Best Chopped Cheese Sandwiches (New York Style Chopped Cheese Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is on a New York chopped cheese? ›

Owner Anthony Arias was born and raised in Harlem and wanted to introduce LA to his favorite sandwich that includes chopped ground beef, onion, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup on a hero.

The number-one difference separating the sandwiches lies in the meat they use. For an authentic Philly cheesesteak, you'll need beef steak strips or thinly sliced ribeye while a chopped cheese simply uses ground beef, such as the kind you would use to form a burger patty or as taco meat.

You can still stop in to try the original up in Harlem, at Hajji's. No salmon were harmed in the making of this video.

Consistent is that they always come on either a roll (around $4.50) or a hero (around $5.00) and are served wrapped in paper, then cut in half, and wrapped again in aluminum foil. The last great chopped cheese I ate was soulfully prepared by a guy named Jeffrey in the N&W Deli Grocery on Amsterdam at 150th Street.

For the uninitiated, a chopped cheese or “chop cheese” is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, melted cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato and condiments on a hero roll. It's often compared (somewhat controversially) to a cheeseburger, sloppy Joe or cheesesteak.

The first chopped cheese was made roughly 25 years ago at Hajji's Deli (which does business as Blue Sky Deli) at the corner of 1st Avenue and East 110th Street (2135 1st Avenue, New York, NY; 646-682-7488). Hajji's is open 24/7, which explains some of the appeal of the chopped cheese.

Found in bodegas throughout Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, it is made on a grill with ground beef (typically pre-formed ground beef patties), onions, adobo or other seasonings, and cheese, all of which are chopped together on the grill as the meat and onions cook and the cheese melts.

The famous Chopped Cheese (also known as Chop Cheese) is New York's finest bodega sandwich. Seasoned ground beef hits the hot griddle with onions and cheese. Scooped into a soft hero roll and topped with ketchup, lettuce and tomato.

At its core, a good chopped cheese is a mixture of beef, seasonings, and onions, cooked on a griddle and then “chopped” with the side of a large spatula as it griddles. Cheese is added on top until it melts, then it's all transferred to a sturdy bun with some veggie toppings like tomatoes and lettuce.

Harlem Roots: The Birthplace of Chopped Cheese

The story begins in the late 20th century, in the heart of Harlem, where bodegas and corner delis dotted the streets. It was in these unassuming establishments that the chopped cheese found its origins.

What is a Harlem chopped cheese? ›

The chopped cheese is said to have been created at Harlem's Blue Sky Deli (locally known as Hajii's). One theory of its origin says that it's based off of an Arabic sandwich, “dagha yamneeya,” essentially cooked chopped meat and vegetables served with Yemeni bread.

Frankie Frank takes us back to 1999, when he flipped the dilemma of running out of hamburger buns into a fortuitous scenario. Wanting to make a sandwich for himself, but with no hamburger buns in sight, Frankie instead grabbed a hero roll and chopped up the hamburger meat with seasonings, cheese, and onions.

A chopped cheese sandwich is a classic New York City staple that has been around since the early 1900s. It is a simple sandwich, usually made with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion, that is chopped and mixed together before being put on a roll. The sandwich is then typically toasted or grilled.

Seriously, pre-sliced cheese — whether it's sold packaged in the refrigerated case or sliced by the pros behind the deli counter — is far more expensive than buying it by the block and doing the slicing yourself (which, let's be honest, doesn't require much skill at all).

Energy costs to produce and refrigerate the cheese, worldwide demand, and the cost of feed for the cows are just a few factors considered in the pricing of cheese.

The number-one difference separating the sandwiches lies in the meat they use. For an authentic Philly cheesesteak, you'll need beef steak strips or thinly sliced ribeye while a chopped cheese simply uses ground beef, such as the kind you would use to form a burger patty or as taco meat.

Layer the pastrami and Emmental on one slice, then top with the other. Wrap in some baking paper and pop into a lunchbox. Use a small, sharp knife to cut two arrow head and two arrow feather shapes from the brownie bites.

The easiest way to explain a chopped cheese (aka chop cheese) is that it's like a hamburger went through a shredder and was laid to rest inside a hero roll. Ground beef and onions are griddled, then topped with American cheese, tomato, and lettuce.