I was looking way a place to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, when I came across a list of the best ice cream places in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Baked Bear was the place that interested me the most. I soon found out, they have the best ice cream sandwiches in the world.

The Baked Bear was started childhood friends Rob Robbins and Shane Stanger in 2013. The first location is in Pacific Beach, San Diego California but they soon spread. They now have over two dozen locations spread across 9 states.

I went to the one in North Bethesda; it opened in May 2018 and was their first location on the east coast. It still is the only one in the DC area. This location is a few miles north of the beltway, in a in a relatively new development named Pike & Rose. It is also Metro accessible, just a block north of the White Flint/North Bethesda metro station.

The Baked Bear in Bethesda is more like a stand than a restaurant. There is no indoor seating space, although there are tables and chairs outside.

Orders are placed at an ootside window, with the menu on a door next to it. While they have cones and sundaes, they are known for their ice cream sandwiches and that dominates the menu. Ordering is a four step process:

• Step 1: Choose your cookies ( or brownie)
• Step 2: Choose your ice cream
• Step 3: Choose your toppings
• Step 4: Whether or not you want it hot pressed.

There are about a dozen choices for each option. The cookie choices include popular types: Chocolate chip, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, and Snickerdoodle. But there more unique options are Gooey Butter Cake, Funfetti, and Cookie Monster. (I wonder what that is? I should have asked.) There are also gluten free Chocolate Chip and Fudgy Brownie cookies available.

Ice Cream flavors have the old standbys Vanilla (Old Fashioned Vanilla), Chocolate (Dark Chocolate), and Cookies & Cream. More exotic flavors include Butter Brittle Cake, Carmel Pretzel Fudge, and Mud Pie. The Vegan option is Chocolate Chip. All the ice cream is house made.

For the most part, the toppings choices are items that the edge of an ice cream sandwich can easily be rolled in. Things like chocolate chips, M&Ms, Heath Bar Bits, and crumbled Oreos. But they also include Hot Caramel and Hot Fudge. I thought that sauces as toppings would make it hard to hold the sandwich in your hand and eat it , but I soon found out that didn’t matter.

For my cookie, I originally asked for one of the daily specials, a Monkey cookie made with bananas and nuts. But they were sold out, so I chose Nutella Chocolate Chunk instead. I was then informed that I could get two different flavors of cookies. My second choice was the Cookies & Cream cookie. For my ice cream, I chose Toasted S’more; for my topping, Brownie Bits. I did not get the sandwich warmed, as I was worried the ice cream would melt too quickly.

The sandwich I got was enormous! With a generous amount of ice cream , it was far too big to put into my mouth. Because of this, Baked Bear serves the sandwiches with a spoons. When I ate enough ice cream to make it small enough to eat as a sandwich, I started to do so. But I quickly decided that I preferred eating it with a spoon. That allowed me to eat it more slowly, take my time, and enjoy it. Both the ice cream and the cookies were excellent. The ice cream was creamy, with a good mix of chocolate and marshmallow. The graham cracker taste was subtle, so the other flavors dominated. No complaints here. The cookies were soft and decadent. The Cookie & Cream was a bit too rich for me, but still very good. I preferred the Nutella one, which I loved. The Brownie Bits were rich and chewy; the perfect accompaniment to the ice cream. All in all, a great combination.

Final Thoughts

The Baked Bear is a fabulous ice cream place with very unique offerings. The sandwiches are huge, rich and decadent. Too decadent for me to have too often, but great for a special treat.