The Hat

This place is way overpriced for the food. The chili cheese fries were NOT good at all it was like eating mush and had no flavor what so ever and you would think paying almost 6 bucks they would actually put the fries in a container and not 2 pieces of tissue they wrap there sandwiches with. Give me a break. Very disappointed took 3 bits and gave to my dog at least he liked it.

It’s pastrami. What else can I say? If it was based solely on quantity, it would be 5 stars. I like their pastrami but their fries are just average. The Hat is well… The Hat.

Just not for me.
Not a huge fan of pastrami and there are no real veggie options here, so we all shared an order of the pastrami fries, plenty of food for the 3 of us, just not a huge fan of the fries, cheese or pastrami they use.
This location is much less busy than others, rices are a bit high, but given the huge portions I guess it is fair.
Food comes out quickly, plenty of seating as well as a drive thru.

I ordered the pastrami chilli cheese fries and onion rings. The onion rings were a brown bag of onions rings. It was filled basically to almost the top. And as for the fries, you get more than carne asada fries. It’s the amount two or three people can finish. It’s intense, but it’s worth it!

One word… pastrami chili cheese fries.
Ok thats not one word but its such an awesome invention lol. I know its probably meant for at least two people but i dont share very well so i eat it all alone :)

I’ve been to The Hat in Brea and I like this location better. The drive thru is faster and for some reason the chili cheese fries didn’t make my intestines cry.
If you order a side of fries just know that a side is really a bag full of fries. The burgers are tasty and the pastrami dip… well, you just have to try the pastrami dip.
Definitely come here on a fluffy day. There is nothing low-​cal or good for you about The Hat.

If you’re a pastrami person, this place is probably the bomb diggity. Since we don’t, we ordered burgers n fries. They were okay, nothing memorable. I don’t think either of us finished our food, just ate enough to curb our appetite.
On a positive note, the iced tea was fresh.

02/​11/​2016
This was my first time here. I’m not a big Pastrami person but I heard alot of good reviews about this place & it didn’t disappoint.
The Pastrami was juicy & had the right mix of mustard to give it a little kick. The side fries that I ordered were just ridiculous. If you plan on getting fries make sure to have a friend to share it with. I also recommend the fries with gravy (you might want to see your cardiologist afterwards but it’s worth it).
Overall, great experience.

Hype!
There’s nothing good about this place… The service sucks, the restaurant was dirty, and the food was terrible. It’s just pastrami and bread. I asked for mustard and pickles, but they didn’t even put that on.
If you want a great sandwich, walk across the street and go to Mr pickles! And order the «double D» sandwich. It’s wayyyyy better.

Ive come to have a love-​hate relationship with this lication. I went to order the pastrami chili cheese fries with pickles and tomato yesterday night with 2 other friends. We decided to eat in the restaurant…
When they called my order, i went to pick it up and as my eyes made contact with my food, i knew i was instantly going to have a good night… or so i thought. I go back to the table where my friends are waiting and we do that whole snapchat, instagram pictures. then the big moment comes and i grab my fork, stab the pastrami covered chili cheese fries and shove it in my mouth. then i realize «WHERE ARE THE PICKLES AND TOMATOES???» Disappointed i go back to the counter and ask for them on the side… i feel this place will never get my order right, but i keep going back because the food is so delicious :‘I
Anyways i bumped it up to 3 stars because the fries satisfied my craving

I want to start by saying how awesome the food is here. I also want to identify how expensive it is to eat here. A pastrami dip, chili cheese fries and a large soda runs about $ 19. I will admit the chili cheese fries should be shared because they are so massive. So double everything else but the chili cheese fries and it is $ 31 and change so only $ 16 per person. For that reason and that reason only, I eat here about once a month.
This place gets packed at lunch time and is tough to get a table at noon. They are well staffed so the food comes out in a timely manner. Don’t be surprised if strangers try to sit down at your table with you.
I have had the pastrami dip, steak sandwich, BBQ beef sandwich, pastrami burger, chili burger and roast beef sandwich. Everything is good!

The Hat has great pastrami and serves up a huge serving chili cheese fries that makes this lake forest shop a must go for people new to the OC area! For anyone new to the hat, I suggest sharing pastrami chili cheese fries with your friends, 2 to a dish for big eaters or 3 – 4 if someone wants to get their own burger.
For those looking for lean options, they had a turkey burger that tasted pretty good — moist and grilled right.
Parking and tables are tight at lunch– I had park at the bowling place nearby and walk over
Worth a visit to see your friends reactions to the the big serving of chili cheese fries or fans of good pastrami!

This is the place to go for a pastrami sandwich. The meat is sliced thin and is very tasty. Most places the pastrami is tough with a bad flavor. The bread is soft and fresh.
I also had chili cheese fries. The serving is huge. For most two or three could share to go along with their sandwich. The chili is similar to Tommys chili. I think they could spice it up just a bit. Next time I will ask for onions. It would be nice if they had a half portion for those with smaller appetites.
A friend said I should have tried the onion rings. They must be good. I’ll try them next time. Let’s see how they compare to Hodads rings.

If you like pastrami sandwiches and have never been here, you need to try this place out. If you’ve never had a pastrami sandwich or they never appealed to you, you need to try this place out! The Hat is one of those great food finds you come across once in a while The original Hat is located in Los Angeles and they have been around for more than 60 years! That alone should tell you about the quality of the food.
This is the closest location to San Diego but just as good as the original in L.A. One addition to this place the other locations don’t have is a drive-​thru. This particular Hat restaurant is located just off the freeway so I can always just stop by on my way home from Orange County. They are always busy but it’s never a long wait. The menu is quite simple with burgers, hot dogs, fries and of course, their all too famous pastrami sandwich.
The pastrami sandwich comes on a long french type roll. The bread itself is very soft, warm and fresh tasting. The pastrami meat is sliced very thin and they pile enough into the sandwich for two sandwiches! The sandwich comes wrapped in paper and I recommend keeping it in the paper as you eat otherwise you’ll never keep all the meat inside the roll. They top it off with light mustard and pickle and that’s it. They have other sauces you can put on it and I really like it with the horseradish sauce. They also have hot yellow peppers that go amazing with this sandwich. The meat has an amazing flavor to it that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. I’ve heard of great pastrami sandwiches back east, but honestly, I don’t think anything can beat the pastrami sandwich at The Hat.
I’ve never had anything else they serve here, but the other best seller are the chili fries and you can add pastrami to those as well. Today was the first time I’ve seen the chili fries and it’s a massive heap of fries covered with chili and grated cheese. I saw so many people eating these today. Might have been the weather (raining out today). I will say if you are coming here for a burger, turkey sandwich or anything other than a pastrami sandwich, I’m sure you will have a good meal but honestly, you would be miss out on one of the best meals you have ever had. Try the pastrami sandwich!
For those who don’t live nearby, it is well worth the drive. I live more than 50 miles away and yet I would drive up just for the meal. The only drawback to The Hat… there isn’t one closer! The Hat restaurants are always very clean, the staff very friendly and the food always hot and fresh!

Classic fast food joint that deserves a stop now and then. It certainly gives other places a run for their money with the mountainous bag of french fries or fresh onion rings. (This is the only place I will order onion rings!) Beware– one serving easily serves 4!
If you enjoy pastrami, you’re in for a treat– the pastrami dip is a cross between a jewish style pastrami sandwich, piled high with layers of juicy meat and a classic roast beef sandwich served au jus.
If you’re not a meat eater, there are alternatives like a veggie burger and some salads. But most come for the pastrami and fries.

Not sure what to say, words are not enough, love is not a strong enough feeling… Before I start to sound like a boysband: this place is just AWESOME.
Get the pastrami dip and the fries with gravy. It is out of this world.
I live in Singapore and this place makes me cry when I have to board my plane from LAX back to Asia — I would take this 20+ hours flight anytime just for food from The Hat.
What are you still reading: go and eat there now! GO!!!

El personal es servicial. El «Pastrami Dip» no me pareció tan delicioso como dicen. El pan era un poco seco para mi gusto y el pastrami un poco desabrido. Las papas a la francesa con chili, eran una porción generosa, aunque por desgracia el chili tmb un poco falto de sabor, lo rescatable es que tenían mucho queso! =) en general vale la pena, sin embargo no es un lugar que «debes de probar antes de morir».

I was nursing a pretty bad hangover on Sunday and was sitting in a booth at The Hat to get my next day food fix. As I stared down at my phone (it was too bright to look up and out the windows) I saw my 3 star review for this place from 2013 and was like «WHAT???» I love THE HAT! Since then I have been here quite a few times and I think I enjoy it more and more each time. I love the Roast Beef Dip and the The Chili Cheese Fries with Pastrami. My only complaint would be that I wish they made the Chili Fries w/​Pastrami in 2 different order sizes as he one they serve can feed a family of 4 and is HUGE! A half order would be nice.
Overall, this place is fat kid amazingness!

Aww The Hat… How do I love thee and loathe thee all at the same time. Let me count the ways: first of all your chili and cheese is to die for like literally… To die for! I normally have to pop the Rolaids and/​or Tums afterwards.
And to top it all off… Got pastrami? For a fast food joint, The Hat is probably the most infamous out there and most popular for putting this heart stopping yet delectable meat on the map.
Now who had the idea of slapping all these ingredients together then plopping them atop a big heaping steam packed mountain of fries?
Wow, this monstrosity of a meal can easily be shared by 2 which makes it really not bad of a deal for $ 12 and change.
These pastrami chili cheese fries are best served steaming hot but you need to wait at least a few moments so all the cheese and its drizzlings are perfectly and harmoniously melted together then stick that fork into that volcanic heat tunnel of The Hats trademark chili while slicing through their juicy pastrami and let yourself go!!! And don’t forget that hot mustard to assure the heart burn!
Enjoy! and Til we meat again!

Food: The self professed «World Best Pastrami». It’s good pastrami, no doubt about that, but I still prefer pastrami from Tops. The go to item here is the pastrami sandwich. Put some mustard and pickles on it and pair it with an Orange Bang… a great combo. On my last two visits, I’ve attempted to finish the Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries by myself. I’ve failed both times. It’s just a lot of fries! :)
Service: Place your order and pay for it at the right side of the counter. They’ll give you a number. When your order is up, they’ll call your number. Pick up your order at the left side of the counter next to the drink dispensers. The condiments are self served in the middle of the counter. Every time that I’ve been here, there has been one employee going around to make sure the place is clean. They’ll even bring you napkins.

Oh my, this place definitely put a halt to my diet.
Came here and shared a loaded chili cheese fries (chili cheese fries with pickles, onions, and pastrami) with the beau. There was so much stuff piled on top that no fries were visible (no complaints!!). The fries were crispy. The cheese was gooey. The pastrami, oh the pastrami was delicious. It’s the best I’ve had so far and tops any of the local pastrami places.
Portion size was large. we barely ate a quarter of it and had to give up.
Bill, approx $ 13 (reg chili cheese fries approx $ 6).

Demandez les pastrami chili cheese fries qui né se trouvent pas sur la carte. 10 $ et assez pour quatre personnes !