A Threefold 'Thank You' to Los Angeles
-thumb-110x110-213475.jpg)
A Photo Gallery of the Things I am Grateful for This Year
Canter's & Ice Cream Sandwich Could Live in Perfect Harmony
Dear Los Angeles: I'm Thankful For...
I LOVE L.A.! My Thanksgiving Thanks
Cartoonist B. Kliban once advised, "Never eat anything bigger than your head." But what did he know? He also thought cats should play banjos.
The Hat has been serving up deliciously greasy pastrami sandwiches since 1951. They are so old-school, they only recently started accepting credit cards. Although pastrami dips are the main attraction, locals know to go there for the chili fries. The massive mound of junk food is a sight to behold, a challenge to the heartiest of appetites. Even the big, burly blue collar workers that inhabit the formica booths are unable to finish an entire plate.
The chili fries are a deal at 4.79. For 53 cents you can add cheese, which we highly recommend. If you want to add tomato and pickle for 20 cents more, hey, it's all you. Do not be tempted to try the wet fries covered only in gravy. They are too bland and midwestern - you will be wishing for chili.
True, their nine locations in places skirting Los Angeles, like Pasadena, Simi Valley and Alhambra aren't officially LA to purists, but we are more than willing to expand our borders a little to include The Hat. If only to give last summer's block of cheese fries a run for their money.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
i love the hat! San Gabriel Valley in the house! It might not be located in LA proper, but it's still LA county. :)
The hat is a heart attack waiting to happen. A delicious, tsaty, filling heart attack.
Pasadena is closer to downtown than a lot of other locations in "LA"
All the proof you need that the dirty and the 'Dena go hand in hand.
the hats pastrami isn't thta great, but order the fries with everything on it. that comes with pastrami/chili cheese/tomatoes/pickles/etc
Dayuuum!
A mountain heart stopping, cholesterol laden, yummyness!!!
Man, I just drove by there. I miss the Chili Cheese Fries. :(
I don't think that The Hat in Pasadena has been around since 1951. The original Hat in Alhambra -- http://www.thehat.com/locaalh.htm -- is the one that's been around since the 50s.
Thanks for reminding that I gotta get back there, though I think that picture made my LDL level spike.
Thanks for the clarification, Takata. Their bio is vague.
Please tell me that you are joking. The best chili cheese fries in LA are at Lucky Boy's on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. Everyone knows this. Even Tops has better chili cheese fries than The Hat. The chili at the hat is mediocre at best and they leave a lot of dry fries past the surface layer. You want to see a lot of chili cheese fries, go to Lucky Boy.
Try it with pastrami on top.
One of the best ways to shorten your life.
I never said they were the BEST chili fries. I said they were the most AWESOME.
Take a photo of what you think are the BEST chili fries in LA, upload them to our Flickr group along with a paragraph stating your case, and it's on.
Living out here on the edge of civilization, there are two things I miss about "The greater LA area" I forget what the first is, but eating at The Hat, or man do I miss that!