If you ever find yourself driving through Hackensack, New Jersey, make sure to visit White Manna Hamburgers. Like the onion-laden sliders they serve, the building itself is diminutive, plunked down in at the corner of River Street and Passaic in 1942. This weekend, after a few rounds of Karting at a nearby track, my friend and I stopped by to sample their burgers. I love American roadside architecture, and White Manna has a wonderful aged appearance to it; one that speaks to decades of simultaneuous love and neglect. The sign on the roof used to have white lettering painted on it, but all that remains today are the neon tubes and the faintest traces of the letters that once were behind them. Like an unrestored vintage car, it retains all its original character, yet it admittedly looks kind of shabby.
Once inside, you are greated immediately by the cooktop, which is right in front of the door. You give the cook your order, and she smacks some balls of ground beef on the greasy grill along with the other orders, already sizzling away. It takes a few minutes to get your burgers, but in the meantime you can savor the archetypal diner environment around you. The place is tiny and cramped, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
The food itself was ok. I have had much better burgers in my life, and I left smelling like onions. But who really cares? The beef sliders are tastily complemented with potato buns, and the comfort food rounds out the complete nostalgic roadside burger experience perfectly. The Automobiliac approves.
Click the image for more photos of the diner.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 3:25PM