White Manna

I’ve been eating here for 20+ years and it’s always been the same. Always good… Until this week? Did they change the buns or change the wrapper? I always get a couple dozen with cheese and literally deliver and split with a couple buddy’s. I don’t know what happened, but they tasted different, they were completely stuck to the wrappers, and shredded to pieces when being unwrapped? It wasn’t just me who questioned the quality. They have always been messy but worth the cleanup but this week not so much. I went back yesterday assuming we were crazy but again they were not of the usual quality? I’ll stop back in a few weeks and hopefully I’ll realize I’m wrong.

Simply the best! Don’t come here for the setting and to sit down since it’s definitely a cramped and busy little spot but the burgers are delicious and a must-​try for anyone who finds themselves in Bergen County.

It’s an upgraded White Castle burger. More of a hometown place with hometown fame. Burgers are alright but the place is tiny and gets super packed.

It’s not for everybody. It definitely wasn’t for me. I found the burgers to be quite bland, borderline nausea inducing. I eagerly gobbled down my first slider as is, yuck. Next, I loaded up on the pickles, ketchup, and mayo to no avail. I am convinced that no amount of condiments can make up for that low quality, flavorless beef.

The Story: Growing up in Bergen County this has always been a quick dinner/​lunch favorite. Boyfriend and I decided to stop here for lunch before we head to the supermarket. (yep, never shop hungry!)
Food: We ordered 8 cheese with onion. These sliders were soft and gooey with a touch of sweetness from the onions, crisp from the pickles and tanginess from the ketchup. Heaven in mouth.
We also ordered a side of fries… unfortunately they were overcooked and I know they can be so much better =(
Price: The price has gone up since the last time I came but still very cheap.
$ 1.30 for a regular hamburger
$ 1.60 for a cheeseburger
Add $ 1 for the doubles (if I remember correctly.)
Medium drinks are $ 2
Overall, we spent $ 22 for lunch. Not bad!
Décor: Very cramped space. Has a very 70’s feel to it.
Service: Some people would say the staff is rude. I do agree but if you’re going to hold the front door open and letting the cold air in. I’ll be rude to you as well.
Parking & Finding the Place: Located on Hackensack Avenue, across the street from McDonalds on Main Street.
Additional Thoughts/​Tips:
1. Dont come here if you don’t want your clothes ruined from the smell. (not recommended for pre-​snack if you have an event to attend to)
2. Go home afterwards, you will be looking for a bathroom shortly after ;)
3. If you want to pick up, order ahead!

An iconic Culinary landmark smack dab in the center of Hackensack serving up the most classic mini sliders ever! Been coming here since I’ve been able to spell, «d#mned good mini Burger, maestro!»
The only annoyance is the parking and wait time during lunch hours — but hey.. a nice problem to have when everyone loves your grub.

So much hype about this place, EVEN SAW IT ON FOOD NETWORK. One of the Chopped judges said it was their FAVORITE MINI BURGER. God, what a hook. I could not wait to go.
The place is big enough for about 4 kindergartners. Get ready to rub elbows and hips with whoever is there, your companion or not.
First off, if you aren’t a regular and you’re somewhat shy, LOL, you’re about to get wrecked. You need to order over people sitting in front of the grill. You need to grab the cook/attendent’s attention. If not, they’ll either ignore you or wait five years to ask you what you want. I didn’t care that the guy at the register was cute and Asian. I wanted to order food, not stand around looking like a dumbass. If you’re very confident, probably loud and middle aged, they’ll look at you. If not, stand there with your mouth open for flies. If they’re merciful, they’ll ask for your order.
Doesn’t even stop there. Don’t order anything else until they ask you about your burgers. Actually, don’t order ANYTHING unless they ask you. Even if your throat is parched. Don’t order that drink. I think you’ll get shot.
Smells great on the grill but tasted like cardboard. Regular potato buns, I am assuming. Not even hot. It’s like when I ask my 9 year old brother to make me toast and he hands me a piece of bread from the plastic bag itself. I don’t even know how they served it to me cold, I saw the buns on the grill! Sorcery.
Meat was juicy, but that’s because it was literally smashed to the point where it was ready to be turned into juice. Not tasty at all. Like a meatball that no one wanted and then decided to utilize in a burger.
Onions. I love onions. Nothing bad to say about the onions. But if I wanted onions like that I could’ve made them myself at home.
I also got a shake. It was just like the kind they sell on ice cream trucks. So, great.
If you’re coming to this place because of the hype, don’t. Just go to White Castle. Just make it yourself, even. Just don’t come here unless you were previously in the army. Unless you can bench press your wife. I don’t know. Don’t come here. You’ll be entering with an expectant, empty stomach, and you’ll leave full– full of disappointment.

Honestly wasn’t overly impressed for all the hype this place has gotten on various Food Network shows. Everything was average, nothing to write home about. Definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to make a stop.
Very particular about their ordering system. Burger Nazi style…
Ordering Instructions:
1. Burgers — order ONLY when asked by the person working the grill how many, single or double, onions or no, here or to go
2. Fries — don’t even try ordering until you’ve ordered your burgers, they’ll ask you don’t ask them
3. Drinks — don’t order until you’ve been asked and you’ve completed tasks 1 and 2

Simplicity is key to a great success sometimes! I heard about the legend since middle school on how this place was the originators to what White Castle was trying to be lol and I must say you know who’s the real deal. 14 years later I took a random ride with my friend Jay for dinner and I ended up with 4 double cheeseburgers and side of fries that satisfied us with every bite. Definitely recommend.

Stepping in to the place I felt like I left NJ and jumped into a time machine. The cook told us the spot has been open since 1939. It looks like nothing has been changed except for the addition of a credit card machine. It had an old school diner feel to it. Just picture a diner from the movie Grease but alot smaller.
On to the food… all burgers are served slider style. Regular burgers are small sliders and the double burgers are about the size of a regular burger that you’d see at a cookout. The bun was soft and had a hint of sweetness to it. It might have been potato bread. The burgers are made to order and are grilled right in front of you with your choice of toppings (fried onions, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) I cannot eat a bruger without a side order of fries. Everything was perfect. The burgers tasted like White Castle burgers but 10 times better and zero stomach problems. It’s about $ 1.60 (don’t quote me on that. Can’t remember the exact price) for a regular burger.
Great experience. Awesome food. Decent prices.

White Manna was stop number one on a new restaurant crawl i’m trying out where I eat at as many places featured on Guy Fieri’s «Diners, Drive-​Ins and Dives» as I can find. I was really excited to see if it would live up to the hype but unfortunately I was disappointed. This place in theory seemed like it would be life-​changingly delicious (really simple but juicy & flavorful sliders smothered in onions). I tried a single hamburger, a double cheese, fries and a b&w milkshake but none of them wowed me. The burger really didn’t have much flavor and the milkshake was pretty watered down. The fries were the best part and even they were just OK. The worst part though was after we left and I smelled my clothes. They absolutely reeked of meat and grease. It took two washes and a good dousing of Febreze to get my coat back to a normal smell. I don’t see myself ever going back.

So We went for my sisters birthday before a movie. I have been here many times before. Needless to say, all three of us that went got e. coli poisening. Health department then checked them out and shut them down. If you can afford to take the risk of being out sick from work for at least three days due to things coming out both ends and a 103 degree fever, take the risk, if not STAY AWAY at all costs!
Health hazard!

Burgers on the scale of White Castle but quality of ingredients are substantially better.
Simple; Fresh meat on the grill covered with fresh onions and topped with a potato bun.
They are cooked low and slow and the results show it.
Here’s an example of how to order a cheeseburger.
Do not mention the word «burger», «hamburger» or «cheeseburger» when you order; It’s implied.
If you do, they might mumble under their breath something disparaging like «Tourist». Ouch!
To the burger chef,
«2 CHEESE WITH ONIONS (or «no onions») or «2 NO CHEESE». That’s it. Don’t say anything else.
Give your fries and drink order to the person that is NOT cooking your burger.
If you don’t follow the rules, who knows what will happen.

Love the little burgers with cheese, they’re so good !! My girlfriend didn’t like them but I’m sure I’ll change her mind if we come back
I love the French fries there

I pass this place a lot and I decided to finally take my time to go when I saw this place on tv the 3^rd time on food channel.
White Mana is such a cute diner. Although it is a small place, but it’s worth the stop. Some days it can be packed in there and there will be no seating other days there will a couple of people eating and there are seating. There’s not a day when people aren’t in there.
The place is across the street from McDonald’s and it is still kicking. Their hamburgers are pretty good! The only thing is that it is small so depending how hungry you are you have to buy maybe 2 or 3 hamburgers for yourself.
They cook it right there in front of you. With the Bun on top of the burger being cooked. As for the fries, they were good too! Nice and crispy right off the fryer.
All in all, I recommend coming here if you want a quick bite to eat a hamburger and fries with the guys. It’s cheap, fast and good. Away from the big fast food places. To a nice mom and pop diner :)

Aside from recognizing the ground beef going on to the grill, that remains pretty much the only positive thing I can say about my experiences at White Manna. There just are not manny times where a I wish I were actually eating at White Castle instead.
I’m not sure if what comes off the griddle is cooked or just grey and filthy after being moved around a bunch. The griddle is a site to behold and will likely etch a scar on your soul! Soda lines are definitely skunky !!!
Nothing is seasoned. The sliders are warm not hot. To that end… They aren’t sliders! Sliders imply they are so greasy and juicy so as to SLIDE DOWN WITH EASE while eating. They are the exact opposite and should be CHOKERS because they are sooooo dry! Onions could be good if there weren’t so dried out from being cut earlier and sitting around… They have no flavor and are again not so much cook cooked as filthy and sad looking.
Enjoy the pictures I took. That’s about as close as I would venture to White Manna. Save the time and avoid the gas pains that will likely ensure.

5 stars if you know what you’re getting here.
This is not your fancy sit down burger place or a restaurant that has booths and ample elbow room.
Retro as you can be, you come in and try to make your way to the cooks and call out your order to them as you scan around wondering who’s next. These are White Castle sized burgers with BIG taste. I typically order 4 or 5 cheeseburgers and a soda here.
Unless theres an open seat around the surrounding area, I usually take my order to go.
Must get the fries here, just because. They don’t have the best fries but they’re certainly not the worst either.
A local landmark, this is just one of those places you pass by and the parking lot is always getting good traffic. When I think burgers, I think of White Manna.

If you’ve never been here, it is really hard to describe how great this place is. This is the true definition of a hole in the wall burger joint. They make small, White Castle sized burgers on a greasy stovetop grill right in front of you while you’re there. The entire restaurant is about the size of my kitchen, so don’t go there during busy times unless you call ahead for takeout.
The burgers themselves are amazing. Everyone is always tempted to order a whole bunch of them because they are smaller in size, but they are served on these delightful, filling potato roll buns so I usually order about 3 and I am stuffed! I love to get doubles with everything on them (onions, pickles, ketchup). They are something I only allow myself to have maybe once or twice a year because they truly are the greasiest burgers I’ve ever had but they are a local staple. This place really kills it with the uniqueness. There is no other burger place like it to compare it to. It’s not like going to one of those chain burger places popping up everywhere like Five Guys or Shake Shack. It is a local landmark, and well worth a visit if you’re willing to try it.

BEST CHEESEBURGER YOU WILL EVER HAVE. ’nuff said
They seem small, but they pack a punch. Melt in your mouth, creamy, cheesy, gooey, oniony goodness. Good golly miss molly I’m hungry just thinking about them!
This is the place the «slider» was invented (so named since they literally slide the patties across the grill as they cook.) This is the place that taught me to use a potato roll on my burger. This is the place that showed me you do not need to eat the onions to enjoy the flavor of them bc they are all over that grill, and you will carry that sweet smell out with you.
I’ve been coming to White Manna with my mom since I was 8 years old, so I know the drill. If you’ve never been here before, I could see how it may be intimidating to you, but I refuse to affect my review due to the organization/​ordering process for a place that genuinely caters to regulars. If you’re not a regular and are intimidated by this place, then please get outta my burger joint bc there’s only 12 seats and you do not need to be here!

White Manna is a definite worldwide burger destination and it basically lives up to the hype. It is on par with other super old school hamburger places like Louis Lunch that are perhaps known more for their place in history than for the actual taste of their burgers.
And these burgers are legit old school. No dry aging, or extra beef fat in the meat, or complex blends of brisket and chuck. These are straight up ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ standard burger patties thrown on a hot griddle with basic supermarket american cheese and copious onions smashed on top and they taste just as good as that sounds.
(Btw these are not sliders, as you will see if you come here they are considerably larger than people seem to think. However, that said, I did see a 14 or 15 year old kid eat maybe 5 of these while I was there)
The guy working here was super nice, as was the young lady helping him. The look of this place is really enjoyable and retro and I could see myself perhaps coming here once or twice again before I die, but it’s nothing I would really go out of my way for.
I like White Manna and Louis Lunch a lot and I respect their place in Burger History. Definitely give this joint a look if you are a devout burger lover, at very least just to say you have been here.

The onions are amazing, but today they had no lettuce and tomato — how come? Processed cheese and confusing service are included.