The Hat

Gluten free-​ers, you can order any sandwich bread free and they will put it all in one of their serving containers as a huge salad. Fries and onion rings are huge and need to be split– Even the small is huge. Also have had the avocado sandwich on sourdough and its huge and very filling. I split it between two meals.

Ordered pastrami fries and they didn’t even have a proper container to place it in. They gave me two drink carriers one on top one on the other to «hold it together»

So my friend recommended this place. Said the pastrami was amazing. I don’t like pastrami, so I ordered a chili dog and chili fries. He told me that’s where I f*cked up. Only get the pastrami, he said; nothing else is very good, he said. Whoops. Got that advice too late. The chili, dog, and fries were very basic, at best. The cheese was somewhere between cold and frozen, and did not melt — just made the food cold. So that was sub-​par. Oh, and they make you eat chili off a paper tray that immediately soaks through, gets soggy, and then your fork scrapes up paper with your food. I’d say this place is on the level of maybe Farmer Boys, but certainly no better.

I’m not a pastrami fan but the hubby is. Thought I should bring him to try it out so the review is based on him! He ordered the pastrami sandwich and his reaction after he ate it was «it’s alright I guess» We did try out the chili fries with pastrami and that guy buster was good! Other than them fries I don’t think we’ll be back any time soon! Their service was friendly and fast! Oh yeah… two sandwiches, pastrami and turkey sandwich, chili-​pastrami fries, and two regular drinks: $ 35.23!

Get the pastrami chili cheese fries! Dip in any condiment you can think of and enjoy! This will easily feed 2 people.
They have a large soda selection including «Orange Bang»!
Dock a star because their prices have gone up. $ 15 for the meal above is quite pricey.

To all the haters who have written «self important» reviews of «The Hat» I say why waste people’s time with your windbag drivel?
I’ve been a fan of The Hat pastrami dips since my days at Cal State Fullerton. It’s been a while since I had one. Yes, I was eagerly awaiting the opening of this location. When it did open and I read a few reviews I thought that they are still finding their «legs» as a new restaurant. Be that as it may, today we went for an early lunch to check it out.
Got here around 11:30am on a Tues. We each ordered a pastrami dip (our favorite) with a side of au jus for extra dipping, one order of fries and two small drinks. The cashier was very nice and answered our questions so we knew what we were getting. Our number was called in under 5 minutes.
Pastrami to me is about the spices. The flavor of the Hat’s pastrami is the way I remember it: plenty of pepper and spices and the right amount of salty cured goodness.
Another thing is the lean to fat ratio. For the both of us today’s meat was perfect, not too lean not too fatty.
Our pastrami was moist and hot, the beef au jus on the bread was good and the extra on the side was a good idea. I like to dunk.
Fries were huge. Wish we had a third or fourth guest with us to share.
I am a Fan, and I will be back. Today at least it seems like this fast food restaurant is standing on it’s own legs just fine.

I ordered the roast beef with au jus sauce and small fries. The sandwich was delicious and the small fries was more like an extra large order. The fries could be shared between 2 – 3 people.

I know good comfort food and in a very few cases some great comfort food like Portillo’s so with a heavy heart I write this. With all the hype surrounding the opening of this establishment in Murrieta I was hoping for the best and a new choice like I have 27 miles away in Moreno Valley (see above), sadly this is not the case.
The West Coast Kitty out of the blue yesterday said «you know I want pastrami like back in my high school days, let’s go to The Hat». So to The Hat we went which has been open for a couple three months and I would think that they had found there stride at this point. Upon first entering the establishment I was put off by an odd smell of what can only be described as funky odd boiling and old frozen freezer had a little one, very unpleasant and had I been alone I would have dashed right back out the door. She was looking to eat a small portion and upon looking couldn’t find a kids anything so we decided to split a Pastrami Dip and a Small Fry and that total was $ 12.94, which gave me sticker shock! That means that two people eating the same meal would cost $ 25.88. The West Coast Kitty and I get an Italian Beef with sweet peppers, a dog, a burger, chili cheese fries and a beer or less then that at Portillo’s. So before even taking a bite this joint had two strikes against it. Now onto the bite, first thing I tasted was salt and I mean SALT which made me think ohh no sodium nitrate galore (I am allergic to sodium nitrate and this food is loaded with it right down to the swollen fingers and feet). That sent me looking for pepper, which this place only has pre package single serving condiments. So the next thing I noticed after the peppering was the total lack of flavor from the sandwich, the terrible quality of the pastrami, the super vinegar acid of the cheap pickles and let’s not forget the absolute rubber consistency of the bread that had been dipped in The Hat’s version of au jus. Bread as a rule becomes soft and tears when soaked, not stretchy or rubber!
Again had I been alone I would have delivered their meal back to them with a request of a refund and left in search of food that was edible, however that again wasn’t the case. Then there was the fries, she ate a few and remarked on how old oil soaked freezer burnt they tasted and I decided to pass on them. I really don’t understand why any establishment would buy frozen pre made french fries when hand cutting is always an option, I am sure is more cost effective and absolutely taste so much better. The last thing of this meal was the distress it caused after consuming it and I am sure all of you know what kind of distress I am referring to. The so called food had even a worse effect on The West Coast Kitty and she was in distress go the rest of the day and into the night. All and all I have to say this if you want great pastrami like I have had in the past then go to a New York deli, preferably in New York as your not going to find it in a California based establishment, so save your money and continue to look for some edible food as your not going to find any of that here! So very very disappointing!!!

Delish… used to vist the one in oc this time i decided to try the chili cheese frys with pastrami and tomatos and pickles the chili is the perfect amount of spice and heat took 2 adults to finish it… sooo good

Today I went to the hat for the first time in a long time and let me tell you that I got the most amazing chili cheese fries in the world! They had so much cheese and chili on them that me and my Coworker ate them all up real fast! I recommend a hat to anyone who wants some amazing chili cheese fries!!!

This place is definitely over hyped.
I guess if you’re a pastrami lover it may live up to your expectations. I couldn’t tell you because I am not. Therefore, I have not tried the pastrami. What I have tried are the chilli cheese fries, hamburger, and bbq beef sandwich.
The fries are way too large of a portion even to share. I rather they lower the price and make them smaller than to have couples waste the food. You can easily order fries and share them with three, maybe four people. The fries alone are unseasoned. The chili is not my kind of chili. I like my chili with a little kick and beans.
My burger was just an average burger. Not much to report. The bbq beef sandwich was also a disappointment. The bread was soggy. The beef had fat on it and the sauce was lacking flavor. The prices are too high for the quality of food.
The inside is a good size for the amount of customers that come in to dine. The drive-​thru is also very convenient. Right now their are still a ton of employees working too.

Chili cheese fries were pretty good, some big chunks of meat not tiny little bits which is super annoying. The onion rings stood up to my test of staying inside the crispy batter (pet peeve when u take a bite and the whole onion comes out!.. Also stays crispy after microwaving!
Fast and good service, but I think they could invest in better «to go» packaging and also would appreciate a house ranch rather than the package kind (it was gross and ruined the flavor of the onion rings)

Good pastrami– greater size portions of chili fries –please melt my cheese next time… have had better pastrami and yet they were packed. Nice workers and rather clean establishment. Going to try it again to see if worthwhile to visit for other menu items.

The Hats is a much-​anticipated restaurant here in the valley because of its most unique menu items.
Top favorite is the PASTRAMI SANDWICH and the bagful of thick french fries.
I suggest you walk-​in because Drive-​Thru is always busy… unless you get lucky.
Service is fast, efficient and super friendly.
Prepare your wallet to dish out above $ 15 per person for a full meal.
Portion size is HUGE!

Two things about this place that really irritate me: (1) inconsistency in the amount of meat they give you and (2) any sandwich with the word «dip» in it should come with a dipping sauce of some kind.
Came here with my wife and was really surprised in the gracious amount of meat they put in her pastrami «dip» sandwich (which doesn’t actually include any dip). Excitedly I opened up my sandwich with the expectation of seeing the same amount of meat and was shocked to see that mine looked like it had just gotten off the Atkins diet. If you want to see what I’m talking about check the attached photo.
All in all the sandwiches here have no character. Just straight pastrami, bread, mustard. I don’t really see what the draw is, maybe people see the long lines here and instinctively get into herd behavior and want to follow. I’ll pass on this pastrami.

There’s so many bad reviews to this place and it just opened a few weeks ago.
Maybe because no ones ever had The Hat before? Or maybe because they’re expect gourmet fast food. Ladies and Gentleman, it’s a greasy fast food spot thats known for their pastrami, chili, and burgers! Oh yeah and don’t forget to add an Orange bang!
We ordered the pastrami sandwich and chili cheese fries. Pastrami taste the same as I remembered having it in High School. Chili Cheese fries was ginormous! Big enough to share for sure! The chili is as good as any chili I’ve had before.
And Big plus to having a variety of condiments all ready on the counter for grabbing!
Overall, it’s as greasy as I remember it. Your typical type of fast food joint. I’m just glad we don’t have to drive to L.A. Anymore.

I’ve been to The Hat in Alhambra and Rancho Cucamonga once each a few years ago, and I’m pretty sure both times involved to-​go/​drive thru orders and unmemorable experiences. Now that it’s opened up in the ‘hood, I’ve dined in twice.
This one is located in a busy mall area off of the Murrieta Hot Springs I-​215 exit. Parking will be found but you may have to navigate around the drive thru traffic as well as the counter line, which can reach from one end of the dining room to the other (currently due to curious customers trying out the new place).
The first time, I ordered the Pastrami Burger and the second time a regular cheeseburger. Waits reached upwards of 15 minutes. Prices aren’t cheap, but portions are large. Out of the two specialty whipped juices, the Piña Colada is probably better than the Orange Cream. As for the fries, they ranged from soggy to undercooked so I didn’t find them a worthy investment unless shared in a group.
For those of us who are even just slightly environmentally conscious, this place is the opposite of green. All their food is served in double brown bags – each item gets its own bags (I assume because of the grease factor). Orders are prepared without dressing or toppings (even the burgers), but a plethora of sauce packets line the counter. This leaves more work for the customer, and also a lot of waste. Add to that their cardboard plates that all end up in one kind of trash bin.
The company’s logo boasts «World Famous Pastrami» and while what I tried was okay, The Hat originated in LA so it is a stretch to make that claim unless the pastrami came straight from New York. I know, I pulled that card.
Anyway, The Hat provides another burger option in this mall, but once the novelty wears off and the business next door reopens again, we’ll see how popularity and loyalty fares. At this point, I don’t see their food as being worth the premium prices. Everything but the pastrami items are pretty ordinary. 2.5 stars.

Love The Hat. Been to the one in Covina before and Ontario and really happy they placed a location close to home. Their famous Pastrami dip is a no frills pastrami sandwich that is loaded with pastrami. For $ 8.99 it’s really not that bad of a deal. Wet fries (gravy on fries) is excellent as well and only improves if you further top pastrami on that!
Good drive thru. Fair prices.

Decided to see what the buzz was all about. It’s pretty popular so expect a slight wait… not too bad though. Me and my wife shared a pastrami sandwich and chili cheese fries. The pastrami wasn’t super salty like most spots.
They give you a TON of food! We couldn’t finish all the fries. I saw folks walking out with full plates of chili cheese fries because their eyes were bigger than their stomachs (old folks saying).
The only reason I gave 4 stars (I wish I could do 4.5 stars) is because of the fries. They were the standard frozen crap that doesn’t really set them apart from other places. If they did fresh cut fries. …this place would be perfect. I doubt I’ll go back anytime soon since the food is super unhealthy. Like Popeyes chicken… I may go back once a year to dive into their fatty fare.

Yuck, yuck, yuck. Chili cheese fries were not good at all. I ordered the roast beef and I think Arby’s is better than the one I had today.
I gave 2 stars because the customer service was awesome and the food came quickly even though they were super busy.