The Hat

The Hat in Monterey Park is one of those classic Southern California spots that never disappoints. This place is legendary for a reason. I ordered the chili fries with extra pastrami and shredded cheddar, and it was absolutely loaded — generous portions, bold flavors, and pure comfort food at its best. The pastrami was juicy and tender, piled high on top of crispy fries, and the chili had that rich, savory taste that keeps you eating even when you’re already full. Nothing feels skimpy here. You definitely get your money’s worth, and one order is more than enough to satisfy a big appetite. The atmosphere is casual and no-frills, exactly what you’d expect from a longtime local favorite. Service was fast and efficient, even late at night, and the staff kept everything moving smoothly. It’s a great spot for a late dinner, post-work meal, or just when you’re craving something hearty. If you’re into classic pastrami, chili fries, or old-school diner vibes, The Hat is a must-visit. It’s not fancy, but it’s honest, filling, and consistently good — the kind of place you’ll keep coming back to. Highly recommended 👍

Best pastrami sandwich at great price. Along with burgers and now they have other sandwiches 🥪, veggie, turkey, and ham. Their fries are great, too. Plain fries, chili cheese with or without tomatoes and pickles or more pastrami. 😋 ❤️ But, eat those fries with family or friends, it's a lot of food. Enjoy 😉

The pastrami dip was excellent tasting, but wish it had more meat. Also it doesn't have any broth to dip unless you ask for extra. They just paddle some on before wrapping it up. Definitely worth going if you love pastrami. Also chili cheese fries are massive and should be shared with one or two other people.

The HAT in Simi Valley is known for their world famous pastramis. They serve big portions of fries. Optional with chili and cheese. Check your cholesterol before you decide to eat here. Lol! I recommend The Hat.

Ok so this isn't a fancy place, but an experience place. It's no wonder why this place has been around since 1951. The food and prices are very good!! The shop is small, the line can be long, but it is worth the trouble. There is little to no parking, but be patient and you'll find some. The pastrimi is good, not the best I've had but for 13$ it's well worth it. Wife got a cheeseburger and said it was very good. We got the chili cheese fries which are steep at 10+$ and onion rings (panko breaded) but they are so generous with the portions it's kinda worth it. I had never been to this place and I did not know what I had been missing. The pastrimi was good, lots of pickles (which I don't like) mustard and a good bun. Fries were well cooked, heaped with chilly and they give you a lot!! Onion rings, crispy, well cooked and again, generous portion!!. Overall everything was great. They are very busy, but worth the trouble to find parking, wait in line, wait for a table, wait for food, and then devour the vittals once they arrive!! Then, you'll see it was all worthwhile! RECOMMEND!!!!

I have been eating at The Hat for many years. Their pastrami dip sandwich is my favorite with a generous pile of thinly sliced meat dipped in juices on a French roll that is dripping in flavor. This is my favorite pastrami sandwich. They are very generous with the fries. The small order is shown in the picture. It is hard to tell the perspective but the drinks are a med and large. There are a lot of fries. This is the first time I visited this location. It has outdoor patio seating. Ordering is done streetside through windows with the seating on the other side of the building attached to the parking. The seating area was clean and comfortable. This location is on a busy street but the street noise didn't bother me. While I was there a staff member came out and wiped down the tables and chairs that weren't being used. The food came out fairly quickly and everything was hot and fresh. There was quite a bit of free parking associated with The Hat. I look forward to eating at this location again. Bonus, there are free refills for soft drinks. I just took my cup to the pick up window without the cover and straw, and it was refilled.

Close at 1am was the sales technique to get me to drive there. Its not drive thru, but they have one of the best chili cheese fries and wet fries in LA for the late night. The chili cheese fries with pastrami and chopped onions is the star here, at least for me. If you still have room in your luggage compartment, get a pastrami sandwich, dipped. They also have steak sandwiches. Then top it off with a pina colada or orange bang. Go home happy!

12/23/2024 The Hat 2300 S. Atlantic Blvd Monterey Park, CA 91754 I went there around noon on a Monday and took the last parking space in the smallish lot around the building. There were many people standing and waiting for their orders. I ordered and paid at the register and given a numbered stub and receipt, the last digits on the stub is your order that is called. The interior seating is fast food bench style and can get full, but turn around is quick. After about 5 minutes, I got my Chili Dog with onions and the Pastrami Dip. The grilled split dog had a generous messy amount of Chili. The Chili was flavorful and a little spicy. This is the best Chili Dog in the area, I've tried three other places nearby. The pastrami was plentiful and tasty (not too salty) with a few pickles on top. Prices were reasonable and a good value. Definitely repeatable especially for the Chili Dog.

Does these type of places even need a review lol It's one of the top places to go eat anytime of the day!! Pastrami Chili Frys Open late!!!! Can't get any better

Wednesday early dinner at 5 pm - pastrami and chili fries Service: n/a Ambiance: fast-food Price: ok For quality: loved Highly recommend

my favorite place to big back I always get the chilli fries w cheese and tomatoes and pickles and it always hits. I haven't had this in over a year and I forgot how good it is. it's the perfect amount of cheesiness and flavor. I love how it's not that salty as well! the portions are always so big too so it's a nice side/meal to share, and always worth the money. the cheese and tomatoes and pickles cost extra money but I def reccomend adding it bc it doesn't taste the same without it!!! I'm not a pickle lover but with these fries it hits!!!! 10/10

Man all I got to say is with the money this place brings in they need to invest in a ac unit to help they workers slaving in that heat and the customers have no choice but to suffer also.

This is my third time eating at The Hat and my best experience yet. I was a bit underwhelmed the previous times I ate here. It seems that The Hat is a bit overhyped in LA. I think it has to do with nostalgia as many people grew up eating here with their parents and enjoy coming back due to this reason. The previous times I ate here. I tried the Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries and Pastrami Dip and I thought they were so-so. Perhaps, it was because I heard so many good things prior that I expected it to 'Wow me' This time I wanted to take my wife here for her to try a local spot in an area. In hindsight, I was coming into this experience with little to no expectations. I don't know if this hindered my taste buds in anyway. I really enjoyed the food this time around. The Pastrami Dip was good. We both really enjoyed eating the Pastrami Dip and felt it was solid sandwich. The fine cut pastrami in the soft roll that was very moist and was very tasty. The Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries were also delicious. It's a large portion even for two large people such as ourselves. You could easily feed a family of 4. I recommend getting some hot peppers to eat alongside the fries. Now, I've heard the Onion Rings were good. I had to find out for myself. As you can see in the first picture. The onion rings were burnt. My wife didn't want me saying anything, but I couldn't help myself because Onion Rings shouldn't be so crunchy. I politely took them back to the counter and asked for a new order. One of the guys cooked a new batch for me and took them out of the oil to ask if they were cooked properly or to my liking. I agreed as the color of the onion rings were more golden looking. When my wife and I tried them again, we instantly noticed the difference. We enjoyed the onion rings and thought they were pretty good. I must applaud the staff at The Hat for doing a good job at rectifying this situation. We will definitely come back to The Hat

The Hat is your classic old school burger joint. They serve tons of different things and known for lots. It has nice old school feel to it. The service is really good. I got the chili cheese fries and they were exactly what you would expect. A whole lot of chili and cheese on top of fries. The fires could have been seasoned better and the chili could have had a tad bit more flavor. All in all they were good not great but a lot of food for the price. Would go back and try other things.

I have been wanting to try the chili cheese fries with and without pastrami at this place. This place is always packed and it seems that ERRRRRR BODY and they momma's orders them. After my son's soccer tournament, and cause it was on the way, I said let's get chili cheese fries at The Hat. Everyone was on board. But L.A get to the food!! How was your visit!?!? Welllllllllllllllllllllllllll...... For starters there is no AC for some reason!? Why!?!? Who knows!!! So it's hot as balls in there, stuffy, and way too many people in there for comfort. Come on guys. Flip the switch' and turn ON The AC! What about the food you ask!? Well, It was just OK. The chili fries were plentiful. Enough for 2. But aside from portion size. Nothing else to write home to mom about here. The chili was bland almost flavorless. Not even with the pastrami on top were the chili fries above average. Had to use ketchup on chili cheese fries to get better flavor going. The pastrami sándwich was honestly the best and that was cause of the pickles and mustard. In all honestly, I would much rather go to Tam's Super Burgers #9 in Lynwood. Or Tam's Super Burgers #22 in paramount. Much better chili cheese fries. Even chili cheese fries with pastrami. At least I can say been there, done that.

LOCATION - I visited their Monterey Park location, which was on a busy corner. Their parking lot is really small and I wasn't able to find parking. I had to go down into one of the residential streets. Not too bad but be prepared. FOOD - Ordered the Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries and Chili Cheese Dog. The Pastrami Chili Cheese Fries was huge! Lots of fries, which I wish were more crispy and seasoned, a good amount of delicious pastrami, and hearty chili cheese. Everything was really flavorful. The Chili Cheese Dog was also super good and bigger than I expected. It came with shredded (non-melted) cheddar cheese, pickles, mustard, tomato on a French roll. SERVICE - Despite being really packed and a line out the door, the workers were moving fast and getting things done. Service was decent overall. I think they have high prices, which for me didn't make the most sense. I'd definitely go again, but not as often as I'd like.

Still a solid meal after 44 years of coming to this spot! Honestly the pastrami is not quite how remembered it as super juicy and packed with meat(shrink-flation I guess). The wet fries are the same old greatness. The staff is still super nice, fast service and the seating is comfortable. Overall, the prices are good, good portions, and good service. Its become kind of an icon in SoCal

FOOD IS ALWAYS DELICIOUS BUT GEEE WE ATE INSIDE TODAY AND IT WAS OUTRAGEOUSLY HOT AF ,I honestly think I was better off eating in my car wait time was average can't complain But one thing I will say is I asked for mustard and she gave me two packets like come on. This is a pastrami joint. I need like 10 of those mofos.

This was by the the worse chili cheese fries I've ever had ... no flavor at all .. Wienerschnitzel has better , the way they pack it to go is horrible.. the pastrami was decent but not hooked up .. I can get pastrami anywhere else and it'll be better .. I don't get the hype on this place at all .. will never come back

Absolutely disgusted with my roast beef sandwich today. I have been eating at this location since I was a kid in the 90s. But today's order was absolutely gross. The roast beef tasted undercooked and actually just like the cheap roast beef you get in a bag at Ralph's across the street. For 12 bucks I'm expecting a way better experience. This is not the beef of my childhood.

You ever have a period craving hit you so hard there's nothing left to other than to satiate that craving no matter how late night it is?! Well, I did! Cheese burger and onion rings. Chili cheese fries. Hit the spot. Asked for several ketchup packets and ranch, and was given a bountiful amount. Pretty busy on a Saturday night!

The Best Burgers in Los Angeles everything the Hat Rocks and Rolls. The Burgers are so good and made hearty and blooming with fresh produce and good spread. The Fries are always so awesome and absolutely abundantly delicious and it's worth the wait to come for perfection on a real Burgers made so good and hearty. The have the best of everything to offer... Beef Au Jus, Chili Dogs, Double Cheese Burger, Hot Dogs, Pastrami Burger, Pastrami Sandwich, Steak Sandwich, Turkey Burger, World Famous Pastrami, and Drinks and Shakes to make it right.

This place has been open many years and is a regular spot for a lot of locals and even me when I come to town. This place can be busy sometimes but there is also a drive through Every time I come I always get the pastrami sandwich, a grilled cheese, and the orange cream soda. The pastrami here is great and there's a reason I think about it 500+ miles away. Grilled cheese is good also. I'm not too partial to the orange cream soda only because I wish there was more carbonation.

Tommy's move over, respectfully. The Hat has the thickest, heartiest and tastiest chili hands down. And their pastrami is perfectly seasoned as some restaurants over salt their meat. But the burgers are delicious and the chili cheese fries are crispy and crunchy. It has a typical Cali hamburger tams vibe, but it's far from that. Wait is usually 20 minutes which isn't bad for the quality. If you like cherry coke order it here!!! They mix coke and cherry fanta and it's so refreshing and unique

Go for the grilled cheese pastrami sandwich. You will not be disappointed. The cherry coke is phenomenal but I stay away from drinking my Cals. Also knocked down a stat because they refuse to cook my pastrami extra crispy for the grilled cheese

My cousins were visiting from Northern CA and had a craving for pastrami. He and his wife wanted to go to The Hat. I love a great pastrami sandwich and my favorite place is closed on Sunday. So we took the drive here. The pastrami sandwich here is as good as any of the fast food burger places around here, other than going to a delicatessen to get a great pastrami sandwich. Service was fast and friendly.

This is an institution in/around LA. It's not fancy (at all!) but the meat is good quality and the food is made quickly to order and served with a good attitude. I recommend getting the au jus on the side, since it's hard to tell the bread was dipped even if you're looking for it. Fries are huge orders and the Orange Bang drink is good, kind of like Orange Julius.

We were craving some comfort food and decided to grab some pastrami chili cheese fries from The Hat, a staple of SoCal diners. It was the definition of everything I'd want to eat before going home and taking a nap. The pastrami is sliced super thin so it's very tender. I love the no bean chili that coats the crispy fries creating the perfect bite. It was $16, but the portion is more than enough for two people with some leftovers. The parking is convenient for the busy area and there was plenty of indoor seating available. The staff was friendly an food comes out fast after ordering, so it's a great option when in a rush. It had been a while since I had last been, but after this most recent visit, I will be returning soon.

My husband and I will usually share a pastrami sandwich and the gravy fries, but instead I get a regular fry with 2 sides of gravy. We don't eat that much and I detest wasting food. Plus if we don't finish them we can put the fries in the air fryer the next day.

Had a pastrami sandwich and an order of chili cheese fries. Both were tasty and in an abundance!

What happened to the Best Pastrami in town. Ordered two dip pastramis and the meat was shredded pastrami. No flavor and a brown color...

Definitely recommend checking this place out if you haven't been here. They have solid food and decent prices. Ended up getting the following below. Tbh the roast beef with au ju was ok. But the pastrami is where it is at. Its super flavorful and would recommend. Onion rings were good too. Beef Au Jus Pastrami Sandwich Onion Rings I also love how it is open late too!! I think it good to try if in the area but would not go out of my way to try this place.

Okay pastrami sandwiches here we come! Just a great pastrami sandwich with fries in a low key environment. No muss. No fuss. Just good comfort food. They have a unique drink called orange bang here that reminds me of an orange Julius. Quick service, fast food environment, but with higher quality food. The pastrami is fresh and not like some weird Arby's mystery meat.

By far my favorite Pastrami sandwich in Cali. Thinly sliced tender pastrami with very rich umami flavor. Love their fries too but it does gets pretty soggy if not eaten immediately. Always my go-to food when craving for something salty!

The Hat is simply marvelous! The best burgers in town GDI! The staff and servers at the Hat are exquisite! They are courteous, kind, and as good as gold moons and stars. There is a excellent dining hall inside and seating outside that is fit for a King or Queen. Sorry McDonalds your burgers are a comedy and a f**king tragedy. And certainly not you Carl's yuck burgers! If you desire a delicious old fashioned burger and fries with tomatoes and pickles then get your sweet carrot cake a** over to The Hat in Monterey Park!

I'm bummed I didn't get photos but I definitely will next time, I had a cheeseburger and pastrami chili cheese fries. It was A LOT. I had lunch leftovers for the next day and they were just as good reheated. The pastrami here is not like any I've had before! So delicious. Service was incredible, and the inside of this establishment was adorable. Very retro (in a good way)

Had my wife pick me up a pastrami and fries when she came she gave me my food and when I seen my pastrami it was small compare to the size before they even cut back on the portions of pastrami it didn't taste the same as before in other words didn't enjoy it I we been a loyal customer for a very long time but I guess it wasn't worth the trip I guess I'm going to have to get my pastrami at another burger joint disappointed

I was in the mood for a pastrami dip, and Johnny's Pastrami's prices have gotten outrageous lately ($20 for a pastrami dip). So I remembered that years ago I had been to The Hat when I was working in the area and had enjoyed their pastrami dips. I found that the location in Monterrey Park was not that much farther in miles than the other place mentioned in this review. Getting there was easy as it is located near the freeway exit. For it being a Sunday afternoon, it was not too busy and service was very quick. The best part of course is that their pastrami dips were a lot more reasonably priced than Johnny's. I bought 5 to take to the family. The location was nice and clean and there were plenty of empty booths for customers if they decided to eat in. The pastrami dips tasted better than I remembered. they contained plenty of tender meat with mustard and pickled on the rolls. My family also agreed that they were better than Johnny's, my nephews were even fighting over their sandwiches! Highly recommend The Hat as an alternative to Johnny's.

They don't give as much pastrami as they used to on their chili cheese fries, but the quality is still there! A late night run to The Hat always hits the spot. A mixture of crispy and soggy fries soaking up some chili and melted cheese... One of life's guilty pleasures. I have been coming here for years and it has never changed. So much nostalgia!

I love this place! I have been coming to this place since my teens! It's a hometown favorite. The service is quick.This I was a place I came with fiends and ate, chatted, and just hung out. Of course it started with the original Hat, On Garfield, but when it put a place in Monterey Park, even closer and better yet. The good thing is the noise level, it doesn't get too loud.

This is not a good spot anymore, a lot of the food seems half a**. I had lunch there on Saturday January 27th. I ordered a very simple plain mustard hotdog and small fries. It was the saddest mustard hotdog I've ever seen at the Hat, the bun was broken in half and just a literal splash of mustard on it. I had to ask for mustard packets to evenly spread it on the hotdog. I'm going to stick to the Alhambra Valley and Garfield location. That one seems to be the best.

I used to come to The Hat all the time growing up and loved the pastrami but haven't come in the last few years. I was looking for a late night meal over the weekend and decided that it would be a good time to come back! I ordered the burger with pastrami in it and it was so good! The burger itself was good and the meat was nice and juicy but the pastrami in it is definitely what elevated it. The Hat is known for their pastrami and the praise that it gets is well deserved. My one gripe about the burger is that it costs about $14 after tax; although it is a good burger, I feel like it is overpriced for what it is. I noticed that a lot of items on the menu have gone up significantly since I last came, and although I know that inflation is impacting many businesses, I feel like a lot of things on the menu are really overpriced now. One thing that I really like about the Monterey Park location is that there is indoor seating because a lot of the other locations just have outdoor seating. They're open until 1am so it's also a great choice for a late night meal in the area as most other places in Monterey Park close pretty early. There is a parking lot but it does get cramped sometimes so parking is a bit of a hit or miss.

Best "LA" style pastrami imo. The pastrami dip is . The Chili Cheese Fries w/Pastrami are MASSIVE! Def get them to share I have never been able to finish them. This spot looks unchanged since the first time I tried it.

It's ok. Not bad and not the best for the price it should be better in my opinion. I only get the pastrami sandwich here, I've tried the chili cheese pastrami fries in the past and they were awful.

Large order for take out (14 orders). Hat crew got them done quick (online app crashed us 2 times) . Ordered the pastrami, solid 7.7/10, meat was good, not over peppered, possibly a little dry. Roll was soft and they put plenty of pastrami! It was overflowing. I would go back and try one more time

Food 5/5 - World Famous Pastrami Dip, Fries with Gravy Service 5/5 - Quick service Overall 5/5..................................................

I'm a big fan of The Hat. But my guests weren't. I brought my kids to check out their Chilli cheese fries. They're not the best, but they're definitely good. My kids disagreed. Burgers were bland according to them. And honestly, mine was too. For some reason my jr burger didn't come with dressing, lettuce or tomato. Just mustard and pickles. Why? And when I asked them to put those things in my burger, they handed me the lettuce and tomato on a tray. And packets of mayo lol I spent close to $70 for some food they didn't enjoy. I've had the pastrami Chilli cheese fries. And those are bomb! Other than that, I don't recommend anything. Or maybe it's location. Because the one on garfield was waaaaay better. Definitely not coming back to this one.

I've been eating at The Hat for over 35 years now and it never disappoints. I've tried 4 locations so far and it always hits the spot when I'm craving a warm pastrami sandwich and some Wet Fries. Food is always fresh and the service is always friendly and speedy. Don't expect anything fancy. Just good, simple food. I would have given it 5 stars, but all the locations I've been too never seem to have enough seating and is dirty most of the time.

Ummm chili dog! Side of fries to dip on the chili on the chili dog. Or chili cheese fries. That's a meal in itself. Don't forget the yellow chilies. Not to crazy about the drinks, but ok. It can get crowded, but plenty of room to sit. Happy people when their eating good food.

I order pastrami fries and there's was a hair in it definitely not coming back when I address the issue they didn't want to change my food

Nice corner outdoor location on a busy street with ample parking. I drove by this place on a whim and decided to stop by! You order outside and get seated yourself. I really like their burgers here. The pastrami is good but the burgers better in my opinion. Not sure if the pastrami was suppose to come with the gravy or if it was already put on there though. Only thing is there is no bathroom so pee before you come here!

In all honesty, I've never heard of this restaurant before. It was delivered and I had the pleasure of trying it. I'm not into pastrami but my hubby is and he gave it a thumbs up. Although I'm not into it, I love how the sandwich was neatly made and of good portion size as well. I never seen pickles put on a pastrami before but I'm sure it added flavor. The onion rings were awesome and so were the fries.

Had the pastrami sandwich and onion rings, which were very good. On our way to Dodgers Stadium for a tour and grabbed food on the way. The pastrami was not fatty and on a good roll.

If you want pastrami, then you need to go to The Hat! When I have a craving for a pastrami sandwich, I'm going to The Hat. My usual order is a pastrami sandwich, onion rings and an Orange Bang. Other favorites are the chili cheese fries and chili cheese fries with pastrami. The portions are huge. So you can definitely share with a group of 4 or more. The service is great. I've eaten here and ordered out multiple times. When I was younger, because they are open late. It was and still is a popular spot for late night eats.

Great Pastrami, obviously good as hard to find parking. Friendly service. Lots of tables always a small wait but worth it.

Okay pastrami, not the best I've tasted but definitely not the worst. I love the chili cheese fries with pastrami, great combination. My boyfriend loves their pastrami sandwich. We got one of each items and I forgot how much we paid for each, I think the total was about $30 with no drink. I wish they had thousand island for the fries, they only offer ketchup and mustard. Dressing would be soooo good with this.

I didn't care for their pastrami for the longest time. It was always waaay too salty. Since my 13 yr old has never been there, we decided to give it another try The pastrami dip was delicious and not overly salty like it had been in the past. It was spicy from a lot of black pepper. It was still good though! Service was quick so we didn't have to wait long for our food. Chili tamale is overly generous with chili. The chili fries are humongous and can be shared with 5 or more people. The chili dog was also generously covered in chili. You have to eat it with a fork and knife. The restaurant is clean for a fast food sit down eatery. There are old style booths from the 60s/70s. Bonus condiment: Gulden Spicy Mustard- you must ask for it otherwise you will end up with pkts of yellow mustard. Rare soda- Cherry Fanta.!it taste like a cherry slurpee.