Berkeley’s newest burger joint, Berserk Burger, is finally open for business. Located on University Avenue, just a few blocks from UC Berkeley, the restaurant serves up delicious takes on the smash burger style, as well as an East Coast specialty that is rarely found in the Bay Area: the chopped cheese.
Chef-owner Cal Kepner has put his own spin on the classic chopped cheese sandwich, which is believed to have originated in Spanish Harlem. The sandwich starts with a frozen burger patty that is diced into small pieces on the griddle. Then, two slices of American cheese are melted over the meat, and the sandwich is filled with ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, shredded lettuce, and very thinly sliced tomatoes. The sandwich is then rolled up in wax paper and cut in half.
Kepner’s version of the chopped cheese is a California twist on the classic sandwich. While the chopped cheese has been found in bodegas across the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn for years, it has been co-opted by more famous chefs and big-name grocery stores. This has led to some criticism of the “bodega erasure” and “hood appropriation” of the sandwich.
At Berserk Burger, however, locals can enjoy a delicious and authentic version of the chopped cheese sandwich. The restaurant is currently open for takeout only, with limited lunch hours of 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. East Coast transplants and burger enthusiasts alike can get their hands on this classic sandwich with a California twist.
