The Hat (The Original)

Came about 30 minutes after they opened, heard it can get busy quickly here. Service was friendly and fast. Food was amazing, the chili cheese fries were so good, and a really big portion. Sandwich was out of this world, i love pastrami, and this place has good pastrami for sure. Definitely recommend this place if you have never been before.

The wet fries were wonderful. The gravy was nice and they give you quite a lot for the price of roughly $7. As for the pastrami, loaded with meat. Extremely good tasting. There is a decent amount of seats and the kitchen is open so you can see them cooking fresh meat right in front of you. Would recommend. 5 stars

My first time having The Hat was over 25 years ago and still it has got to be my favorite place for chili cheese fries and a cheeseburger or a double cheeseburger if I’m really hungry. I grew up local, graduated at Keppel, so places like this The Hat was dear to me and still is as it brings back memories from the past. If you haven’t tried The Hat, then you must try it now! NOW! The food is among the best and comforting. I currently live out of town farther from all The Hat locations, but if I lived closer, then I would probably have The Hat once a month if I could which is unlike my childhood averaging once a week! The Hat would slay if they had a drive thru but they don’t and that’s completely fine. There’s plenty of outdoor seating at this location but no indoor seating. They even have a patrolling security guard at night watching over patrons and the property.

Very casual old timey place in the 626. If you want an alternative to the amazing Asian food in the area, and if you like simple greasy food, this is great. Might not be your thing tho. For me I like this place more than Langers. I like the juicy thin pastrami more than the lean dry kind at langers. Almost everyone I know thinks I’m crazy for preferring the Hat. So chances are you might not agree with me. We also loved the chili fries (with tomatoes and pickles to counter the greasyness). Chili dog is great too. Also if you like orange bang they have that too. Hard to find and also something most people don’t like.

Always ordered the chili fries here and today came in to try the turkey and ham with added cheddar cheese on sourdough. It was so fresh tasting and soft that I loved it! The only thing I’d advise is if and when adding cheddar cheese, just know it’s shredded cheese, not slices. They do hook it up with a lot of cheese, though. Too bad we don’t have these in Colorado it’s one of those good distinguishing tastes. Definitely give them a try, especially the pastrami.
Only negative here is no inside seating. That’s not a big deal for me, but no restrooms is. All good, tho!