The Hat

I've lived in LA for 6 years and this past weekend was the first time I dined at the famous Hat in Pasadena. The restaurant has a strange setup with lots of waiting room for a supposed exponential number of take out orders and a thin line of booths along the windows. The lines may be long but it goes fast. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a booth before your food is ready--if you're not well...

The portions are huge! Order to share!

I got the famous pastrami and shared an order of the chili fries. There are enough chili fries to feed a family of five. The sandwich was also massive. I had to eat it quickly because the bread got really soggy really quickly. I didn't love the sandwich or the fries. Both were passable and edible but give me a pastrami sub from Giamela's or Santoro's any day...less crowd, more flavor.

The Hat

491 North Lake Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101

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