damnlines.comdamnlines.comWidely credited — per Wikipedia's chopped-cheese history — as the East Harlem bodega where a former worker invented the sandwich in the 1990s.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Blue Sky Deli (Hajji's) yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
There's no published wait-time or formal line data for Blue Sky Deli, but the reporting available points to sustained, far-flung foot traffic rather than a quiet local bodega. CBS New York reports that customers "come from around the world because they want to taste the New York sandwich," framing a visit here as closer to a food pilgrimage than a casual stop.
The Infatuation's chopped cheese guide describes the shop leaning into that attention: it notes the bodega runs "multiple televisions that continuously play YouTube video essays" made by food publications about its own significance — a detail suggesting the place is used to heavy outside media traffic even without a stated wait time. In its standalone review, The Infatuation calls the sandwich "a damn good version" of the chopped cheese but is careful to add "we can't substantiate their claim to be the inventors," despite the shop's own promotion of that history.
No source reviewed — The Infatuation, CBS New York, or Wikipedia's chopped cheese entry — mentions a reservation system, a formal line, or specific peak hours; ordering appears to be standard bodega counter service. Wikipedia adds that the sandwich is generally agreed to have been "first created" here by a former worker in the 1990s, which is the origin story driving outside attention rather than any queue behavior described by these sources.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: None found — standard bodega counter service, per The Infatuation and CBS New York.
Walk-ins: Yes — standard bodega counter service; no reservation system found in coverage reviewed.
No outlet reviewed publishes a specific wait time, but the reporting describes steady outside demand rather than a quiet local counter: CBS New York says customers "come from around the world because they want to taste the New York sandwich," and The Infatuation notes the shop runs looping video essays about its own fame for visitors who stop by. Treat any wait as tied to that pilgrimage traffic rather than a fixed daily rush.
No — it's a bodega counter, not a reservation-taking restaurant, and none of the coverage found (The Infatuation, CBS New York, Wikipedia) mentions any booking system.
Yes, it operates as standard walk-up bodega counter service; no source reviewed describes any call-ahead or reservation requirement.
It's the most widely credited origin point: per Wikipedia, "most agree it was first created" here by a former worker in the 1990s, before the format spread to other bodegas. The Infatuation's own review is more cautious, writing "we can't substantiate their claim to be the inventors," even though the shop promotes that history.
Sources: The Infatuation (chopped cheese guide) · The Infatuation (Blue Sky Deli review) · CBS New York · Wikipedia