In today’s increasingly diversifying food scene, there are few things as unifying as a burger. Among thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of burger joints around the country, there are few as famous as White Mana located at 470 Tonnele Avenue in Jersey City. The Food Network and many other big-name media outlets and celebrities have visited, as this quirky little diner captured the American imagination not only because of its extraordinary history — but the burgers, too. Read on to learn more about White Mana – home of Jersey City’s most iconic burger.
The History
(Photo credit: @WhiteManaDiner)
The circular building was built by Paramount Diners of Oakland, New Jersey, and first opened as a pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens. At the time, White Castle had then just standardized the serving of burgers as fast food with uniform preparation and rapid service.
The organizers of the Fair decided that the “diner of the future” should serve burgers and be named after the biblical food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness prophesying the patty-in-a-bun sandwich as the quintessence of American food in the decades to come. The misspelling on the sign was a result of a mistake made by the original sign maker but has come to stick around.
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After the World Fair, the structure was relocated to Jersey City. It now sits at the corner of a busy interchange on Tonnelle Avenue heavy with truck traffic, but the vintage signs and numerous memorabilia inside remind visitors of the bygone fanfare.
Another White Manna location opened in 1946 in Hackensack, and is believed to be established by the same owner and built by the same builder — just with two ns. It serves largely the same burger-centric menu and shares similar decor and vibes, though fans love to compare the two locations. Fans have never stopped comparing the two.
The Food
(Photo credit: @WhiteManaDiner)
The ordering and cooking was, and is, no-fuss and no-nonsense. A large griddle sits at the center of the diner, surrounded by a circular counter where customers watch their orders made. (The restaurant is now takeout only.) Meatballs are squashed into patties on the grill.
Some chopped onions are piled on the patties, which are then flipped to let the onion cook in the rendered fat. When the meat is almost done, American cheese and potato buns are slapped on top so that the cheese fat, the meat juice, the caramelized onion flavors all melt into one another. If requested, a dab of mustard or hot sauce is added.
(Photo credit: @WhiteManaDiner)
Although the diner has attracted its fair share of detractors (“It’s just a hype”) and critics (“I’ve had better burgers”) over the decades, the burgers are excellent, period. The patties, with the melty cheese dissolving into them, are juicy but not too fatty. The seasoning is strong but doesn’t overwhelm the beefy taste. The onion is sweet and still retains a subtle crunch. The potato buns are light as a cake.
See More: City Diner: A Staple in Jersey City
Fries, soft drinks, and breakfast items (eggs and sausages) are also served. The Jersey City location is cash only.
To keep up with White Mana, follow its Facebook page here.
Jersey City’s Arts + Powerhouse Building: New Businesses Coming Soon
In the heart of Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts District lies the Arts + Powerhouse Building — a historic, century-old warehouse that recently finished a historic revitalization as of early February 2024. The building has over 100,000 square feet of office/retail space, and will soon be home to a few new Jersey City businesses — from restaurants to fitness spots. While there is still room for even more new businesses in the Arts + Powerhouse Building, we've rounded up which ones have been confirmed so far. Read on for more about the new businesses coming to Jersey City's Arts + Powerhouse Building, located at 124-134 Bay Street.
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^ A layout of some of the new businesses in the building
Daily Provisions
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A NYC-based food and drink eatery be coming to the ground floor of 124 Bay Street. Daily Provisions, which is run by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (the group that first launched Shake Shack), will be taking over about 3,134 square feet of space in the building, per Jersey Digs. The spot has a primary focus on to-go orders and serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner items — including sandwiches, bakery items like crullers + cookies, soups, and salads, among other dishes. The drink menu includes coffee, tea, lemonade, kombucha, wine, beer, and espresso martinis, among other choices. Daily Provisions currently has eight locations in New York City — this will be the eatery's first New Jersey locale. The team opening the Jersey City outpost shared with The Hoboken Girl in February 2025 that the eatery is currently hiring and aiming for a mid-March opening, pending construction timelines.
Read More: Is Hoboken the Beauty Capital of New Jersey?
Rumble Boxing
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Along with the new restaurants on the ground floor also comes a new workout spot that is no stranger to the fitness scene — Rumble Boxing. Here, participants can expect a 45-minute boxing class split into ten rounds. Each round lasts about three minutes and gym-goers switch between floor exercises and punching series on the heavy bags. Rumble's Hoboken location opened up in February 2023 at 1201 Shipyard Lane, and another location recently opened in Edgewater. Rumble Boxing has multiple New Jersey and NYC locations, as well as many more across the United States. The boxing studio is set to open sometime in March 2025.
See More: These Restaurants + Bars in Montclair Will Wow Your Visitors
Tacombi Jersey City
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We first shared the news back in 2021 that NYC-based taco spot 'Tacombi' would be coming to Jersey City's Arts + Powerhouse building. The Mexican restaurant will also be on the ground floor, and will take up about 2,700 square feet of space. Tacombi’s story began by selling Mexican street food in a vintage VW camper bus on the beach in Yucatan, Mexico back in 2005 and has since grown to be the popular Mexican restaurant it is today. The restaurant is known for its beautiful interior design — think bright colors, murals, and major beach vibes — and serves up tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and savory appetizers. Some menu highlights include corn esquites (sweet corn sliced from the cob with cotija cheese, smoky homemade Morita mayo, spicy chili), baja crispy fish tacos, and a la bisteca burrito (sirloin steak with rice, beans, cabbage, spicy escabeche, + salsa) Tacombi currently has locations in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Illinois — this will be its first New Jersey storefront.
Other businesses set to open at Jersey City's Arts + Powerhouse Building include One Medical, a primary care office, and Spear Physical Therapy, per an Instagram post from the building. This post will be updated as more tenants are announced.
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