A chopped cheese, also known as a chop cheese, is a type of sandwich that originated in New York City, particularly popular in bodegas across Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. It is essentially a sandwich made on a grill with ground beef (often using pre-formed patties), onions, and seasonings like adobo, all chopped together on the grill while cooking. American cheese is then melted on top of the chopped meat mixture. The sandwich is served on a hero roll or a similar hoagie/kaiser roll, typically with toppings such as lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and ketchup. The preparation involves cooking and chopping the beef and onions together on the grill, adding cheese to melt into the mixture, then piling it into a toasted roll with fresh vegetables and condiments. It has a reputation as an affordable, delicious, and iconic New York City comfort food, often likened to a cheeseburger or Philly cheesesteak but with a unique texture and flavor due to the chopping method and specific seasoning. The sandwich is believed to have been first created in the 1990s at a Spanish Harlem bodega called Hajji's Deli (also known as Blue Sky Deli). It has gained wider media attention and cultural significance as a symbol of New York's diverse food scene. In summary, a chopped cheese is a grilled sandwich of seasoned chopped ground beef, onions, melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and condiments on a hero roll, celebrated as a New York City bodega classic.