Hat, Lake Forest

World s Famous Pastrami, eh? In what franchise dream world is that? To the left of Arby s? Probably. I am so tired of self titled advertisements: world s famous or world s best, they are just taking too many liberties with the statement. This is not a great pastrami but the place was booming at lunch time, so forgive me If I am not a loyal fan. Asked for their pastrami, because I find good or should I say great pastrami very difficult to locate in this town, that I just had to try it at a rate of $10+ (drink included). Another sandwich, and this one was a disappointment, was the chicken sandwich at the tune of almost $6. They have their clientele for every table was taken. That does not mean squat, because Taco Bell is also full at lunch hour and so is Chipotle which according to many in this region is the second coming of mexican food (not true by a long shot). Pastrami very salty and no better than average quality. I say this as the money keeps rolling in so for any diehard: do not take offense that it is not the world s best or really world famous, that is just an advertisement that suit their purpose. The Hat is a little better than most fast foods but it is also a fast food place itself. Many locations around from what I saw in their menu so what else can I say? I went for the pastrami, and it was a let down. Yes, it was edible but salty and I paid the full price of admission to find out. So there it is there. 3 Stars.

Guilty Pleasure!! I go to this place a couple times a year to pig out, I can't eat this stuff on a regular basis but can't stay away either. The pastrami is what everyone orders here, but the other stuff on the menu is good too. It's called a pastrami dip, it's not like the lean pastrami you'd get from Jerry's Famous Deli or Tommy Pastrami. This is the fatty juicy greasy pastrami piled high on a bun. Grab a couple of the yellow peppers to go with it. NOTE: if you go with a few people only get one order of fries. A large fries can probably serve 4.

Very yummy pastrami. Not the best imo, but very good. I like that it is open late, however many times I have shown up 10-15 minutes before they are supposed to be closed per the posted times in the window and they will ignore the drive thru and change the sign from Open to Closed while im sitting there. They dont say a word and eventually I have to go elsewhere. As for the food itself, I would say the Pastrami at Togo's is better, because I like the Black Pepper in theirs. Togo's also drains the liquid from the pastrami before slapping it on the bread. Every single time I get a pastrami from The Hat, the bread is mush from the liquid from the pastrami. The one big thing about The Hat, as compared to Togo's is the amount of meat you get. The sandwich from The Hat is usually so big I cant even take a bite out of it. I have to pull some of the pastrami out just to get my mouth around it. I stopped ordering the pastrami's because of the soaked bread that is always the result. I have ordered a few of the Ham and Cheese or Turkey and Cheese since, but they only suffice because its late at night and my choices are that or greesy fast food choices. I dont bother ordering the chili cheese fries anymore, they are yummy but there is so many its almost a waste! They also burn the next day if you know what I mean. ;)

They figured it out where many don't. They shave the pastrami nice and thin which makes it so tasty and tender to eat. They really stuff this sandwich too! It is evident when you unroll it's wrapper and there is extra meat falling off the side to sample. In addition, they have REAL brewed iced tea (not those Lipton taps popping up all over the place). It’s great to have with this meal since this sandwich will make you thirsty. I also tried their cold sandwiches, which are also generous portioned and great to pack for a picnic. Their hamburgers are pretty darn good too.

Pastrami sandwich that can feed two, but you will not want to share it.