White Manna Hamburgers: A Local Legend
History of White Manna
What would it take for you to consider a location legendary? Every town/village/state/region/country has something that their residents are proud to boast about to outsiders and travelers. There is plenty in New Jersey to brag about (including one of the best actors and human beings alive, Danny DeVito), but today we’re talking about White Manna Hamburgers.
White Manna first opened as a part of the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens and then moved to its current location in Hackensack, NJ in 1946. In our eyes, that alone is criteria for being considered a legendary eatery. You can read all about their history and their current operations on their own website. History nerds (like me) will love to know that White Manna Hamburgers claims to be the originator of the slider. According to Merriam-Webster, a slider can be defined as “a very small meat sandwich typically served on a bun”. This is exactly what you will find at White Manna – burger sliders served with or without onions, always placed on a Martin’s potato bun.
Experience
If small, enclosed spaces make you uncomfortable then you will be facing your fears going to White Manna on a Saturday afternoon. The diner has very limited seating around a U shaped counter, and on this particular day it was packed to the brim. However, I think Saturday at 3PM is primetime to get your slider fix in. Apparently it’s not just me who feels that way because the people of Hackensack were itching to get those little pockets of meat and onion bliss into their system too.
Ordering while the diner is busy is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. There is an employee stationed at the lone flat top grill that holds a limited number of sliders. You wait your turn, listening closely for the sharp “Who’s next?” You must react quickly or someone else will quickly verbalize their order and take your spot on the grill. This diner might be the best example of a microcosm of New Jersey society.
If you order fries, you wait until another employee comes out from the back simply stating “Fries?”. Whomever did order French fries says how many orders they placed, and wait for them to come out of the fryer and onto your plate. Speaking of plates, everything comes served on a basic paper plate. Nothing fancy. The same ordering process repeats for drinks, but with a different employee. It seems like total chaos, and it is chaos. However, as you wait for your sliders in the queue on the grill you realize that this is a highly controlled chaos. The White Manna staff have their operation down to a science, and their team chemistry cannot be looked down upon.
The Slider
Our order consists of 2 Double cheeseburgers and 4 singles with onions. If one really wanted to, they could eat these sliders in one bite. But why not enjoy the legendary original slider of New Jersey? The potato roll is perfectly steamed as it sits on top of the patty whilst on the flat top. The onions have soaked up the burger grease and meld perfectly with the American cheese. The small burger patty, on paper, is a simple main ingredient that doesn’t sound so special. But the combination of all of the above is what makes White Manna Hamburgers legendary. This is their process and it works.
My only advice to the uninitiated is to order as many as you can handle. Once I ate those two double sliders, I immediately felt regret for not getting 27 of them. Sitting down at the counter and waiting for our sliders to be prepared, I hear other patrons orders. “Let me get 6 double cheese with onions for here and 6 to go”. “4 singles with no onion and 4 with onion”. Wow, what an idiot I am for only asking for 6 total. Everyone here must think I can’t properly eat!
Personally, we think the most New Jersey combination of local legends is pairing a White Manna Slider with a Jimmy Buff’s Italian Hot Dog. Besides heart disease, what could possibly go wrong? I love a good establishment that has stood the test of time. These tried and true local eateries stick to the basics of what makes them unique, and in that sense they are a piece of art. I do not believe anyone would be able to properly mimic the atmosphere I felt in White Manna that day and they probably shouldn’t try to either.