It’s called a “chopped cheese” (or chop cheese), and my older son has been obsessed with it for years. If you’ve never had one, a cheesesteak is a natural starting point, though New Yorkers will quickly tell you a chopped cheese is its own thing. It’s classic New York bodega food: fast, messy, inexpensive, incredibly satisfying, and never intended to be fancy.
The chopped cheese is most closely associated with Blue Sky Deli & Grocery, better known as Hajji’s, at 110th Street and First Avenue in East Harlem. The sandwich is generally credited to longtime Hajji’s employee Carlos Soto, who died of cancer in 2014. One version says Soto chopped up a cheeseburger so it would fit on a hero after the deli ran out of round buns. Another credits Soto alongside the Yemeni workers at Hajji’s, who may have brought some of their own cooking techniques to its creation. Like many beloved foods, the exact origin story gets a little murky with time.
The sandwich itself isn’t complicated. Ground beef is grilled on a flat-top with onions and seasoning, then chopped together with a metal spatula, covered with cheese, and piled onto a toasted hero with shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Think cheeseburger meets cheesesteak, with the griddle doing most of the heavy lifting.
Neighborhood Staple
For years, the chopped cheese was largely a neighborhood staple, particularly in Harlem and the Bronx. Eventually, the rest of the world caught on. Anthony Bourdain featured it during the Bronx episode of Parts Unknown, and The New York Times helped bring it further into the mainstream. It also became deeply connected to New York hip-hop culture. Cam’ron filmed his “Child of the Ghetto” video at Hajji’s, Dave East has referenced the deli in his music, and rapper Audubon even released a song called “Chopped Cheese.” The sandwich later became the subject of the documentary Hometown Hero: The Legend of New York’s Chopped Cheese, where it was fittingly described as “Harlem’s favorite.”
My son desperately wanted to try one, but our quick trips back East never seemed to allow for it. We finally had plans to make it happen, and then the pandemic changed everything. So, we did the next best thing and made our own. We eventually got to sample the original, which confirmed for us why this iconic sandwich is so deserving of its recognition.
My version of a chopped cheese stays close to the original but takes a few liberties. I use a toasted, buttered ciabatta roll instead of a traditional hero and add chopped peperoncini for some acidity and bite. The ground beef gets smashed onto the hot flat-top (or cast iron) with onions and chopped as it cooks, creating those wonderful crispy, caramelized bits. American cheese melts right into the beef, and shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and mayo finish it off.
It did not disappoint. And looking back now, at a time when the world felt particularly uncertain, making this sandwich together gave us a small, unexpected moment of comfort. Food can be an emotional thing, and the chopped cheese has its own complicated history, cultural significance, and even controversy. But one thing is hard to argue: this legendary New York sandwich deserves some serious praise.
Chopped Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably 80/20
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 8 slices yellow or white American cheese
- 4 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup peperoncini, finely chopped
- 2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
Directions:
- Heat a flat-top griddle or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and onions and cook until softened and nicely charred in spots, about 5–6 minutes.
- Spread the cut sides of the ciabatta rolls with butter. Place them butter-side down on the flat-top and toast until golden and crisp. Remove and set aside.
- Divide the ground beef into 4 loosely packed portions and place directly onto the hot flat-top alongside the onions. Using a metal spatula, smash the beef into thin patties and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Once the beef has developed a good brown crust, flip it and chop the beef and onions with the metal spatula, continuing to cook until cooked through.
- Divide the beef mixture into 4 portions on the griddle and top each with 2 slices of cheese. Allow the cheese to melt over the hot beef.
- Spread the toasted ciabatta rolls with mayonnaise. Pile on the hot chopped beef, onion, and cheese mixture, and top with chopped peperoncini, shredded lettuce, and diced tomato.
- Close the sandwiches, give them a gentle press, and serve immediately.
