The Hat Pastrami Melt Review

THE HAT // PASTRAMI FILES

The Highly Requested Pastrami Melt Review

The Hat restaurant exterior with its World Famous Pastrami sign — Pulling up to The Hat for the highly requested pastrami melt.

You asked for it. Repeatedly. So I finally ordered the pastrami melt from The Hat and approached it with the seriousness normally reserved for dyno sheets and torque specs.

The first impression

The bag feels heavy before you even open it. That is the first good sign. The sandwich arrives wrapped tight, but once the paper comes off there is no pretending this will be a clean lunch. Thin-shaved pastrami spills out between two slices of grilled sourdough, the American cheese has worked into the folds of the meat, and the whole thing requires both hands.

The Hat pastrami melt cut in half on branded yellow paper — Two toasted halves, plenty of pastrami, melted American cheese, and pickles underneath.

The bite

The pastrami is the star. It is thin, tender, peppery, and fatty enough to stay juicy from the first bite to the last. This is not a neat stack of deli slices. It is a loose, tangled mound, which means every bite has edges, folds, and little pockets that catch the melted cheese.

Close-up cross section of pastrami, melted cheese, and pickles on sourdough — The cross section: thin-shaved pastrami packed between cheese and pickles.

The melted American cheese adds a rich, creamy flavor that works especially well against the salty pastrami. It settles into all the folds of the meat, so nearly every bite gets some cheese. The sourdough is toasted just the right amount—golden and crisp enough to give the sandwich a satisfying crunch without becoming hard or overpowering the filling.

Half-eaten pastrami melt beside a The Hat drink cup — Messy by the halfway point, exactly as expected.

What could be better?

The fries were fresh and hot, but they lacked seasoning and did not bring much flavor on their own. They are also cut almost too thick—closer to potato wedges than traditional fries—which makes them feel a little heavy next to an already substantial sandwich. A better dose of salt and a slightly thinner cut would make the side much more satisfying.

A bag of thick-cut fries served with the pastrami melt — The side order: thick-cut fries, hot and straightforward.

The verdict

This is not delicate deli pastrami and it is not trying to be. The Hat's pastrami melt is a loud, greasy, deeply satisfying Southern California fast-food sandwich. The cheese earns its place, the pickles keep the richness under control, and the portion makes the price feel fair. It is messy enough to require a stack of napkins and good enough that none of that matters.

Rating ScaleScore

Sandwich taste8 / 10

Fries taste5 / 10

Sandwich portion size7 / 10

Fry portion size11 / 10

Final word: Best pastrami melt I've ever had, absolutely worth ordering.

Menu details and restaurant history checked against The Hat's official menu and history. Price and availability may vary by location.

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