Who Wants A Little Bit Of Heaven?

Well I did, and thanks to my good friends Karen and Bruce, I got to see one of the most impressive cooking demonstrations that led me to bite down on the White Manna cheeseburger!

Welcome to Hackensack, New Jersey – where this microscopically small roadside diner serves up one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever had! Bruce picked me up in Manhattan and drove me straight here, so we could line up with many others for a bite of the best burger in New Jersey!

The Legendary White Manna Hamburgers!

For more than 80 years, some of the most uniquely delicious burgers have been cooked here…more on their history in a moment.

As for the name – here are some of the definitions of “Manna”: divinely supplied spiritual nourishment; also, a sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain.

Like these burgers!

As for the place itself: this is the entire inside of the restaurant!

A sit-down counter with round stools surround the kitchen, like a horseshoe – with a protective plastic shield between the grill and the counter – which is why this shot is a bit messy…

Those are fresh hamburger patties, which are expertly put on as step one of their elaborate cooking process…about a dozen people can sit down, the rest pack in around the sides, all to watch an incredible cooking show!

There’s your menu – straightforward and surprisingly inexpensive…you call out your order, and the Chef acts like a machine, knocking out dozens of burgers at a time of all types – plain, with cheese, with pickles, with ketchup, mustard or mayo, and most crucially – with grilled onions cooked right on top – and on the bottom as well!

Founded in 1939 at the World’s Fair and later moved to Hackensack in 1946, White Manna Hamburgers has been a local institution ever since – partly because of this wild way they cook the hamburgers – here’s a look:

Because the heat on the grill is kept low, you don’t hear much of a cooking sound at all, and the onion soak up the juice from the meat instead of char or grill – which is why an order takes about 20 minutes!

The cook manages to keep everything separate, but almost everyone orders fresh grilled onions on their burger – so when she flips them, the onions absorb all of the juice from the burger as well!

As she cooks dozens of burgers simultaneously, the Cashier puts buns out for her to stack the burgers as she goes…as for the name, it was originally called “White Mana” when introduced at the fair…the owners say it was misspelled when they moved and never corrected – and an Icon was born!

Burgers are made from fresh, extra lean ground beef, delivered daily from a local supplier.  Cooked to perfection with onions and cheese, and served on a Martin’s Potato Roll.

It’s an assembly line that never slows – here’s a look:

It’s fascinating to watch unfold – she is literally a burger-making machine!

When you eat at the diner, they slide them onto a paper plate, give you all the fresh pickles and extra raw onions you want as well, and this messy treat is all yours!

As I said, the onions are slowly grilled in the juices from the burger…and they are delicious!

This Double Cheeseburger is $3.50, and I got two…hey, who knows when I was going to get back here?

Chefs from Anthony Bourdain to Guy Fieri have filmed here…and now I have as well!

Bravo to White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey – a truly delicious burger experience!

The simplicity is what makes them so delicious…just like this bag of Dick’s…

Seattle’s legendary Dick’s Drive-In serves up only three kinds of burgers, along with fresh cut fries and milkshakes….

They pack a flavorful punch – so much so that someone caught a shot of Bill Gates patiently waiting for his bag of Dick’s too…click here to see more!

I love classic hamburger stands, and I also love making burgers at home too…

For my “52 In 22” cooking challenge, I made a wild “surf and turf” burger – click here for the recipe!

I also made a burger with “Oopsie Cloud Bread!”

What is it? Click here to find out and to get the recipe to make it yourself as well!

Now I’m on a burger roll…remember when I made this burger for my “dinner and a movie” series?

This is the “Big Kahuna” Burger from the film “Pulp Fiction” and I made it – and you can too!

Click here for the recipe!

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Categories: Art, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Hamburgers, Memoirs, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Wacky Food

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