The Hat

This is a legit Avocado Sandwich!
…yes, I’m gonna be that Unilocaler that talks about an Avocado Sandwich at a place known for their pastrami. Get over it! ;P
I only end up at The Hat because the Meateater BF drags me to one whenever we are near any location. In the past, he’s been able to distract me with veggie options nearby. But this Monterey Park location doesn’t really have many neighboring alternatives. Which is why I was forced to take a closer look at The Hat’s menu.
The Avocado Sandwich doesn’t come with cheese but I requested they nix the mayo. It also comes on your choice of bread. Rye is my fave! Besides the ABUNDANT amount of avocado, it also comes with lettuce and tomato. As an avocado fan, I’m glad that The Hat isn’t stingy about the portion size! It was so big that I was only able to eat half :)

Its a famous pastrami place do I went the distance… Dry frozen fries by the bucket… Meat (very peppery) pickle slice and roll
A soda
$ 16.00
Go figure

This is for The Hat in Monterey Park only. The pastrami tasted bland. There just wasn’t the delicious saltiness that is essential to a pastrami sandwich. Very disappointed.

It’s The Hat. The best shaved pastrami sandwich ever. You don’t come here for anything «healthy», «organic», «natural», «lean», or such other nonsense. You come here for shaved pastrami that’s probably at least 20% fat and fries. This is fast food more or less.
I wrote a review about the Simi Valley location and it’s pretty much consistent here. Get the pastrami and fries, you’re good. Chili cheese fries seem popular, but I don’t have room for that AND a pastrami dip. Maybe I’ll order it someday.
I went in with the vegan GF, who ordered the only thing she could: an avocado sandwich (no cheese, no mayo). She’s vegan, she gets a pass for NOT ordering the pastrami. But she was really impressed with the volume of the sandwich. She didn’t get the awesomeness of «The Hat». Now she does. Thank you Hat.
The original plan was for her to find someplace else to eat in Monterey Park. I told her she can munch on some fries to tide her over. She was upset when I ordered «Small fries» thinking that I only ordered for me. OH LO AND BEHOLD their small order is about 1lb of fries. When I brought the two bags to our table, she looked in the bag and said «This is a small order?» I dug way deep in the bag and found the little fry bag that a normal order of small fries comes in from let’s say McDonalds and told her «Yeah here’s the bag for it».
Needless to say we had to take home the fries.

This tasted like my highschool cafeteria food did back in the day. I can’t speak for their Pastrami seeing as I have not tried it, but everything me and my friends tried today was disappointing. The burger I had tasted like Burger King on an off day. Lukewarm, dry patties with tasteless produce on top. I couldn’t even finish half of it.
Potato salad was okay and fries were good. «Small fries» is a HUGE portion — I can’t even imagine what the large looks like. One is enough for the whole group. Iced tea was undrinkable and we had to exchange it.
Save yourself the money if you’re coming here for the burgers. It’s truly not worth it. But as I said, I have never tried the pastrami so I can’t speak on that.

Good spot, prices are ehhh. I ordered a jr burger, it honestly wasn’t good. chili cheese fries are definitely good. all in all its good

Ordered the listed favorites Pastrami dip and wet fries. They were HORRIBLE! Pastrami was fatty and lacked flavor and the bread was soggy & increased the worthlessness of this lame sandwich. The wet fries are atrocious. The gravy took away from the flavor of the crispy fries instead of enhancing the experience.
The only entertainment came from a car hitting the rear of the car in front and watching him speed off, being pursued by the car he hit and 2 others close by!
Like the hit and run, run away from the hat!

I come here for one thing and one thing only: chili cheese fries. My absolute favorite will always be from The Hat. I can never finish the HUGE portion, but I sure try my best! I love to get them regular, or add pickles and tomatoes. They also offer them with pastrami or whatever else you can think to have them pile on there.
DH gets a pastrami sandwich or a French dip. Their onion rings always sound good, but they are just okay compared to other shops that sell burgers — they do give you a huge portion, though.
Parking can be hectic around dinner and lunch time. Last week I parked around the block! The line gets big at their rush time, but usually they move fast and try to get people out asap.
If you are a lover of chili cheese fries, you won’t be disappointed!

Parking: free parking lot!
The pastrami fries were awesome! They tasted so good. It was huge but they had to be since it is 12 dollars. I got the works on them, onions, pickles, chili and cheese. The pastrami can was not chewy or dry. It made a good match with the fries. I would definitely go back again for more or other options.

If you’ve never been to the Hat you really don’t deserve to be reviewing food.
I really don’t know anyone’s who’s never been here, I really don’t. But OK, i I’ll give you another chance. Go. Just go. Now. Put your phone down and go.
Get the pastrami dip. Get an order of chili cheese fries or wet (gravy) fries. Eat them there, it is a sin to get it to go. Devour the food. Enjoy the food coma.

So obviously this is not the place to go if you’re on a diet — not even a see-​food diet, it’s that heavy. First time at this particular location and liked that they had indoor seating as opposed to the Alhambra one, but parking lot was a little small. Most of us had to park on the residential street a walk away.
I wanted to keep it slightly healthy so I opted for a turkey burger this time around and split a side of chili cheese fries. The turkey burger was actually pretty good and juicy, but a little small… and the order took forever to come out! The five people who ordered after me got their burgers before I did for some reason. The chili cheese fries will do nasty things to you. I don’t want to talk about it! But if I were to make a recommendation, I would suggest you get the gravy fries instead.
Overall, a solid place to get your burger/​sandwich fix… just not a place I can frequent. And the wait was a bummer this time too.

Good old hat. Hmm it sbeen off little
Bit while I noticed. but over its still good old hat food. :-)

Buebisimas hamburguesas, las papas ni se digan… Podes la orden pequeña y casi te dan un saco de papas jajajaja. Buenisimo lugar!!!

Dinner last night. Always a safe bet. This place is a staple in the SAn Gabriel Valley and as such people from the area love it. I think it’s good but not amazing. Over the years I’ve been to this location as well as Alhambra and Pasadena. All the locations are definitely consistent with their food etc. None of their locations have a drive-​thru but rather dine in or walk up ordering only.
I’ve had their burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, pastrami and chili cheese fries. They serve a pretty hefty portion for sides so be ready to share or be hungry. All and all their food is good, home style and filling.

Delicious.
One of the original locations which is clearly obvious. You order and pick up at the widow. You can get it to-​go or opt for their outdoor seating which isn’t that bad.
I always get the pastrami because that’s what they’re known for. However, I get their pastrami on top of their chili cheese fries with pickles thrown on it which is pretty flipping amazing if you ask me. I do recommend sharing since it’s a pretty heffty portion.
Overall
I’m definately a fan. :)

On my birthday I shall review a place that is dear to my heart. The Hat. Deep down I’m not bougie, I just like simple eats such as The Hat. A place that serves up pastrami so good that it’s made me cry on occasion. You come here for the pastrami. anything with pastrami.
What do I get? The Pastrami Dip. A sandwich packed with so much pastrami that it spills out on every side. It’s impossible to fit all the pastrami in, it’s like me trying to squeeze into a child’s pants — not happening. And who doesn’t love excess pastrami? Who?! There is nothing better than finishing up your sandwich and then having tons of pastrami leftover to clean up! Nothing!!!
In case you are brave enough or brought along some backup — you can order up some fries to go with your dip. Fries, Onion Rings, Fries with Gravy, Chili Cheese Fries, but beware cause these portions are ginormous. I am talking not be able to finish with 2 – 3 people helping you big. The Chili Cheese Fries on it’s own if you got nothing else would be difficult to finish with help. The Fries and Onion Rings are enough to feed a family of four (slightly exaggerated). I like getting Gravy Fries but I don’t like them dumping gravy all over the fries cause they get soggy. I ask them for extra crispy fries (so they are in the fryer a bit longer) then I ask for the gravy on the side so I can just dip the fries in as I eat.
In case you were feeling adventurous I would recommend the Pastrami Burger. It’s good cause there’s pastrami on it. Duh.
Parking here is kind of a pain and space is pretty limited, but service is fast and friendly as they are at all Hat locations.

Their pastrami chili cheese fries are THE BEST!
I love their pastrami sandwiches but the pastrami chili cheese fries are better! Usually it is just me and my husband, so getting a pastrami sandwich and chili cheese fries were a bit too much for us. When we saw someone adding pastrami on chili cheese fries, there was our solution! What can it go wrong? You have everything you love in one plate!
I sometimes add grilled cheese on the side to eat with chili cheese fries, and their grilled cheese is amazing, too!
Foods: 4.5 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3.5 stars
Overall Experience: 4 stars

They do it simple and do it well.
I had a pastrami dip and horchata (yum!) to drink. The perfectly done pastrami chopped into bite-​sized pieces with pickles and mustard is nothing fancy but it’s all that is necessary for a fantastic pastrami sandwich.
Order at the register and pick up at the other end of the counter, fast food style. This place was very busy when I visited and once a table opened up we jumped on it but had to clean it ourselves as the dining area wasn’t being attended to. Our order came up quickly and the people behind the counter, while not exactly oozing warm fuzziness, were efficient. Which is all you care about when you want one of those delicious pastrami sandwiches in your mouth ASAP!

This is the VERY first time I’m complaining about the hat in the 30 something years I’ve been eating here!
I ordered a jr cheese burger! Omg! Talk about jr! The patty size was so small compared to the jr size bun! So so disappointed! I ALWAYS order the jr cheese burger! I don’t know what happened!!!
They totally cheaped out! I hope this isn’t a new thing!

If you grew up in the SGV, then chances are The Hat was/​is on the top of your list if you wanted a burger or sandwich. While the original Hat was on 3^rd and Ford, most of us have strong attachments to the Alhambra and MPK locations.Institutions.
Dad took me to The Hat for as long as I can remember. He would order the chicken salad sandwich, I’d get the cheeseburger, split an order of fries and a cherry soda. I never tried the pastrami, so no judgment there. I stick with what works: Fries well done, burger, onion rings, and side of gravy. Unlimited condiments, peppers, and utensils take it over the top.
Yes, parking is horrible, but it’s part of the package. It really does get bad at lunch time. Upside, you can order your food to-​go to make your experience more efficient. Give them 10 minutes and instant lunch! Added plus: Load up on the endless amount of condiments and peppers. Worth the trip alone!

I’m not much of a pastrami lover, but The Hat made me like it a little more. It was the perfect midnight snack after a long day.
You can never go wrong with chili cheese fries, but how about going that extra mile and adding pastrami as a topping? Trust me. If you love all of these components, they go well with one another. Not to mention, it is the biggest portion ever. If you get this, you’ll have leftovers for days. I mean, you should be able to for around $ 12. They put it in a little carton and smother it with extra fries and all the good stuff on top of a drink carton holder. Pretty innovative, clever, and different. It’s pretty hilarious, but it works! Honestly, I feel like there’s a pound of pastrami toppled on top of the fries, but I have no complaints. This is definitely capable of being shared by 2 – 3 people. My sister and her boyfriend shared the pastrami dip (a sandwich) and it came with the perfect dipping sauce. It reminded me of the sauce you use for roast beef.
The aesthetic vibe is very 70s to me, but I can dig it. I think this place is a must if you love pastrami! It’s open pretty late, until 1AM! The food is good, the workers are friendly, and the place is huge!