Margate Dairy Bar & Burger

Both sides are great. Big menu. Friendly staff. Absolutely worth stopping by.

I drive across the bridge to come here. Literally THE BEST BURGER , better than Shake Shack!!! I come one or twice a month and have never been disappointed. Everything about this place from food, decor, cleanliness and staff is top notch. If you get a burger don’t put a bunch of sauces on it. Ketchup will literally ruin it. Enjoy what the owner offers as the highest quality beef. And ingredients. It is a must try.

The burgers and fries here are amazing! The staff keep this place very clean and everything is good quality. If your looking for something sweet they also have great ice cream! The only downside is that their food is a little expensive for 2 burgers and a large fry it costed us over $40.

Overpriced for a Glorified McDonalds: This place attempts to market itself as a 1970's fast food chain, but I can tell you it is far similar to a Greyhound Bus Station. First off, food is mediocre. The portions (as seen in the pic) are tiny with minimal flavor. The small fries are $7 which is absurd. If you are going to charge this much for food, at least make it taste good! Similar to a Greyhound Bus station, there is constant loud announcements of people's orders. This is fine, but if you are already giving them your phone # with your order on it, they should just text you when it is ready. Anyway, when your FOOD is ready, you walk up to the window and get it. However, when you get a drink, some obnoxious female asian girl came out and kept screaming people's drink orders. Maybe she was on the spectrum and could not read social cues? Mind you this was at 3 PM when it was not crowded... she kept coming up to our table and other guests asking if we had order #x or if we had ordered Xdrink.. long after we had finished eating. It was almost harassment after the 4th-5th time of being interrupted. Christ, more training is clearly needed. Lastly, the owner clearly has OCD / is a control-freak. There are signs everywhere telling people what not to do (again like a bus station) Every 3 feet there is a sign that says "do not sit on the table" or "restrooms are for current customers only" or even signs on the utensil dispensers telling parents to watch their kids. I am sure the owner is a real great boss to his employees and surely is not a micro-manager! Anyways, in other reviews, when I have seen others complain about price, the owner keeps citing rising costs, but I can tell you the economy is nowhere near bad enough to charge $7 for fries. Potatoes are cheap. Avoid this place, it is nothing more than the Greyhound Bus Station. Pathetic!

We had lunch here after visiting Lucy the Elephant. It was about a 6 minute walk from Lucy. Their chocolate milkshake was a generous size for the price, and one of the tastiest I've had. Service was friendly and fast. Their signature burger with the branded bun was also very good. They sell gourmet dog treats so you know it's a dog-friendly spot. You can eat inside, outside or do a pick-up from the outside window. There is free street parking on the residential streets, if you can find it.

Fun spot! The Margate Dairy Bar has plenty to offer in frozen treats: hand dipped and soft serve ice cream, yogurt, milkshakes, mix-ins and more. Sparkly clean and immaculately maintained. The ice cream was fresh with fun extras like blueberry whipped cream. Overall tasty and there’s plenty of seating outside the building. The burger bar next door has burgers, fries, sodas, and more.

I should have gotten two! An institution in Margate, but my first time here. An absolutely delicious cheeseburger, with any (free) toppings you would want. Served on a tasty bun, with the Dairy Bar logo burned in, it’s as good as any you’ll get anywhere. The fries are skinny style and tasty as well. To top it all off, there’s an ice cream bar too! Heaven! Fresh ingredients, and friendly service, what else could you ask for?

Title: $28 for Waffles and Ice Cream?! Insulting. I just paid $28 for what should’ve been a simple treat — waffles and ice cream — at Margate Dairy Bar, and I’m honestly stunned. Of course, the place is spotless but that does not make up for this travesty! A waffle with ONE topping and whipped cream is $14.99, but get this — ice cream is NOT included. That’s extra. You then have to order the "whole with Ice Cream Sundae." WHAT?? By the time you add this, you’re close to thirty bucks for what’s essentially a basic dessert on a paper plate. To make it worse, I ordered the chocolate peanut butter, which used to be the best I’d ever had — rich, creamy, and loaded with peanut butter swirls. But for the second time now, I tasted no peanut butter. Just plain chocolate. Margate Dairy Bar used to be a summer staple for this local bunch, but the prices are outrageous, and the quality is slipping. It honestly feels like they’re cashing in on loyal customers and out-of-towners who don’t check the prices until it’s too late. Shame on you. Heads up: double-check what you’re actually getting for the price — or skip it altogether. I won’t be back. NOTE TO OWNER Wow. What a response. Again shame on you. Not great customer service and clearly I am not the only person to make these observations. The prices are so not clearly posted for your waffle option. I suggest you include “ICE CREAM NOT INCLUDED.” Customers need to know true price before ordering for one thing. And yes, I am “indeed” a local and have been for 30 years. I’ve posted several good reviews when warranted being a local here and in Philadelphia. Don’t be so smug (another much repeated comment about you). Be kind and fair to your fellow locals in Margate and the visitors who make you wealthy. It’s the right thing to do.

We're in Margate for a week and it's our first time on the Jersey Shore. I grabbed a kids' cone size soft vanilla and chocolate swirl. So creamy and soft. Rich milk, vanilla and chocolate flavors. I haven't had soft serve like this in a long time. I felt that the kids' cone portion was plenty enough for me. There must be good milk in New Jersey. I would love to try the burgers before I leave.

Had their house-made veggie burger and loved it! This place is a well-oiled machine! The owner, Chris, is hands-on and truly a hospitality expert. Definitely give this place a try. Yes, the lines are long, but they move fast!

Step back in time with this ice cream shop in the heart of Margate, NJ. Offering both hand scooped hard ice cream and soft serve. They also offer flavored ices and hamburgers and hot dogs. My son and I ordered specialty sundaes and they were so big, we couldn't finish them! Everything was clean and efficient. You order the ice cream from a window and then bring it to a waiting picnic table. The tables were outside but under a tent in case of a passing shower. I paid an extra dollar to get two flavors of ice cream in my sundae. I chose chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate peanut butter cup for my Reese's peanut butter cup sundae. My son had the chocolate vanilla twist in his snickers sundae. They both were delicious but too rich to finish. It was fun trying though!

My favorite ice cream shop. I have choices between AC and Somers Point and have been to them all. My absolute favorite is the orange sherbet vanilla ice cream swirl. Other flavors are great both soft and hard. The burgers are really good too..

I stayed in Margate for 2 nights and out of that short time had 3 wonderful chicken sandwiches. It was within walking distance and they conveniently offer online ordering to beat the wait. Staff did warn me that peak times can get nutso.

Our burgers were excellent. Fresh roll, made to order, sauce was so good too. The fries were hot and delicious. We ordered shakes on the way out and they were also so good! Can't wait to go back.

If you haven't already swirled upon this historical and hand dipped masterpiece dairy bar is an amazing stop. I have been going to dairy bar since I was little and it somehow improves each time. From the upbeat weekend music to the helpful staff you can't go wrong with dairy bar. I would recommend the soft serve it's a creamy and delicious masterpiece. The Jersey shore wouldn't be the same without this og pit stop that all shall try. Dairy bar has become very popular over the years and it's just the beginning of its uprise. Dairy bar has advancing technology in their new flavors and items. Business is booming and we the people keep coming! Dairy bar is top 1 in my ice cream list and a staple for ice cream enthusiasts around the world. I can't explain all the amazing things about dairy bar, 10/10 would recommend.

I genuinely miss the lamb burgers from their menu, and I'm a bit disappointed they're no longer available. However, I must say, their overall burger selection remains fantastic. Recently, I introduced some friends to this place, even though I've been a regular for quite some time. They were impressed by the fact that the burgers aren't overly greasy and have a healthy touch to them. In addition to the burgers, their Waffle sweet potato fries, onion rings, and truffle fries are simply outstanding. While I didn't see the owner during my last visit, I always appreciated how he used to mingle with the customers when I frequented this place. It has that unmistakable burger joint charm, much like Nifty 50s, yet it feels wonderfully homely at the same time. The only criticism would be the new kiosks are a little confusing to order from and I wish there was recommendations for milkshake choices in understanding between the soft serve and hand dipped, because I'm still not sure what that means.

Updating this review because I've finally tried their signature burger and wow, it really hits the spot on a warm summer day by the beach. Will be making a stop here every time I'm in Margate!

Very good cheeseburger! The burgers are fresh, fries are great. The staff was very nice and efficient. They were all working really hard but were very nice to me and my family. Great place to take your family. It's a must visit establishment if you are in Margate.

I love this iconic Margate place! The food is basic fast food but good! Prices are a little high to be expected at the shore. The chicken sandwich is tasty, add bacon and it's even better ( says my husband!) The burgers are also good. Fries and onion rings are nice and crispy! The ice cream is really why I go lol The custard is yummy. There's also dipped ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes, etc There is both inside and outside seating, clean bathrooms and a water station. There is usually a 20 minute or more wait for food. The ice cream line can be long after 7ish

At dairy bar the lines are so long, but at the end it's all worth it. The owner is the kindest person ever. The food is absolutely delicious. I will say the bathrooms could be cleaner. There was toilet paper all over the floor. The staff here are amazing. If you haven't been here yet, it is a must. Trust me

Finally reopened for the season!! Everything from burgers, fries, shakes, ice cream and customer service is fantastic! The place is so clean. Plenty of indoor and outdoor picnic tables. Love that there are two self-ordering and self-pay kiosks for when the lines get long. The kiosks accept card AND cash payments. You can also order online. There's also plenty of overhead heat lamps for those colder nights. Definitely a shore favorite of mine!

Love this place! I miss this town. I've moved and can no longer enjoy these little delights. Service was efficient and the entertainment was great. Much more than a ice cream stop. Delicious food close to the Ocean. Great Prices very reasonable for a Beach town. Fantastic Burgers !Grilled Cheese Burgers children's menu as well .

I bought the Banana Whip from there. I put it in my freezer & took it out the next day to give to my daughter. It was brown . When I bought it the day before it was yellow! Of course I threw it out along with the almost $6 I spent on it. When I went back & complained to the manager, she refused to return my $, saying that because it was from a banana which is fresh fruit it would turn like that. I told her that I buy banana ice cream all of the time but never saw it turn like that. She said that's cause it's not made from real fruit (bananas). Then what are they making their banana ice creams with - chemicals?? I told her that if it was going to turn brown a few hours later they should warn people when they buy it, or how are they to know? Suppose I bought a gallon of it & was having company over the next day to serve it to them? She refused to return my $ or even let me get something else for the $. I would not treat my customers like that if I had a store. She just lost 4 customers.

Best Dairy Bar in Margate. Excellent burgers and chicken burgers and ice cream is excellent! Very reasonable prices too. Highly recommend

Delicious ice cream! We opted for mint chocolate chip (add Oreos) and coffee (and Oreos). Both were perfection. Will definitely be back!

Perfect burgers, yummy shakes, and a great atmosphere! Last time I went I got just a grilled cheese with bacon and onion rings on the side, it was a good little meal. The time before that though, grilled cheese burger, a bucket of curly fries and a slushie and I was done in.

Overpriced. Charges you an arm and a leg for a small cream. Food is good, but again overpriced. Service is great.

Burgers are smash-burger style, and they are fine for an area where it's hard to find a good burger. They changed their fries in the last year or so. They are now kind of beach-style cut, but not as good as the old fries, which were more retro drive-in style. It would be nice if they offered Buffalo sauce for the fried chicken offerings. Overall, a little pricey for what you get, but it's a beach town, so not unexpected.

love coming here after a long day at the beach and getting my burger, curly fries and a milkshake! it seems to be a staple for the locals in the area. the burgers are cooked well and the MD sauce is a must. the curly fries could be crispier but it could be cause they sit in the little container for too long all in all, it's a summer favorite!

Almost 19 dollars for a sundae and a small ice cream! Total rip off jersey cow and custard hut are way better I'll go there instead

Owner told me to get a burger... so I went to go and get a burger... Everything about the ice cream is still true, so read below for that. Maybe I should have went for something normal like a cheeseburger but I opted for the lamb burger. It got the job done as far as lamb burgers go, I was hoping it had a little bit more seasoning. The tatziki sauce was good though. What I really loved was their fries... good dirty fries with the skin on, good potato flavor with a crispy outside and soft inside. Yum. Downed it with smores ice cream.

Best experience. We were in Margate from vacation in Avalon visiting Lucy and wanted a good burger and fries. Looked up reviews on Yelp which brought us here. They were 100% on point. Incredible burger and fries. Real cheese wiz! Ice cream for dessert was delicious and the friendly staff was the cherry on top! Brought a treat home for our pup for her Birthday. Everyone wins! Can't recommend this place enough.

An iconic shore location that should not be missed. Wide variety of fresh, delicious desserts including dairy-free and vegan options. Owner always present and keeping customers happy and staff doing their job.

It's a very good atmosphere. I love the fact that the owner comes out to interact with his customers the food is very good and high quality

Great burgers, great ice cream with endless choices including " non dairy"!! Manager and staff very friendly and accommodating.....

Dairy Bar has quality ice cream that is a staple of Margate! The burgers are very good there as well! The prices tho... have gone up so much. For a small cup of ice cream is $10.00. That is outrageous! There are multiple other ice cream places in margate that are just as good, if not better and have lower prices.

They used to have the best burgers on the island but now, yuck. Forgetting the fact that a dbl cheeseburger is almost $15 now, had it been good it would have been ok. Bought dinner for 4 and no one was happy as well as getting the order wrong for 3 of the 4. Won't be returning anytime soon.

amazing ice cream!!!! i've never had a flavor that i didn't love. it's definitely expensive as far as ice cream goes, but it's a great treat when down the shore. they have a cute menu for dogs too!

A sweet place, probably less than a 10-minute slow walk from the beach. They have a variety of water ice, soft serve ice cream, hand dipped ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and all the fixing to be stirred in or topped. We ate lunch here and ordered ice cream. My daughter really enjoyed the veggie burger; I thought the grilled cheese and sweet potato fries were solid. There are actually three sides to order from; two for ice cream items and one for food. On the ice cream side, the young man seemed like I was bothering by ordering, the young lady taking the food order was very sweet. Seating is available with fans blowing overhead. The bathrooms were easily assessable and clean. Definitely would stop here again for a quick meal or a tasty treat.

The Ice cream is great and they do have a lot of options, just what person should want to pay almost $8.00 for a small kids cone. The owner claims he hasn't changed his prices during the pandemic but the menu and their prices say otherwise.

Top notch service. Friendly, fast, and compassionate. My family was over joyed with their dairy bar selections. The signature burgers are wonderful and worth a trip from any nearby shore point. Fresh and delicious beef, even application over cheese, crisp lettuce and bright red juicy tomatoes. My son commented that the tomatoes were his favorite part. This was our first experience here an will be a lifetime of patronage to follow.

This restaurant is a must for all tourists coming to margate. They have very good food. There burgers are nice and juicy while the cheese on them is melted to perfection. Also on their burgers is a stamp saying "Diary Bar". Their ice cream is a delicious treat for all ages. They have many flavors with almost endless toppings. They also have water ice that is delicious. While all this seems great, there is one problem: the price. It is stupidly overpriced. I do understand the economical situation the country's in right now but still there are other ice cream places with cheaper prices. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone

Great food and super friendly staff!!! We were traveling to Atlantic City from the Midwest and found Margate's ..... less than 5 miles from AC and TOTALLY worth the 20 min trip!

As a true bread local really?- Yes absolutely tried again , oh and again-packaged water ice, pre made ice cream and packaged soft serve again- Well no change in quality or service- poor service, abysmal quality Philly High school kids doing best to make money for college- do they care? Ahhh a resounding -NO! Sorry my friend-try hiring local!! HEY ALL THE BEST! Anyone wants real homemade ice cream and water ice look elsewhere -Atlantic and Cape May counties are ready to serve the real deal ! God Bless

Chilling with my dawja with a couple of MDB burgers and shakes. This place does it right. Burgers melt in your mouth. I added grilled onions and mushrooms. Delicious! Cornucopia of Shake flavors guarantee something for everyone. Three sizes to match this frozen treat to the size of the appetite. Service is excellent as well. Counter staff are patient and helpful. Plenty of outdoor and indoor seating with plenty of social distance.

I wanted to rate this in terms of the dairy-free ice cream. I haven't tried anything else as I am dairy free, but the ice cream was not very good. It is nice that they provide the option though, as not many ice cream parlors do. I have friends that enjoy their milk-based ice cream, this was just a review on the dairy-free alternative.

Cute place little hamburger place down at the shore. I can not imagine that we had never stumbled upon this place prior to today. We each ordered a burger with fries and a drink. Burgers were good, fries were amazing. We sat at the picnic tables which are painted in pastel colors to add to the friendly beach feeling of the place. Lots of people were ordering ice cream and milk shakes. There is not a lot of parking so good luck finding somewhere. We managed to snag one of the prime spots in the lot next to the Dairy Bar. There are about 8 spots and then your on your own. However, if you are craving a burger and fries, it is worth the walk.

i have been coming to dairy bar for 16 years with no complaints but today, i was charged over $17 for 2 small ice creams and one of the orders was wrong. extremely disappointed with my service today.

Burgers are pretty good, although line can be very long. Reminds me a bit of Five Guys in terms of the burgers. Ice cream is kindo f hit or miss in my opinion, but the place has a nice community feel, and the water ice options are pretty good. Covers a wide array of options for the family, which makes it a nice place to go to. About 3.5 stars overall.

The best burger ever, juicy and flavorful served on a potato bun. And they have gluten free hamburger and hot dog buns, and a doggie menu!! The staff is friendly, the restaurant is open, airy and inviting. Restrooms are gender neutral and family friendly and clean. Great place for a casual meal, oh and they have ice cream . Definitely worth coming by if you're in Margate or surrounding area.

So this place won the best burger in Atlantic county which is why I braved the summer beach crowd to give it a try. It was so worth it. Fresh ingredients, friendly staff, fair price...and it tasted amazing. I got their "special" burger; I honestly forget it's name but it tasted great. I got the single, but I would recommend the double. I also got a vanilla and peanut butter milkshake and it was one of the better milkshakes I've had which says a lot because I have a serious milkshake problem. If you want a negative, it gets busy and they are fairly slow. Also, parking in the area sucks. Well worth the visit, however.

The staff was super friendly! The food was cooked to perfection & I couldn't resist their ice cream. The venue was a neat set up with a garage door and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Highly recommend!

So we've been back like 10-12 times, a few times each summer, and 90 percent of the time, Chris the owner greets us at some point, table side - even when the place is getting slammed. That counts. Get a burger here, yum and quality.

Rip off, only received 4 onion rings, my daughter barely got any fries in her small order of cheese fries for $8! My turkey burger looked like a kids burger! Would never order from there again!

As far as local ice cream/burger joints go this place can't be beat! The service is always friendly and fast. They treat customers and everyone like family it's really refreshing! The food is even better!

The custard is the best I've ever had, the only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is because: 1. Lines are very long sometimes. I realize you are busy, but most other places, like Rita's, it only takes 30 seconds to get your ice cream. Here is seems to take 2 minutes to get a small cone of vanilla. 2. I hate the little windows you order through. It's ridiculous. They can never hear you and it's awkward to get your ice cream. 3. It's pretty expensive. I guess you have to make up for being closed in the winter, but I hate paying close to $5 for an ice cream cone. All those things above are worth .3 stars off the total, hence 4 stars. Maybe the owner can fix them. Definitely go though, it's delicious.

On a Friday night, this place is hoppin' - it seems like the entire town of Margate is huddled in line for burgers or ice cream. Despite the crowds, the lines move fast. We were served in 15 minutes or so, and the cashiers were very patient in letting us try samples of several different flavors before settling on our orders. Some of the tastier ice cream flavors: butter pecan, cookies and cream (can cookies and cream ever go wrong?), moose tracks, and salted pretzel Getting your ice cream on a warmed Belgian waffle with whipped cream is a good choice if you're with a large group that's ready to share.