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The Infatuation
8 Nostalgic Spots Within An Hour Of NYC
By Bryan Kim, Molly Fitzpatrick, Willa MooreWill Hartman,
5 days ago
Picture this: You're sitting at a picnic table in the Long Island sun, sucking the world's thickest milkshake through a flimsy straw. A burger sits at your side, and it only cost $2. You can make that dream come true at one of the places on this guide, which is full of decades-old spots within a 60-minute drive of NYC. We're talking ice cream in Westchester, hot dogs in Jersey, and iconic sliders you need to try at least once. Take an afternoon off, find a friend with a car, and eat some food that's been pretty much unchanged since the Carter administration.
If all of your weekends are starting to bleed into one, maybe it’s time for a nautical-themed escape. We know a spot in the not-so-distant maritime village of Northport, Long Island. It’s called The Shipwreck Diner, and while it used to be the dining car of a trolley, for the past hundred years, it’s been a destination for eggs and hash. Sit across from a friend or significant other in a cozy, ocean-blue booth, drink a root beer float, and enjoy an impeccable turkey club in the old-timey room that looks like a sailboat.
If you’ve never tried a deep-fried hotdog—a New Jersey delicacy—there's no time like the present, and there's no better choice than Hiram's Roadstand. Open since 1932, this Fort Lee mainstay is known for its intensely snappy, bigger-than-average pork and beef hot dogs, its cheap beer, and its “Hot Dog Etiquette” signs, which detail the intricate rules of hot dog eating. The most important rule? No ketchup allowed. Instead, order a $4 chili dog, and then liberally apply mustard and sauerkraut from the vats on the counter.
White Mana—not to be confused with White Manna (see below)—has been smashing tiny sliders into oblivion since 1939. Behind the counter at the cash-only Jersey City institution, the cashier informs guests of the most popular meal deal: three sliders, fries, and a drink for $10. Another man tends the grill, adding cheese and diced onions to each of your three patties before sliding them over, across the counter. Less like a burger, more like a soft and squishy, burger-flavored grilled cheese, inhaling three of these is easy.
Established in 1946, originally as a second location to the White Mana above, White Manna in Hackensack is a chrome-and-neon living fossil of a diner that makes an iconic slider. The prices aren't quite what they were during the Truman administration, but close enough: A plain hamburger still goes for less than $2. The patties here are fatter and juicier than their Jersey City cousins, and they have an abundance of soft, thinly sliced onions. Watching the cook prepare dozens of burgers on the griddle at once in a meticulous assembly line is as meditative as raking sand in a zen garden.
Much ink has been spilled about the capital “L” legendary Walter’s, including by the National Park Service, which added the Mamaroneck hot dog stand—in operation since 1919—to the National Register of Historic Places. As you stare down the barrel of a bun stuffed with split beef, pork, and veal hot dogs—grilled to perfection and smeared with Walter's house-made mustard—you'll understand why this place has earned the blue-and-bronze sign outside. Sit at a picnic table, next to some grandparents taking their family out to their favorite spot, or drive your double dogs over to nearby Harbor Island Park for lunch with a view of the Long Island Sound.
At All American, burgers start at $2, and the only way to stay cool on the roadside patio is to nurse a milkshake that’s thicker than soft serve. This Massapequa burger stand, open since the 1960s, is a place stuck in time. Order a quarter-pound burger, fries, and a hot dog, and you’ll wind up paying a little less than $10. So go ahead and line up at the counter and get a big paper bag stuffed with items fresh off the grill. For the perfectly curated day, head to Jones Beach before or after.
Need some excitement? Want to spice up your life but not with too much spice? Find a car, drive to Lodi, New Jersey, and eat a 'Hot' Chili Texas Weiner at Hank’s Franks. The hot chili isn’t actually very hot, but it is thick and savory, and will cost you exactly $2.94. The all-blue roadside stand has a handful of picnic tables out front, where regulars eat chili dogs at picnic tables under Sabrett-branded umbrellas. Get a spread so you can also try a hot dog with soft chunks of potato and tangy ‘Hot’ Italian Onions—also fairly mild. If you’re here with a group, order eight dogs. You’ll get a ninth one for free.
You’ll undoubtedly see several children with blue-stained lips while waiting in line at Longford’s, an ice cream shop on the posh main drag of Rye, New York. Longford’s infamous cookie monster ice cream is the scourge of toothbrushes after many a birthday party on this side of Westchester County. The blue vanilla ice cream is tastier than it looks, and the mint chip is perfect after a hot day riding the rickety Dragon Coaster, a ride that’s been ringing with shrieks of joy since 1929 at Playland, a historic amusement park nearby.
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