Where I'm from, we also have The Hat (626 area) and I'm going to say that this place does not live up to The Hat in Alhambra. The portion sizes are big but I swear at the location in Alhambra, it's way bigger and they don't play around with the portion sizes. Although, besides that the food is still solid. It's consistent in quality. [Food]: Pastrami Dip: 3.8/5; Honestly it wasn't that good considering they skimped on the pastrami. If they put more pastrami, then it would be perfect Chili Cheese Fries: 4.5/5; Don't be alarmed by the processed cheese on top not being melted, just mix it around and it's going to the best chili cheese fries you'll have. The crispy fries mixed with the hot chili and melted cheese Onion Rings: 4.2/5; Super crispy, but a good onion ring consist of one clean bite without the onion coming out and there were times where the onion did come out. Orange Bang: 4.2/5; Nothing too special. It's a solid cream orange drink. * They don't have horchata at this location :( At this location, I do not like how they don't provide easy access to get condiments/utensils (ranch, ketchup, napkins, forks). It makes it easier for the customer to just grab what they need without the need to wait for someone to give it to you. Also, just a nit-picky thing is that the receipt doesn't tell you the prices of each thing, so I provided a menu in the pictures. Other than that, I think this is a solid location and it's a place you should go to if you want to have a food coma. read more

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My friend loves this place and I can see why! We ordered one pastrami burger with chili fries! It was too much food and took us forever to finish it but the pastrami is so good with the chili and fries! Been here twice and we're sure to come again! Best chili and best prices read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The best pastrami is at "The Hat"! It's so warm, moist and flavorful! The French roll that they stuff it all inside of is fresh, soft and warm. It's a bit pricy to me (what isn't lately), yet worth it for how much I love it! Hubby had a delicious looking double cheeseburger and we shared a small fry that comes with plenty for both of us. The sodas were nice and bubbly, too, topping off our great meal. Quick and friendly service, too! read more

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

We love the pastrami sandwiches. This place is not stingy with the meat. Good prices, too.

Waited in a long line in drive through . I order get to the front where they proceed to tell me they aren't taking cards only cash. He states he said this I told him he did not but ok. There was no sign put out on the menu or ordering system . I'm not the only person who drove straight through after putting an order in. They don't have delivery so I had to drive far just to get there and have my night ruined . Get delivery so people don't have to go through this . So frustrated I wasted my time and gas on this. read more

This vibe here takes me back to my childhood and I kinda love it. Old school dinner feel, you order at the counter, and get a number. We had the Roast beef sandwich, famous pastrami sandwich, a couple of cheese burgers, fries and onion rings. While this isn't gourmet food, it's exactly what you would expect from a place like this. The food was tasty, HUGE portions (sharing is a legit option) especially with sides, and our service was friendly and helpful (it was our first time). read more

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Big and beautiful sandwiches! I know they're known for Pastrami and the rest of my fam did get them and they were amazing and juicy and lovely but when I found out they made Tuna sandwiches, AND had sourdough bread I practically screamed Sourdough as my bread of choice to the lady, I just got so excited! The bread was fluffy and fresh, and this sando was huge too! It comes with Mayo, lettuce and tomato but I also asked for pickles .... Lots of pickles. One order of fries and onion rings were enough for a family of four and we still had so much left over! Sooooooo much food! I had to save my other half of the sando for later too. Their soda fountain in touch less which was really cool. I'd never seen that before. You just place your fingers in the areas and it fills the cup so that you don't have to touch the same surface as everyone else. There's a good amount of seating inside and a few tables outside that are somewhat shaded by the buildings overhang. There's also a drivethru to use. The service is quite quick too. Can't wait to return to this place! read more

The Hat serves generous portions of moist tasty pastrami. They also give a good amount of crunchy french fries. I tried the turkey burger and it was pretty good. I look forward to trying other items on their menu. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Definitely ask for the fries to be cooked well done. My fries were pretty floppy and somewhat under done. The gravy is pretty good that comes with the "wet fries". The pastrami burger is good but not great. The kitchen has a huge pile of preheated pastrami that is somewhat dried out that they use for all orders. Let's face it, if you're going for pastrami, you're not trying to be healthy so you might as well go for it. In this regard I prefer my pastrami to hit the grill when I place my order and I like it too be a bit greasy and a bit fatty, just like a good price of bacon. Burger Boy in Anaheim does their pastrami like that. The Hat, does not do their pastrami like that. A little bit of outdoor seating is available. read more

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Love coming here with their delicious food and large portions! Absolutely worth the price!

Been eating the Hat since i was a kid at the Monterey Park location. I moved to Irvine area in 2015, im so glad i found one close to me!! This place has great pastrami's, chili cheese fries, hotdogs, sandwiches and burgers! Dont believe these negative reviews they dont know what they talking about, this place should have a 5 star! read more

Always great food. Always greasy. Know what to expect. This is an indulgence once every few years read more

The Hat - The best fast food pastrami anywhere - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Price has gone up. Portion size reduced. Pastrami is dry instead of juicy. They don't leave jalapeño peppers out, you have to ask it. I used to love the hat for its enormous portion size, cheap price (around $8-9), juicy pastrami. This is my last visit. read more

Always one of my favorites.... On my way home from Santa Margarita and I was super happy to find this on the way You Never disappoint me your Pastrami Sandwich is so Delicious... Thank You :) read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Pastrami fries with gravy to pour on top was delicious! I also put mustard on top. Can not have pastrami without mustard. I am officially a fan of The Hat! read more

We decided to stop here because we saw the long line of cars in the drive thru and boy was it worth it. We had the beef dip with gravy and a hotdog and cokes. The hotdog came with mustard, ketchup, onions and relish and it was the best I have had in my 60 years on this planet. My son had the beef dip and he gobbled it down so fast you would think it was his last meal. He loved it. The cokes were real coke not the fakes that so many others have. Drive thru was nice and clean and the staff were super nice and friendly and asked if we wanted extra napkins as we chose to eat in our car. Dinner for 2 was $23. We will definitely be coming back. read more

Love The Hat!! Tried other locations and they're all a absolutely yummy. The wait was a little long but it's ok you won't leave hungry. The portions are out of control, You'll need to share or have a big appetite! I wanted to try new things, so I got chili cheese fries with pastrami (my new fav) it was so good I ate almost all of it. The wet fries, crispy fries topped with gravy! Sounded weird but it was really good. And of course we got the regular chili cheese fries and pastrami sandwich too. Never disappointed when we come here. If you haven't tried the hat you're missing out. read more

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Love "The Hat" been to several locations, they all hit right, Great Burgers and Sandwiches (Even the Tamale). The side portions are Huge (Fries, Onion Rings, Chili Cheese fries). Might wanna share with your group, especially if you order the Chili Cheese fries with Pastrami. read more

Large portions of tasty food. Chili cheese fries are amazing. The staff is efficient and friendly. The dining room is clean (but crowded). read more

I used to go to the location in Fullerton so I was glad to find out that they had a location in Lake Forrest! I usually order the pastrami burger, pastrami dip, and onion rings. Highly recommend the pastrami burger, but if you like pastrami more then you'll get more with the dip. Love the pastrami, but the bread they use for the dip isn't really that special and it tends to be soggy so I don't really eat all of it. I recommend getting the onion rings because they are crispy and pairs well with the ranch! If you are in the area make sure to check this place out! It's open pretty late at night too so it's perfect for the night time munchies. read more

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We shared the pastrami dip, potato salad, and the onion rings - plenty of food for 2 people. Delicious, quick, satisfying meal. Really hit the spot after bowling and drinking at nearby Forest Lanes! A bit greasy but probably in a good way honestly cause I feel like that's what you're looking for in this type of food! Retro atmosphere - felt transformed back in time! read more

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The Hat has been around since the 50s. Thank you for being around for so long and being open late. This location is open until 11pm. So, we didn't do a midnight snack. We did a second dinner instead. Known for their pastrami dips, this is what we always get and it never disappoints. 3 years ago it was 9.99. Due to inflation and the world just going crazy, it is now &11.99. Trust me, you can share this sandwich. The bread is soft and filled with lots of meat, mustard, and pickles. Do not forget the au jus! Meat juice on meat..so good! Their chili cheese fries are massive and can serve a family of 4. I opt for the onion rings. They dip their onion rings in Panko crumbs and that just gives it an extra crunch. It's not diet food, but damn it's good once in a while! read more

We got the famous pastrami dip and the roast beef dip with au jus. The sandwiches itself were pretty good, the pastrami dip sandwich was probably the better of the two. We also got a side of chili cheese fries and was pretty disappointed. The chili was lacking in flavor. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Great place and the food is amazing can't say enough about the pastrami and wet fries and they give you so much food read more

The Hat - Pastrami and wet fries - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Pretty good. We live close to the original Hat in Pasadena but I have never been there myself. After hanging some pastrami at Langers the other day I had a pastrami craving. On the way back from San Diego we saw the Hat off the freeway in Lake Forest close to the Irvine Costco where we were going to stop for gas anyway. We had our dog with us so we ate outside on one of the tables in the shade. Food was good. We shared a Pastrami dip; 1/2 sandwich is not quite enough for one person. However we also got the chili cheese fries with pastrami. That was a lot of food! We had to take the rest of the fries back. Pastrami was juicy and well seasoned. I was satisfied. read more

Absolutely perfect every time. Delicious onion rings, pastrami dip piled high. It's the Hat. I can't say anything bad. Well done! read more

People will give mixed reviews depending on when they visit, who serves, and how hungry customers are. That being said I went to this place during a weekday lunch and I was not hungry. Not many customers are inside of the restaurant (in spite of "The world famous Pastrami" sign). I ordered the pastrami dip. It was a big (meaty) and a bit salty (expected). It was okay (maybe I was not super hungry) but I did enjoy their onion rings (delicious). Here are tips: Parking: Plenty available and shares with other restaurants nearby Food: Average Price: similar to Subway sandwich shop price, so it is not bad Service: Fast food restaurant like service read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The best place in orange county for pastrami sandwiches. I always get swiss added to mine. I personally like to get the wet fries with gravy. Having family from Quebec it definitely reminds me of poutine, a fun change to regular fries with ketchup. My friends are obsessed with the onion rings, and they always load you up on the onion rings. The employees here are super friendly as well, always have a good experience. read more

When Im close this is a must stop. Always consistent, always awesome, I leave happily full every time. They have a lot of good looking items on the menu, I always say Im going to try that next time. Every time Im there I tunnel vision to the best pastrami sandwich in So Cal. Lots of parking, staff is great, they keep the place clean and the food is always top notch. My only possible complaint is we need one closer to my house, that would be dangerous for me but Id love it. Come to HB!! read more

What can I say about the pastrami sandwich other than it tastes amazing. What I love about this place is not its consistent and there is no surprises, you always get the same flavor which is delicious. The service is really nice, they have a large amount of staff working behind the counter so usually the food is getting prepared the moment you order it. This place is just a grab and eat and continue with your day, nothing fancy just a nice place for friends to eat and continue on. My advice is unless you are a big eater, you can easily share their pastrami sandwich among two people, me and my father always order one sandwich and it's enough for both of us, but like I said, unless you're really hungry, I think it can easily be enough for two. read more

We always enjoy going to eat at The Hat. Yes, it's not the healthiest place to eat LOL, but it is a nice treat from time to time. They are pricey, and portions even from just last year, were much bigger than now, but still worth a visit. The pastrami dips are good. But like I said, they are not nearly as big as they used to be. I guess because of our economy, they chose to cut portions instead of raising prices. Still worth every penny. I had a yummy chili cheese hot dog. Place is clean, ample parking. read more

This is a nice place to dine in take out or drive-through. Great value, huge portions, and very reasonably priced. It is located right next to Taco Bell. I definitely recommend this place. You can't go wrong here at The Hat! read more

The Hat - Chili Fries which can feed at least four people and the prices are reasonable considering how much they give you and the quality. - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Got home to find out my order of roast beef sandwich with Aujus didn't have the Aujus dip. Only the most important part of the order was missing. I called them to tell them and the manager just talked his way around it. Unacceptable.. never again will come here read more

Ordered the pastrami sandwich. Good flavor and put a ton of meat on it. The chili cheese fries are huge and everything was priced fairly. Good quality meat, hot, and fresh. Fast service and the inside was spotless. read more

The Hat - Pastrami and chili cheese fries - American Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Very disappointing. Service unfriendly and slow. We ordered chili cheese fries to go and got half the normal order you would receive if you had in store. Not worth the time and expense. read more

Pastrami sandwich , one of the best I've ever had ! Wife had turkey on a plain roll, very good ! Maybe the portion of Cole slaw could be "doubled "? Fountain soda , very nice read more

I ordered a regular chili cheese fries and a large cherry coke. When i got home which was 12 mins away i sat down to eat and what i came to see was that the chili was only on half of the fries the other half was fries only and then when i tried the fries all of them were stale and disgusting. I used chili's to help me stomach the food i paid for and washed it down with the soda as best as possible but that was by far the worst meal i have ever had at the hat and I've been eating at multiple locations since 2000. read more

Best Onion Rings! I am a fan of good onion rings. Different places make them different ways.. The hat has seriously good onion rings. They're not expensive and the portions are huge. Please look at the photos. We ate a ton of them. This was a large order. And The Leftovers were still too many to put back into the little boat that it comes in. Super crunchy and super fresh! read more

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Wow what a great place food was amazing the onion rings and the hamburger was so fresh so juicy baby. I would highly recommend this place over in and out first time here definitely will come back. 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.