{"id":780568,"date":"2026-05-07T22:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780568\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T22:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:16:16","slug":"the-post-pits-nycs-mighty-chopped-cheese-vs-philadelphias-classic-cheesesteak-in-the-seasons-biggest-playoff-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780568\/","title":{"rendered":"The Post pits NYC’s mighty chopped cheese vs. Philadelphia’s classic cheesesteak in the season’s biggest playoff fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers face off in the playoffs<\/a>, the longtime rivalry is heating up off the hardwood and onto New York City menus.<\/p>\n

Some zealous Knicks fans have even gone as far as to \u201cban\u201d<\/a> the iconic Philly cheesesteak, while others are doubling down on New York\u2019s humble bodega legend: the chopped cheese.<\/p>\n

To honor the playoffs, New York Post staffers settled the debate over Philly cheesesteaks and New York\u2019s chopped cheese. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

The beef runs deeper than sandwiches. <\/p>\n

Both the Philly cheesesteak and chopped cheese have become hometown comfort foods \u2014 but despite sharing meat, cheese and onions, the similarities mostly end there. And for eager fans, bragging rights are at steak.<\/p>\n

To settle the debate ourselves as the Knicks and Sixers face off in Game 3 Friday night in the City of Brotherly Love, New York Post staffers warmed up their appetites on the bench and prepared for a little 1v1 lunch-hour showdown.<\/p>\n

The contenders: <\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s beefy transplant<\/p>\n

The Philly contender came from Danny & Coop\u2019s<\/a>, the buzzy East Village cheesesteak shop co-owned by actor Bradley Cooper and Philadelphia restaurateur Danny DiGiampietro. The $21 sandwich, loaded with thinly sliced ribeye, grilled onions and Cooper Sharp cheese, nearly fell out of the seeded bun. Sweet and hot peppers were available on the side for an added touch.<\/p>\n

The humble bodega legend, the chopped cheese on the left, compared to Danny & Coop\u2019s East Village rendition of the cheesesteak on the right. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

Outside Danny & Coop\u2019s in the East Village, arguably the best cheesesteaks in the city. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

On first glance, the nearly foot-long sandwich was presented in a sleek, durable to-go box that traveled well to The Post\u2019s Midtown office. The girthy sandwich was politely cut into quarters for shareability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite a substantial sandwich,\u201d said Eric Hegedus, deputy Lifestyle editor and biased ex-Philadelphian, upon first glance. However, he was adamant that sesame seeds traditionally do not belong on the roll.<\/p>\n

The meat, he said, was a little salty and overall lacked the \u201cje ne sais quoi\u201d of waiting in line at Jim\u2019s South St<\/a>. in his former home city.<\/p>\n

Thinly sliced ribeye swims in melted Cooper\u2019s sharp cheddar cheese. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

But not everyone agreed with that.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Cost of the Lifestyle team gleefully called the shaved shreds of ribeye \u201csuper tender, and baptized in a fondu-like river of molten Cooper\u2019s sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n

And even though she would have eaten anything at that point, hungry Lifestyle writer Allison Lax said the cheesesteak experience overall blew her expectations out of the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so flavorful and just the right amount of chewy without being too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradley Cooper\u2019s overflowing sandwich transported beautifully to our office in a to-go box. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

NYC\u2019s classic chopped cheese<\/p>\n

Then came New York\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

The chopped cheese arrived from Hajji\u2019s in East Harlem. For less than half the price of Danny & Coop\u2019s creation \u2014 just $8.50, to be exact \u2014 the hero combines chopped ground beef, onions and melted American cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo and ketchup. Simple, understated, traveling well, wrapped in white parchment paper and in a black bag. Also, politely cut into quarters.<\/p>\n

Outside Blue Sky Deli (Hajji\u2019s) in Harlem, home of the Chopped Cheese. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

But after a few bites, reactions became noticeably more divided.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds you of comfort food you\u2019d have as a kid,\u201d said photographer Tamara Beckwith, who compared it to a McDonald\u2019s cheeseburger thanks to the \u201cnondescript\u201d blend of American cheese and mayo.<\/p>\n

Then there was the issue of the warm lettuce and tomato, which made the sandwich a \u201csoggier experience,\u201d according to Page Six\u2019s Jacquelyn Kozak.<\/p>\n

Chef Frank Ramirez prepares a chopped cheese sandwich at Bue Sky Deli. Ground beef and cheese are chopped together on the grill before being served on a roll. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

Even The Post\u2019s own food critic, Steve Cuozzo, struggled to get the sandwich out of the wrapping.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this, Crazy Glued?\u201d he joked before actually being pleasantly surprised upon taking a bite. \u201cThe bodega one gives a good account of itself for fewer dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

His afternoon \u201csnack needs\u201d had been met.<\/p>\n

Even with that in mind, most of the staff felt like it was an unfair comparison.<\/p>\n

The chopped cheese also combines lettuce, tomato and mayo, giving it more of a burger feel. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a native New Yorker who absolutely abhors Philadelphia sports, and it brings me no joy to report that this was not a close contest,\u201d said Shane Galvin of The Post\u2019s Sunday news team. \u201cThe chopped cheese is just not playing the same sport as the cheesesteak.\u201d <\/p>\n

He brutally called the sandwich bready and flat, with \u201ca concerning amount of vegetable matter mixed in with the ground beef, which featured plasticy American cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least in terms of accessibility in the city\u2019s abhorrent line culture, the chopped cheese has a leg up. But other staff said, even still, they couldn\u2019t see themselves having another one in their future, despite being a New York classic.<\/p>\n

For the price, the bodega chopped cheese has become a staple for New Yorkers. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

The winner<\/p>\n

Overall, Danny & Coop\u2019s cheesesteak was the crowd favorite, which feels a little unfair for a sandwich with a much higher price point \u2014 and really, it\u2019s just a matter of what you\u2019re in the mood for. <\/p>\n

The chopped cheese felt more like a late-night or hangover fix, whereas Danny & Coop\u2019s felt like a premium experience that one staffer said was like comparing wagyu to Hamburger Helper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chopped cheese goes in a different direction with a sweeter profile that\u2019s more burger-esque \u2014 which certainly has its place in the pantheon of cravings,\u201d said Post Sports Editor Michael Blinn.<\/p>\n

If only there were a way to \u201cFrankenstein the chopped cheese on the Coop\u2019s bread,\u201d that would be it, said Photo Editor Alyssa Hargrove.<\/p>\n

The chopped cheese (left) vs. the cheesesteak (right). Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n

But by the end of the tasting, the cheesesteak had won over even some of New York\u2019s most loyal hometown defenders.<\/p>\n

In perhaps the biggest upset of all, Philadelphia diehard Hegedus went back for seconds of Danny & Coop\u2019s New York cheesesteak \u2014 salt bomb be damned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers face off in the playoffs, the longtime rivalry is heating…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":780569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,6335,8364,1165,5248,3579,3122,1448,2830,1311,3123,988,62,41290,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-780568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-america","tag-exclusive","tag-food-drink","tag-lifestyle","tag-metro","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-pa","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-76ers","tag-restaurants","tag-sports","tag-steak","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}