In 1945, former lightweight boxer and bartender Johnny Quaresma – known as Johnny Christmas – opened the Zombie Hut in Sacramento.

 There were flaming torches at the entrance and inside there was a thatched hut with a tropical storm area where diners sipped big drinks with little umbrellas. The fine dining restaurant had bamboo décor, blowfish lamps to light tables, canoes hanging from the ceiling and masks, tikis and stuffed animal trophies. The Hawaiian-Polynesian themed restaurant and nightclub quickly drew large crowds.

The cuisine included roast pig on weekends, and there was lavish entertainment.

Dancers who had come to America from Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga and Samoa, and who were known as the Hula Lovelies, performed nightly and were led by chief entertainer Albert Fakalata. One of the most popular dances was the Samoan Fire Knife Dance when a dancer twirled two knives with wax wicks on the tips of the blades that had been set alight.

In 1952, Quaresma sold the restaurant to Ed Hill, a naval veteran of WWII. He and his wife Beatrice hired architect Leonard Starks, best known for his design of the Alhambra Theatre in Sacramento, to refresh the décor.

The Hills sold the restaurant to California entrepreneur Bruce Brooks, owner of Capital Oil and Mercantile Bank, and he was often seen playing the piano at the restaurant after his purchase. Polynesian and Hawaiian-themed entertainment ended and there was a Love Boat theme and then disco. The restaurant closed in 1990.

As you can see, this lovely souvenir menu with two scarlet honeycreeper birds – native to Hawaii – is not a typical Tiki menu but we love the juxtaposition of the birds amid blossom and the name Zombie Hut.