White Manna
Hamburger restaurant · Hackensack ·
Iconic sliders served on potato rolls with cheese & onions
Iconic sliders served on potato rolls with cheese & onions
"Originally built for the 1939 World’s Fair, this tiny eight-seat Hackensack diner has become a legend for what might be the perfect slider: thin beef patties, melted cheese, and griddled onions on a Martin’s potato roll; the award-winning burgers (cheeseburgers listed at just $2.50 each) keep the line out the door, even though fries, onion rings, and shakes are also on the menu." - Annie Brown Verdin
"Established in 1946, originally as a second location to the White Mana above, White Manna in Hackensack is a chrome-and-neon living fossil of a diner that makes an iconic slider. The prices aren't quite what they were during the Truman administration, but close enough: A plain hamburger still goes for less than $2. The patties here are fatter and juicier than their Jersey City cousins, and they have an abundance of soft, thinly sliced onions. Watching the cook prepare dozens of burgers on the griddle at once in a meticulous assembly line is as meditative as raking sand in a zen garden." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman
"The last time we went to White Manna, we called an Uber from a few blocks away, clutching a promisingly greasy brown paper bag filled with a couple of bonus burgers for later. The driver was silent for a moment. She took a deep sniff of the air. “White Manna? Nice.” In North Jersey, and for many slider enthusiasts around the country, White Manna needs no introduction—even the smell of its onions is iconic. A classic red-and-chrome diner with swivel stools and a letter-board menu, White Manna (not to be confused with White Mana in Jersey City, though they were originally founded by the same person) has been a Hackensack institution since 1946. The prices aren't quite what they were during the Truman administration, but close enough: A hamburger, served on a paper plate with a mini pile of pickles, still goes for less than $2. The small parking lot is often packed, but the line moves quickly, so don’t you dare contemplate the McDonald’s across the street. If you're lucky enough to find elbow room at the U-shaped counter (there's space for maybe a dozen customers), sit there, and not just to minimize the distance the burger has to travel to your mouth. Watching the cook prepare dozens of burgers on the griddle at once in a meticulous assembly line is as meditative as raking sand in a zen garden. Food Rundown Cheeseburgers Served on pillowy potato rolls that are steamed over the burgers as they cook, the sliders here are fatter and juicier than their Jersey City cousins. Our favorite part is the abundance of thin, meltingly soft sliced onions. The patties do lack a little seasoning, but that’s easily rectified with a quick flick of the salt shaker. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick French Fries The crispy crinkle-cut fries are a reasonable $3.50, but it’s well worth it to spend an extra dollar and upgrade them with a serving of vibrantly chemical-orange molten cheese. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Milkshakes Thick and ice cream-y. Get the strawberry." - Molly Fitzpatrick
"Legendary in New Jersey, White Mana is the diner whose hamburgers inspired Young Kim’s project — Kim grew up eating there and even brought a bag of cold White Mana hamburgers from New Jersey to Jubilee Market so his partner could try to recreate them. I learned that while Jubilee’s version isn’t a White Mana burger exactly, the New Jersey originals provided the template (including shaved onions), and White Mana’s reputation and flavor were central to what Kim and Samantha La Manna were trying to evoke." - Luke Fortney
"A storied New Jersey slider institution known for its small, classic burgers; cited as the inspiration for the Tastys concept described in the text." - Susan Stapleton
