“The Great Wall Challenge” features 36 scoops of ice cream in 12 different flavors, two brownie slices, two bananas, two wet toppings, three dry toppings, whipped cream and of course… a cherry on top.
If a voracious customer finishes the tasty mound in under a half hour, the $30 concoction is on the house at Wall’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, a South Miami-area community staple at 8075 SW 67th Ave.
David Hoffmann, a professional food connoisseur and South Miami native, tried – but failed — the “really, really insane challenge” five years ago.
“The place is very special,” said Hoffmann, 37, who has been going to Wall’s since he was a kid. “The ice cream is so delicious. I recommend them all the time,” said Hoffmann, a social media personality with more than one million YouTube subscribers.
Shop owner Felipe Grabiel counts fewer than 10 winners since he took ownership of the business seven years ago. The ice cream challenge was established at Wall’s in 2002, but Grabiel said the parlor’s less extravagant menu items are what keeps customers coming back for more.
Wall’s embodies the nostalgic ambience of a 20th century ice cream parlor created by large outdoor candy cane-colored umbrellas and circular picnic tables where customers relax and enjoy “servings of happiness,” Grabiel said.
Within the property’s white picket fence, joyful screams can be heard as adolescents play games like Connect Four and Ring Toss. Little feet skip up the floor ramp painted with a colorful game of hopscotch as tiny hands grip freshly painted cherry red railings that glisten in the sun leading to the shop’s entry.
“Once in a while I bring my two youngest grandchildren for ice cream,” said Coral Gables resident Mary Zents. “You would think we are headed to Disney World with how excited these two get.”
Inside, patrons encounter silvery-gray metallic seating, checkered floors, and 5-cent Coca-Cola ads on vintage aluminum signs.
Wall’s regular David Rodriguez said he drives more than 30 minutes from Key Biscayne for his favorite “Coconut Joy,” a rich, creamy, and sweet flavor complimented with mini coconut and chocolate flakes.
“A few years back I stopped in at Wall’s on my way home from Dadeland Mall,” Rodriguez said. “I was hooked. It was hands-down the best ice cream I ever had, and now I try to make the trip at least once a month.”
Grabiel said the parlor tries to reward customer loyalty by ensuring customers’ favorite flavors remain on the menu.
“It’s hard to change a menu when every flavor is the favorite of at least one loyal customer,” he said.
The shop recently opened window service. Loyal Wall’s customer Emma Williams said because of the new window service, she and her husband no longer have to herd their three overly excited children in and out of the shop.
“We also like to bring our dog,” Williams said. “The window makes it much easier.”
Giving back to the community is important to Grabiel. Wall’s donates 20% percent of proceeds from its catering services to schools and fundraisers, including Temple Beth Am and Epiphany Catholic School.
Wall’s has not been the only “old-school” ice cream parlor catering to the Coral Gables, South Miami and Kendall communities, but it outlasted two other longtime parlors.
Dairy Queen, a roadside institution that opened in 1954 approximately a mile away at 8545 S. Dixie Highway, closed in late 2022. Swensen’s Grill & Ice Cream Parlor in Coral Gables, which opened in 1977, closed in April 2021.
Despite the trials and tribulations of the food service industry, including a pandemic that kept customers at home, Wall’s stands strong, Grabiel said.
“This shop has been around for a long time and will be around long after me,” Grabiel said. “I am honored to be a part of its legacy.”
