White Mana Diner
Diner · Jersey City
470 Tonnelle Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07307
Highlights
Classic diner burgers from a 1939 World's Fair building.
Classic diner burgers from a 1939 World's Fair building.
"A burger and fries from White Mana Diner in The Heights is a rite of passage for anyone within 20 miles of Jersey City. Built for the 1939 World’s Fair, it’s cash-only and primarily for quick counter service. Come with a twenty-dollar bill and leave with two heaping plastic bags of food, which—in addition to a burger or chicken sandwich and fries—should include onion rings and a shake. Basically, everything you could crave at a Mets game without the stadium prices." - matt tervooren, nisha vedi pawar, kendal nicole lambert
"On Tonnelle Avenue at the corner of Manhattan Avenue sits a white-paneled, circular building with a dotted red crown that looks like it could “light up and lift off into outer space” — a stainless, old-school diner built for the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows to showcase how you could cook, serve, and plate burgers “without moving your pivot foot.” That was a year before McDonald’s first opened. Louis Bridges bought the building and transported it to its current location in 1946; the long‑time owner, who began working there as a teenager in 1972 and bought it in 1979, has changed little about the place or himself. Filmmaking has passed through: one sheet taped to the wall indicated filming dates for Bob Dylan’s biopic A Complete Unknown, and Timothée Chalamet filmed a scene there when the diner was disguised as a Chinese restaurant. The cook works the central flattop, “smashing minced onions into burger patties with a metal spatula, and sliding them to the middle with a loud scrape,” serving three thin patties per paper plate; three plus fries and a soda cost $7.50. The patties are about an ounce (bigger than White Castle) and, with American cheese, those onions, and “cool, crunchy pickle slices,” occupy a modest portion of absorbent, springy, moist buns that pick up a thin sheen from the greasy air — someone who worked hard since breakfast could manage nine; the writer had six. The owner’s explanations and little rituals are preserved in his own words: “The sliders got their name because of the action on the grill. It has nothing to do with size.” He tested a bun theory — throwing out top buns and replacing them “with a second bottom half” because bottoms are softer — and the writer notes, simply, “He was right.” The owner still jokes about his role and reputation: “I’m a hamburger salesman.”" - Mike Diago
"White Mana—not to be confused with White Manna (see below)—has been smashing tiny sliders into oblivion since 1939. Behind the counter at the cash-only Jersey City institution, the cashier informs guests of the most popular meal deal: three sliders, fries, and a drink for $10. Another man tends the grill, adding cheese and diced onions to each of your three patties before sliding them over, across the counter. Less like a burger, more like a soft and squishy, burger-flavored grilled cheese, inhaling three of these is easy." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman
"Work your way through the tangle of highway underpasses and overpasses to find this docked flying saucer that was once a kiosk at the 1939 World’s Fair. The counter inside is as circular as the exterior. It’s where you’ll sit as you watch the skilled grillmaster cooking scores of burgers at the same time, arms going like an octopus. The order here is a cheeseburger, along with hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and slender sandwiches, including Taylor ham (a.k.a. pork roll). This was recently featured in the Bob Dylan flick, A Complete Unknown as a Chinese restaurant; it is owned by a onetime manager of Mike Tyson, Mario Costa, who also owns Lakeside Lounge across the street. The stretch of Manhattan Avenue is called “Mario Costa Way.” — MM" - Melissa McCart
"Four burgers with a side of cheese fries is a typical order at White Mana in Jersey City. That’s because the thin smash burgers at this classic diner—which originally opened at the 1939 World’s Fair—are only slightly larger than sliders. They’re $1.80 each, so four of them with a side of cheese fries will cost you less than $12. You can order at the takeaway window daily or place an order for pick up here." - team infatuation
