The historic White Manna Hamburgers restaurant, located at the corner of River and Passaic streets in Hackensack, is set to relocate to a brand-new location in the city following approval from the city’s planning board. Officials voted on June 10 to approve a site plan for a new restaurant building at 112-120 Hackensack Avenue after deliberating on the merits of the proposal over two meetings.
White Manna, which has been named the best hamburger joint in the Garden State multiple times during its more than 80 years of existence, has been at its current location at 358 River Street since 1946.
The restaurant has been featured in several shows on the Food Network, including “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” as well as the Travel Channel’s “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.” It has been named New Jersey’s Best Burger by Thrillist and has been featured by NJ.com and GQ Magazine, to name a few. It is known for its burger sliders, which are served on a potato roll with onions and cheese, as well as crinkle-cut fries and shakes.
Officials from the Hackensack Planning Board confirmed with Jersey Digs that the application was approved on June 10. Documents made public by the board show that the new location will repurpose the former Hackensack Animal Hospital, which is owned by the city, and the adjacent plot.
The plan calls for the relocation of the iconic 276-square-foot Art Deco-style restaurant building and the construction of a 1,600-square-foot extension behind it.
Esther Realty of Teaneck, the limited liability firm behind the project, will relocate the signage around the property, including the free-standing “White Manna Hamburgers French Fries” neon sign next to the current building and the 32-square-foot sign atop the entrance.
The developer intends to build a 17-car surface parking lot connected to Terheun Place. The extension of the original building will include a new kitchen, an office, a take-out service area, an ADA-compliant dining room, restrooms, and a cellar with more than 1,695 square feet of space.
The county’s Department of Planning and Engineering granted conditional approval for the project in July 2025, over a year after the city published a redevelopment plan for the two parcels. A developer agreement between Esther and the County of Bergen states that additional improvements along Hackensack Avenue, a county road, will cost $26,400.
The new location will be just north of the Burger King restaurant at 38 Hackensack Avenue, west of the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus, and across the street from Quick Lane and Target.
Records from the Bergen County Board of Taxation state that the two parcels where White Manna intends to relocate have a combined assessed value of $331,700.
White Manna did not return a request for comment from Jersey Digs. While the restaurant has been in Hackensack for nearly 80 years, the relocation will not be the first time the building has been moved within the city.
According to an archive from Vintage Bergen County, the Art Deco-style diner that now faces the restaurant was built by the Paramount Dining Cars Company in Haledon before being brought to Hackensack by Louis Bridges in 1946. In 1969, the building was moved 20 feet north to its current location.
