When I am a little lazy, I will come to this Hat location because they have a drive thru. My go to order is a few items. Cheeseburger, has a nice char to the burger patty, if your hungry get yourself a double. Tuna sandwich on sourdough and comes with a pickle on the side. Really fresh and I usually split into two meals. Big servings. Onion rings, I just love the crunch and crisp of the onion rings, sad that they have ranch packet, meh. But the onion rings alone is just so good and hits the spot. Chili cheese fries (fries well done) Really good and filling and be sure to share. Sometimes I get the tomato and pickles on top to feel less guilty haha. Overall its a solid place to grab a burger, sandwich and fries. Service is fast read more

I don't think I could eat here all the time because it's not the healthiest fare out there. But the portions are amazing, you can definitely share with someone to keep costs down. You have to get the chili cheese fries at the very least. That's all I gotta say. read more

!!! shrinkFLATION ALERT !!! You used to get a beef or pastrami sandwich here and it had a generous amount of meat. NOW they are ripping you off with a scant amount of meat in the sandwich. Look at this crosscut image! I even had 2 bites that were only bread. Did a private equity firm buy this place? Real shame as I'm a lifelong customer, but this is the last straw. AVOID AVOID AVOID read more

The Hat - shrinkFLATION! Remember when The Hat sandos had a generous amount of meat? AVOID this place. - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Such a classic no words needed 10 out of 10! Everything tasted good and came out really quickly. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Temple City, California

We always try to eat some food from The Hat when we're visiting family. For dinner we ordered a couple of pastrami dip sandwiches, small order of onion rings and fries. An orange bang and Horchata drinks. The sandwich was impressive. Roll soft to the touch, choked filled with juicy pastrami. Love that it's not overly salty and just seasoned right. If you've never been here, small onion rings and fries can easily feed 4-5 people. I took a star away because the onion rings were overly cooked. A little too crispy for me. Fries are not crispy but meaty with a good mouth feel. Love the drinks as it goes well with the meal. Staff is friendly and made sure we hand more than enough condiments. Don't forget to ask for some chili peppers. The ambiance hasn't changed in years. But it's always clean so I appreciate that. read more

The Hat - Half pastrami dip, small order of onion rings and fries - American Near Me - Temple City, California

The Hat is a staple in the SGV! I always have to get my chili cheese fries fix whenever I'm back in town. They're also known for their pastrami which you can add onto the chili cheese fries but this time I chose to have the pastrami burger. Services are always friendly and attentive and the restaurant is always kept tidy and neat. read more

The Hat - Chili cheese fries - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Been here many times over the years, and it's been an occasional hangout spot but rarely my go to fast food spot. It is not bad for pastrami, or the au jus roast beef sandwiches, but the prices have just always been increasing. I'm not the biggest fan of the chili fries, but there you can get your money's worth since the portion of the fries are huge. I usually stick with the pastrami though, and they still give quite a bit of pastrami in the sandwich. read more

The Hat - American Near Me - Temple City, California

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The co-workers went all out on this one. We don't have The Hat near our work, so after a dr's appointment, I called the guys and asked what they wanted from here. We got chili cheese fries w onions, wet fries, onion rings, pastrami sandwich, and turkey burger. We had enough to share with 4/5 people! I'm not a pastrami type so I got the turkey burger and onion rings. The burger was great, but they had a sauce that was not to my liking. The onion rings were the best in awhile and cheaper than other places. Nice and crunchy. They give you packets of ranch if you ask. Chili cheese fries and pastrami are the staples. The wet fries are ok. I guess you have to ask for the gravy on the side? And need it needs more gravy! Though you can buy more on the side for a few bucks more. read more

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Best Pastami sandwich in LA. Whenever I'm in LA The Hat is one of my must do's. The food comes out quick it's nice and hot. The chili fries is huge and can feed a whole family. read more

The Hat - Pastrami - American Near Me - Temple City, California

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4 stars After taking my dog to the vet, I decided to lean into my chili cheese fries craving. The Hat was nearby and had a drive-thru, so that worked out perfectly. This is what I got: Roast Beef w/ Au Jus ($12.60): Beef was thinly-sliced and the au jus was decent. I'd consider this pricey b/c portion size was a lacking. And the bread stuck to the paper, so that was a little annoying. Otherwise, it's a decent sandwich. Also, it didn't taste too salty to me, which was perfect for me. 4/5 stars Chili Fries ($8.60) + Cheese ($1.99): This hefty monster was scary big! It's big enough to serve a family of 4. I enjoyed this, but it definitely started feeling a little too much after a couple of bites. I ended up with a ton of leftover. The chili was alright...definitely very cumin forward. I like my chili with beans, but, alas, not a lot of places have beans in their chili. Definitely satiated after this. 3.8/5 stars. I agree with the current 4 stars rating. It's definitely above average. I'll be back when my chili cheese fries cravings hit again. read more

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Was craving a chili cheese dog real bad and had to stop by the hat to get my fix in. The chili wasn't as flavorful as i remember, it could use more salt but other than that it was loaded and got the job done! The tomato, pickle, and onions really make this chili dog taste good. read more

The Hat - Half eaten chili cheese dog (remembered to take a pic midway) - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Food has always been good and we've gone here for decades. Staff is helpful and restaurant clean. The large fries or onion ring is huge, shareable with several people. read more

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Great LA style thin pastrami. Good serice but took a little long for something that is not cooked to order.

I've heard and read about this famous Pastrami place and I happen to drive by one and decided to stop and try their Pastrami sandwich. The dining area was kept clean and roomy, nice vibe, the service was friendly and professional., I am surprised they don't have a combo deal, you have to order the fries separately, so I ordered their Pastrami sandwich, an order of their fries and a large soda, my order was ready in about 5 minutes. The pastrami and fresh and good and tasty. The fries was a huge portion, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. It was worth coming in to try them out, I wish they had a branch store near my place, This place earned it's reputation as a good pastrami place read more

The Hat - Hours - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Came back again but this time we ordered and ate inside. The place seems so nostalgic and still bright as ever, however the place has changed such as the seating area is renovated and the sauce stations are no longer there. We ordered our usual large chili cheese fries and onion rings, a pastrami dip, and added on a double cheese burger and two medium drinks (Since the drinks are free refills). It's always nice to know that the hat will still give out a large portion of onion rings, crispy and crunchy in the middle. It didn't look as much as last time but still a good portion. The chili cheese fries were still great, you need to eat it when it's fresh as it will get mushy and soggy after a while. The double cheese burger was good, I think it could've used more sauce. The pastrami had a good portion of meat, salty and a nice kick from the spiced ends. The drink cups were made of pretty thin wax paper material so it doesn't last long enough after a few hours, but that's more than enough time for lunch break. Overall, it's a great treat for a lunch time break. Restrooms were clean and no mirrors, but unisex and individual rooms. read more

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The hat is a nostalgic favorite in the San Gabriel Valley. Their original location is on Valley in Alhambra; however, this is the location that I would frequent as a local and they've expanded to Pasadena and deep in Orange County (Brea, Lake Forest). They're known for their pastrami dip, which is thinly sliced and served on a hoagie; however, honestly, it's not really anything special. What I crave here are still their Chili Cheese Fries. They give a heaping portion of thick cut fries that resemble what you can get at a wholesale market, and they top it with generous portion of chili and greasy cheddar cheese. While it doesn't sound amazing, it's incredibly satisfying and the portion can fill multiple people. It's my must have here. If I buy anything else, then, I may get a pastrami sandwich, burger, or hot dog and a drink to round out the meal. read more

Past by here so many years, never thought of trying them out. This time, my husband encouraged me to try them out. Order their famous pastrami dip sandwich. It's pretty good. Service is okay. The place is clean. I like that. read more

I always pass by The Hat on my way to the nearby shopping center. Undeniably, their sign with "world famous pastrami" caught my eye. I decided that today was the day to try the famous pastrami dip. This location has lots of parking and a drive thru. The seats and interior were very clean as well. Staff were amazing, so polite and detail oriented. With the pastrami dip, you have the option to omit pickles. They call out your number when your order is ready. Everything is packed nicely in a paper bag with napkins and you get asked if you want any sauce packets (ketchup, mustard, ranch etc). On to the pastrami dip, I had high expectations for it being world famous. On my first bite, I was immediately disappointed. The taste felt one dimensional. The pastrami tasted like pastrami, nothing new here. The interior of the bread was dipped in the broth but it didn't add anything to the experience. The pickles and mustard did help with adding depth but I still felt it was bland. Overall, this was a simple sandwich, very generous on the pastrami but I don't think it's worth $13. read more

The Hat - Pastrami Dip - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Love the pastrami meat from this establishment especially this one location. Reminds me of my teenage yrs. Still is my favorite pastrami place! Now I take my whole family- but not too often,lol read more

Plenty of parking here. Always folks here but never a long lines. The food arrives fairly quick. The staff have been great. Usually plenty of seating inside. The chili fries are always delicious. Are serving size that you'll definitely need to share or save for leftovers. You can even ask for pastrami added on. Definitely a solid place to visit for fast food. read more

The Hat - Pastrami chili fries. - American Near Me - Temple City, California

The Hat is a ubiquitous Southern California fast-food restaurant chain specializing in pastrami dip sandwiches. There are 11 locations around Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. This specific location is at the corner of Broadway and Rosemead blvd. They have a nice outdoor and indoor seats. Staff were professional and competent. They have a breadth of food items. If you're into good albeit unhealthy fast-food go for The Hat. Every store there always a long line just like InNOut Burger. Overall, it's a good joint for quick bite. read more

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The drive thru can take a bit of time because their food is made to order. Luckily, there was only one car ahead of me. I placed an order for large fries and a pastrami sandwich. The food was piping hot when I got it and I was in my car, by myself. So the ambiance was chill. When I got to the window, I believe they do have tap, but I had my card with me. They asked me what kind of condiments would I be needing and they gave me a handful of mixed ranch and ketchup. If there are a lot of cars and you play Pokémon go, there are two gyms nearby that you can attack while you wait. read more

My mother and I came in to The Hat in Temple City this evening for her dinner. It was pretty surprisingly empty, but the dinner crowd had filled up by the time we left. (~18:00) As she states: Fron eating at The Hat for around 30 years, the quality was good, as usual. However, like just about everywhere nowadays, prices were out of control. It cost almost $30 for a steak sandwich, small fries, and two small drinks. Ridiculous. The service was fine, very run-of-the-mill. No complaints on the ambiance. It's clean, and bright. There is indoor and outdoor seating, as well as bathrooms. read more

The Hat - Steak Sandwich - American Near Me - Temple City, California

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The restaurant is an old school diner experience. You order and they give you a ticket. I love the portion sizes here! I've tried most of their menu items but the one I keep going back to is the pastrami fries. read more

The Hat - Chili cheese pastrami fries - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Always good! The place is a 50's diner style atmosphere... It's basically a burger stand and you order at the counter. I usually get the pastrami sandwich double dipped with extra pickles... You gotta eat it while it's hot and dripping hot juice... I also love their beef dip sandwich. I feel they are better than Philippe's in Chinatown. Lately, I've been getting their gravy fries which I enjoy a lot. Don't forget to try their chili cheese fries and the onion rings. read more

Food: 4.25. Came by because I happened to be in the area and was hungry. There is inside and some outside seating. They also have a drive thru. I ate inside. Ordering is done at the counter and the number assigned to your order is called when ready for you to pick up. I ordered their Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries (just under $20 after tax). Food was ready timely and at the right temperature. It also looked amazing, if not daunting. It could probably feed 3 or 4 people. It was a lot bigger than I remember from my last visit at a different location 4 or 5 years ago. Fries were nicely crispy as requested. The only knock for me was the pastrami. It was good, but I like the pastrami more at Johnnie's in Culver City. I just wish they had pastrami chili cheese fries. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

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I got the Veggie cucumber avocado provolone sandwich on sourdough. I was short on time, ordered it at the drive through, first time and last. The picture looked amazing! When I opened it up, well..I could barely find, let only taste any avocado or provolone....but boy..I got a mouth full of lettuce. It was lettuce on sourdough for $9.60. So if you value your hard earned cash as much as I do, pass and just go to the market for lunch for a head of lettuce and a loaf of sourdough bread. You can have it all week. read more

The Hat - Lettuce sandwich for $9.60 - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Fluorescent lights, vintage looking wooden interior with the newspaper clippings and framed art to match, classic rock that sounds muffled in another room, there's just something about The Hat that elicits a sense of nostalgia for something that we've longed for in our past. It's open decently late and the dining room has many seats, or if you'd like there's a drive thru outside. My friends and I got the pastrami burger and chili cheese fries. HUGE HUGE portions to the point of leaking out of the containers and wrappers that they were in. Burger was filled to the brim with pastrami that it was more like a side of buns to our order of pastrami. Big and juicy and went great with a little bit of mustard on it. The chili cheese fries had a generous amount of chili and cheese on top. Great ratio of topping to fries. Didn't get soggy or cold too quickly either. Was way more than enough for 3 adults, to the point of food coma, so this can be easily split amongst 4 or more people so they're not as uncomfortably full. Solid The Hat location. read more

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The Hat have been around over seventy years making their world famous pastrami that everybody enjoy. My wife and I have been to the two Hats location in Monterey Park and the orginal in Alhambra both of them make awesome pastrami. I prefer my pastrami wet from pastrami and the bread and adding enough mustard to balance the juicy of the pastrami heavenly delicious. We came here the Hat in Temple city we notice the location is bigger than the Monterey Park location. The restaurant had pictures and history of Temple city and dining room is big and they have restroom inside the restaurant. The biggest surprise a self service fountain soda machine. The staff are very friendly and restaurant always clean when you step in the restaurant. read more

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Great food and old school vibe.ordering was quick and there are plenty of seats for party's of all sizes. Went with a double cheese burger and chili fries with a side of gravy for the no chili covered fries at the bottom. Big time fat guy move but it was clutch. Now I didn't realize how big the fries are but it could easily feed two people. The burger was super nice and would be a perfect hungover bite. All in all I ordered way too much food but I wanted a taste of it all. They are famous for their pastrami's so I'll have to come back for one. read more

The Hat - Double cheeseburger - American Near Me - Temple City, California

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Went to Pasadena hat but all the hats have very good food, I've liked everything that I've had at the !! BBQ beef pastrami, burgers, and pastrami and a tuna sandwich Good service every time and friendly employees Pasadena has lots of inside seating and temple city also! read more

Im annoyed that they messed up my phone order I asked for avocado and turkey sandwich, and I'm annoyed at myself that I trusted fully and just paid without checking the receipt looking past that I then take a bite and the bread is soooo stale like if they had it stored for days and it was on its last day. It's not the sandwiches I remember I loved. Before it tasted so fresh, way better than any sandwich shop. Now it's just not it for me I don't think I'd come back for that. read more

The Hat - Turkey sandwich - American Near Me - Temple City, California

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Good pastrami, great clean environment and quick service. That's all you need for a good quality meal. Note to everyone coming here for the first time: small fries will feed you and your significant other, large fries will feed you, your family, and the family next to you. read more

9/9/25 - Updated review Shoutout to the manager working and Cesar for having me check the onion rings before I left because he was scared that it was over fried. They made a new one within less than a minute. I appreciate it so much! Now that's great customer service. read more

For some things, prices are a bit high. However, the portions are high to match! We paid just over $17 for a plate of chili cheese fries with pastrami. This fed two very hungry people with a small amount of leftovers. Personally, I would prefer to pay half the cost and get half the portion. Our food was out quickly, within about five minutes of ordering. You need to pick up your food at the farthest end of the restaurant from the indoor seating. There's not a lot to look at at The Hat, mostly old photos on the walls, but it's been clean every time I've visited! read more

The Hat - Chili Cheese Fries with Pastrami - American Near Me - Temple City, California

Great the Hat outpost! Customer service was great and the pastrami was the way I wanted it to be read more

I've been a customer of The Hat since the '80s I've never had a bad experience. The fries always were overflowing as was the Pastrami dip. you needed a fork because what fell out of your sandwich would make another sandwich. Until today. The price for a single lunch was over $22.00, almost out of my range, but I'm willing to pay that for a once in a while treat. The smell coming from my onion rings was distinctly rancid cooking oil. If you're going to charge premium prices, you need to swap out the oil for a fresh tasting fry or onion ring. The pastrami wasn't overflowing like I'm used to either. Tasty, yes, but less than we used to get. I'll be going back to the Lake Street Hat, hoping this isn't a chain-wide change. read more

10/10, no notes. Best pastrami ever, love getting it with extra pickles & chilis on the side!

A classic spot in the area for a solid dip sandwich, known for its generous portions and consistent quality. When I'm in the mood for something lighter, I opt for their avocado and vegetable sandwich--it's simple but delivers a satisfying, flavorful bite. read more

The Hat is an SGV staple and for good reason. It is DELICIOUS. There are multiple locations around Southern California and this one in Temple city has lots of parking, it's roomy inside, and the food hits. We got here a little later at night, but the food was still delicious and served hot. The service was good and pretty quick. I would come back to this location for sure! read more

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