Chopped Cheese Recipe (Bodega Style) (2024)

FAQs

What is chopped cheese at the New York Bodega? ›

Chopped cheese is a type of sandwich originating from New York City. Found in bodegas throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, THE CHOPPED CHEESE is made on a grill with ground beef, onions and topped by melted cheese and served with lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments on a hero roll.

The toppings differ, but that's secondary in many eyes. The biggest difference boils down to the type of meat — a Philly uses ribeye steak and a chopped cheese uses ground beef.

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.

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 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. 😉 📍 Blue Sky Deli (Hajji's) 2135 1st Ave., New York, NY 10029 Follow Righteous Eats to learn about local eateries to support in NYC.

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. The ultimate sandwich!

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.

Red Hook Food has replaced the Family Food Center that had previoiusly been at that location. Inside this unassuming store, Rahim Mohamed makes uncommon "Ocki sandwiches" with pop tarts, snacks, whatever except pork, added to them according to customer requests. He and the sandwiches are now Tik Tok famous.

Fresh basil and lots of garlic and salt and pepper. Extra virgin olive oil, lots of garlic, basil, a lot of it. That's what makes the tomato sauce. And natural sugar.

Where is the birthplace of chopped cheese? ›

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.

While chopped cheeses often get confused with Philly cheesesteaks, you can think of the former as closer to a hamburger — if you're looking at just the meat, that is. Instead of the buttery-thin slices of steak in the Philly sandwiches, you'll want to turn to ground beef for a chopped cheese.

Depends, the white triangle cheese is American cheese. The white half circle shape is provolone cheese. Last but not least the white triangle shaped with holes is Swiss cheese.

A chopped cheese is like a hamburger on a hero roll. It usually is from a pre-shaped patty, topped with Adobo seasoning and sautéed with onions. It's broken up into pieces and topped with American cheese.

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.

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. 😉 📍 Blue Sky Deli (Hajji's) 2135 1st Ave., New York, NY 10029 Follow Righteous Eats to learn about local eateries to support in NYC.