect. Just enough condiments and loaded with meat. I couldn't finish the sandwich or the rings and they were both good enough to heat up the next day for lunch. Fan for life ! read more

The Hat - Steak Sandwich - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Very heavy food, just know once you have this you're done for the day. It's absolutely delicious, usually gets very busy during lunch time so be prepared to wait and parking might be tough. Other than that you can't go wrong. read more

Always awesome customer service & delicious food- my two fav items are the chili cheese fries & a tuna sandwich on sourdough. My hubby loves the burgers. I always enjoy and have a good experience at this pasadena staple! read more

Been coming here since I was a kid and the pastrami sandwich is one of the best I've had. The taste has remained consistent and although the price has raised a bit(is expected due to inflation) the portions have still remained the same. They also give you a lot of fries even if you order a small size. It's usually always busy so food can take a while to come out(roughly 15-20 min, longer if it's very packed), but it's worth the wait at least for me. Service has always been top notch, they're always friendly and helpful when ordering. Although it's crowded most of the time don't let that stray you from coming in, you can also call in and order ahead of time if you don't want to wait. read more

Always hits the spot ! so glad the quality hasn't changed , a bit on the pricier side but still worth it

I love a great pastrami sandwich. While not the same as Langer's or Katz's, this place is still very good and has longevity which means a lot in restaurants. I had the "World Famous Pastrami Dip" for $11.99 and added a side of chili and a drink to round it out. For some reason, SoCal seems to have chili in a lot of places and it is usually pretty good. This one was just as good as the chili at Pink's and "Phillipe, The Original" in LA. I liked my Pastrami Dip as it had a lot of meat and a nice roll to hold it in. It was sliced thin and was tasty yet I love the chunky style at the aforementioned deli's. This place was hopping and seems very popular with the locals. I like the value for what you get here. I wish they had this place up in the Seattle area. read more

See all