Dumser's Dairyland in Ocean City, MD

Dumser's has been a part of the Ocean City community for more than 70 years. While Dumser's Dairyland is most famous for their ice cream, they also offer some classic beach eats and treats that are not to be missed on your next visit to the Maryland shore. Dumser's Dairyland offers breakfast, lunch and dinner along with their dessert menu. With an ambiance reminiscent of ice cream parlors from the 1940s, you'll find booth seating, tin ceilings, and an ice cream counter recalling the days of soda jerks and nickel Cokes.

Breakfast at Dumser's is a decidedly sweet affair. Their homemade Belgian waffle ($7.75) is thick, tender and garnished with powder sugar. If you're in need of something cold to add balance to your warm Belgian waffle, you can order a scoop of ice cream on top for a few dollars more. An order of Dumser's French Toast ($8.95) comes with three thick slices garnished thoroughly with powdered sugar.

Despite being more than 100 miles from Philadelphia, Dumser's offers a decent Philly-style cheesesteak sandwich ($6.95) that's filled with tender, thinly sliced steak and topped with Provolone cheese. Be sure to spring for the onion rings ($2.25) instead of the potato chips. Throw a few on your steak sandwich and you've got a lunch that won't leave you hungry before you make it down to the beach.

An unexpected and especially well done menu choice at Dumser's Dairyland is the Fish and Chips Basket. While most places use cod, haddock or even pollack-- Dumser's has opted to use batter-dipped Maryland rockfish. The coating is light and crispy while the fish inside remains moist and tender. It's English-style fish, but with Americanized "chips", aka French Fries. Kudos to Dumser's for this excellent offering. The only thing missing was a bottle of malt vinegar for splashing purposes.

If you like the southern version, try Dumser's house specialty, Maryland Fried Chicken. You get half of the bird, deep-fried to perfection. Expect good sized portions, a crispy coating and tender, flavorful meat.

Each order of Dumser's fried chicken ($11.95) includes a garden or caesar salad. For one dollar extra, you can request all white or dark meat. The entree is also served with your choice of vegetable including French Fries, baked or mashed potatoes, homemade coleslaw and applesauce, along with dinner rolls with butter.

With the proximity of sand and surf just a few minutes walk away, a dinner from the ocean seems apropos. Dumser's Seafood Platter ($19.95) is perfect for those with a hearty appetite. Your plate comes filled with an abundance of seafood including a crab cake, flounder fillet, plump shrimp and a pile of tender clam strips.

With a name like Dumser's Dairyland, it's no surprise that their dessert offerings focus on ice cream treats. Dumser's ice cream sodas ($4.20) come in varieties including root beer, orange cream, cherry and chocolate. If you're in the mood for an old fashioned float, ($4.11) Dumser's will dip your choice of any flavor of ice cream and combine it with Coca-Cola, root beer, orange soda or Sprite. Dumser's thick and creamy milkshakes are offered in an array of hand-dipped flavors and are available in 16-ounce ($4.11) and 22-ounce ($4.81) sizes.

Other noteworthy dessert offerings include apple pie ($4.99) served a la mode, of course. Dumser's unique interpretation of another classic, strawberry shortcake ($6.95) is made with moist yellow cake, vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberry topping and real whipped cream. The Dairyland's version of the strawberry classic screams summer.

While Dumser's Brownie Sundae ($6.95) is normally served with vanilla ice cream, on one recent visit, a simple request for a substitution resulted in an impressive all-chocolate frozen confection. The generously-sized chocolate brownie arrived at the table topped with a mound of rich chocolate ice cream and drizzled with thick hot fudge. Finished with whipped cream and topped by a cherry, the triple-chocolate treat proved to be a chocoholic's dream.

Dumser's Dairyland has three locations in Ocean City, each with their own menu. The restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor is located at 12305 Coastal Highway in Ocean City, Maryland. For more information, call 410-250-5543 or visit Dumser's Dairyland online.