Make a Trip to Doumar’s to See the World's First Ice Cream Cone Machine
Stepping out of the van I thought I had walked into the past.
With both feet planted on the ground and looking around me I could have sworn I was somewhere in the mid-1950s, but in an area that wasn’t so racist. Is that likely considering the year and where I was? No, but seeing as this was just a fleeting feeling that I was holding on to we’ll say that’s the case.
I was at the curbside drive through restaurant, Doumar’s in Norfolk, Virginia with a few other writers for a trip to cover restaurants in the city. This stop at Doumar’s was one I was excited about as it was the restaurant founded by the man who created the ice cream cone. The story behind the restaurant started in 1904 when Abe Doumar was at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. While there he wanted to buy ice cream, but the seller had nothing to serve it in. Sounds like a rookie mistake to me. Not too far away Doumar saw a man making waffles and put the two together. He rolled the waffle into a cone shape and put the ice cream inside of it. Not long after his food creation, he later brought his family who were living in Syria to the states and they began a family business. All together, they later built the first iron waffle cone machine. That same machine is still located and in use in front of Doumar’s today.
As could be expected, Doumar’s serves ice cream on their infamous hand roll cone. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, and lime and orange sherbet can all be scooped and served in their cones. Just as delicious are their cheeseburgers with cheese served on both sides, pork barbecue, and thick cut fries. Licking the vanilla on my scoop and sneaking fries from a friend while she wasn’t looking, the restaurant feels friendly. The carhops running in and out with food and the hurrying cashiers getting the line moving, made the restaurant lively. The bustle of it all was noisy but it felt jovial. It was a fun place to be and even if we were only there for a short period of time, it felt good to be around a little bit of history.
If you ever get the urge to make a quick visit to the past, do it at Doumar’s. You’ll be glad you made the trip and you’ll appreciate the history lesson.
Follow Them.
Address: 1919 Monticello Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517
Phone: (757) 627-4163
Hours: Monday through Thursday – 8:00am to 11:00pm, Friday and Saturday 8:00am to 12:30am, and Closed Sunday.
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
