Chopped Cheese Sandwich East Harlem

I was introduced to the chopped cheese sandwich because I had never had one before. A friend of mine asked me how they tasted, and I had no idea. Luckily, the internet had some things to say about it, and I was able to stop by Blue Sky Deli & Grocery (a bodega) in Spanish Harlem to pick one up.

I specifically went to Blue Sky (sometimes referred to as Hajji’s) because some say that that’s the birthplace of the chopped cheese sandwich. Though, you could probably go to your local bodega and see if they offer it there as well.

It’s a really tasty sandwich. Nothing fancy and really cheesy, which is always a plus in my eyes. I got a hero version, because I always get hero versions for sandwiches. It’s filled with ground beef, melted cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise. It’s slightly reminiscent of a cheeseburger, but not quite because the ground beef is broken up and each small piece all coated in cheese, versus a large burger, just covered on top with cheese. And I love mayo and ketchup on a lot of things, so this is all just a really great combo for me.

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Joyce Huang