Large Fries (hand cut) at Tops in Pasadena

[HaroldandMaude]

Holy smokes, why didn't anybody warn me about these? I read that the fries were hand cut so I can usually handle a large order ....little did I know that their large order practically fills a shoebox! Is that the norm, or did I just get the fry guy on a good day? He served me those babies with FOURTEEN packets of ketchup. At this rate Mr. Tops is going to go out of business.

The fries here are what In n Out fries aspire to be. Very similar, but just a bit more crunchy and lots of nice long fries instead of short stubs. Yummy. Can't comment on the burger because i ate so many fries I didn't even tackle the burger, gave it to a homeless girl at the freeway entrance. And gave her enough ketchup to get her through the week.

[ipsedixit]

I still think I prefer the fries at The Hat, if we are talking about large sized fries, hand cut or otherwise.

[Jack Flash]

I concur.

[ChinoWayne]

The Hat fries are the best of all the fast food joints in my opinion. Real potatoes, thick cut, fried perfect (not over done) and a generous portion. Recently had a couple of their chili dogs and shared an order of fries and an order of rings with the Mrs., It... hit.. .the... spot.

[Will Owen]

A tad offtopic, except for the reasons previously hinted at: I've discovered that the best way to revive leftover fries is to sauté them, just a bit of oil and a hot hot hot pan very quickly.

Having said that, I can in good conscience recommend The Hat's fries …

[happybaker]

In this house - toaster oven.

If thin, you can just briefly "toast". If thicker, bake at 350 (starting in a cold oven) for 10 min. Fabulous.

[jackattack]

Agreed. Heat up the toaster oven for a few minutes, get it nice and hot, then pop your fries in there to reheat. A minute for room temp fries and 3-4 minutes for leftover fries that were refrigerated.

[ns1]

I've been told that pastrami fries from the hat are made of legend.

[ipsedixit]

Pastrami + chili + cheese + onions + fries = heartburn for the next 2 weeks.

[L.A. Jay]

Heartburn?? I thought what I was feeling was true love...

[raytamsgv]

Just 2 weeks--your body must be in tremendous shape to recover that quickly from that. :-)

[A5 KOBE]

<<<Insert picture now>>>

[kevin]

Wow, that looks disgusting... Disgustingly good.

[Will Owen]

Tops and The Hat seem to be in some kind of competition about the size of their fries order. My first time at the latter place, freshly arrived from Tennessee, when I ordered fries and the guy asked "What size?" I of course said, "Oh, large," and wondered why he looked at me funny. I found out when he handed me this giant sack …

Tops now has an "Extra Small" order of their fried zucchini. Instead of being enough to feed a large family, it will feed only a small one.

[Jack Flash]

I think they call it "jr." size, actually, but yeah, that's what I order (french fries come in that extra small/junior package as well, but I'm not sure about the onion rings).

[Jack Flash]

Which Tops was this - Allen & Walnut or Colorado & the 210 ("The Original Tops")? They're similar but unrelated (though the fries are the same, as far as I can tell). Yeah, that's the normal size.

I find them indistinguishable from In & Out, for all intents and purposes. And that's not a good thing, IMHO.

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The Original Tops
3838 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107