Arkiva Tropika is the online archive of the collection of Mimi Payne. This large collection includes a wide array of mostly pre-1970 menus, postcards, matchbooks, and paper ephemera souvenir items, mainly from Polynesian and other Exotic themed restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, bars, and the like.

Mimi can be contacted at aloha@
arkivatropika.com.

dinner menu from Hawaiian Gardens - San Jose, CA

Item added on December 18, 2006, 11:27 PM
Latest picture added on December 18, 2006, 11:31 PM

The Hawaiian Gardens nightclub was located at 1500 Almaden Road in San Jose. Formerly called Low Curto Gardens, the Hawaiian Gardens had daily floor shows and trained bullfrog performances. The frogs were a popular draw to the nightclub, skilled in such tasks as climbing tiny ladders, croaking to passers-by in the outdoor gardens, and (as this menu cover photo suggests) sitting down to have a drink & a cigarette. The frogs were also featured on Grantland Rice's "Sportlight". Hawaiian Gardens was open until the mid 1960's.

1950's dinner menu, front cover w/ view of gardens & trained frog

Tags: California, menu, Polynesian

1950's dinner menu, closer view of trained frog photo

Tags: California, menu, Polynesian

1950's dinner menu, inside page spread

Tags: California, menu, Polynesian

1950's dinner menu, back page

Tags: California, menu, Polynesian

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