At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, a traveling salesman named Abe Doumar noticed an ice cream vendor about to turn away customers because he had run out of paper dishes. A nearby vendor was selling waffles. Doumar bought a waffle, rolled it into a cone, added ice cream, and changed the way America ate dessert. He went home, built the world’s first four-iron waffle machine that allowed him to roll one while three others cooked, and turned a single improvised moment into a family business that has been running for over 120 years. Doumar’s appeared in Season 4, Episode 5 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Brain Freeze,” which aired August 11, 2008. Guy Fieri was a fan of the Strawberry Willy sundae and the house limeade. The original four-iron waffle machine built by Abe Doumar in 1905 is still in use at the restaurant today. The Monticello Avenue location opened in 1934, after a hurricane destroyed the original Ocean View Amusement Park stand, and has not changed in any essential way since. Doumar’s received a James Beard American Classic Award in 1999 and the Gourmet Magazine award for best ice cream cones in the US in 2002.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue
City: Norfolk, Virginia
Cuisine: Barbecue / Ice Cream / Diner Fare
DDD Season: 4
DDD Episode: 5
Episode Title: Brain Freeze
Original Air Date: August 11, 2008
Address: 1919 Monticello Ave., Norfolk, VA 23517
Phone: 757-627-4163
Website: https://doumars.com/
Status: Open
About Doumar’s Cones & Barbecue
Doumar’s operates as a drive-in with carhop service, the same format it has used since the 1930s. On good weather days the four-iron waffle machine sits outside so families can watch the cones being rolled from their cars. The 1930s décor inside has not been modernized because there is no reason to change what works. The menu added barbecue sandwiches in the winter months to keep revenue steady year-round, which is why the barbecue exists alongside the ice cream on a menu that would otherwise seem to belong to two different restaurants. The North Carolina-style pork barbecue has its own following entirely separate from the ice cream crowd. Spike Lee used Doumar’s for a series of MSNBC promos in 2011, and the restaurant has been covered by Atlas Obscura as a genuine piece of American culinary history.
What to Eat at Doumar’s
The Waffle Cone is the reason the place exists, made fresh on the 1905 four-iron machine and still the best expression of what Abe Doumar invented in St. Louis. The Strawberry Willy Sundae is what Guy ordered during filming, built on that same waffle cone tradition. The Signature Limeade, made fresh with each order, was the other DDD highlight. The North Carolina-style Pork Barbecue Sandwich is what brings people who aren’t there for ice cream. The Milkshakes, made the way they were made when your grandparents were kids, are the item most nostalgia-driven visitors go straight to. Order a “Reggie” milkshake and they’ll put pieces of ice cream cone inside it.
Plan Your Visit
Doumar’s is open Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Closed Sundays. Carhop service available on good weather days.
Address: 1919 Monticello Ave., Norfolk, VA 23517
Phone: 757-627-4163
Website: https://doumars.com/
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Doumar’s is living American history. Stream the Brain Freeze episode on Amazon and find a Norfolk hotel on Booking.com to make a proper trip out of it.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue appeared in Season 4, Episode 5 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Brain Freeze,” originally aired August 11, 2008. Abe Doumar is credited with creating the world’s first waffle ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The restaurant received a James Beard American Classic Award in 1999.