Striking matchbooks from closed Tucson restaurants

Matchbooks used to be the perfect way to advertise your business. Here are some matchbooks from some notable Tucson restaurants and lounges. 

Lunt Avenue Marble Club was part of a Phoenix-based chain located in Tucson in a space most recently occupied by Old Pueblo Grille.

The Club made it 13 years in town before closing in 1990.

It was known, in part, for its giant drinking glasses that resembled pots for plants. 

One of Tucson’s classier joints, the Palomino catered to the likes of Lee Marvin, George C. Scott and presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush during its time open.

Restaurant patriarch John Gekas died in 1982. The Gekas family closed The Palomino in 1994. The address was also home to McMahon’s Prime Steakhouse until its closure in 2015.

The Chuckwagon was the winter residence for the legendary Western band Sons of the Pioneers for more than two decades before it closed in 2003.

Open since the late 1940s, Pancho’s was a popular destination not only for its food, but for its giant, 7-foot dripping candle.

The Gonzales family opened several locations over the years, including at 6011 N. Oracle Road, 6310 E. Tanque Verde Road and 7321 E. Broadway.

The Oracle and Grant Road locations are now Las Margaritas locations. The Broadway address is now Ba-Dar Chinese Restaurant.

Restaurateur John Paulos opened Paulos Steak & Chop House in 1956 in an old garden and pottery shop. 

The restaurant, which survived several calamaties, including a $125,000 fire sparked by a charcoal broiler in 1957, lasted nearly five decades before closing in 1993. 

John's son Nick now runs The Olives Bistro in Green Valley. 

Refugio and Juana Huerta opened La Fuente in 1960, taking over the space once occupied by the Black Hat Bar on North Oracle Road.

The restaurant was a big draw. With more than 11,000 square feet of space, it had a reputation for live mariachi music and tasty food. 

It closed its doors in 2014.

This Moroccan-themed restaurant at Prince and Country Club opened in 1972. It was built from the ground up to look like something straight out of Casablanca, and was known for its regular belly dancing performances. 

Today, the space is occupied by Shooter's Steakhouse and Saloon. 

Dean and Millie Short opened Ye Olde Lantern in 1959 in the home of a former barbecue joint known as the Green Lantern. The 1959 menu included a top sirloin for $3.50, Australian lobster tails for $3.25 and swordfish for $2.30.

Ye Olde Lantern closed for good in 2006. The space is now an Elks Lodge (No. 385). 

Norman Sarlat and Chuck Shaieb opened The Baron's in 1970 as an homage to the Old West and, in particular, James Reavis, an early Arizona land baron known for his fraud and forgery activities. 

Scarlet and Shaieb sunk $200,000 into the property, which covered more than 6,700 square feet. Canyon Rose Academy now stands at that address. 

The Tack Room, opened in 1965 off of North Sabino Canyon Road, was a destination dining restaurant for decades. It was awarded five stars by the Mobil Travel Guide in 1977 and eight consecutive AAA Five Diamond Awards from 1977 to 2000. 

It closed in 2003, but the Tack Room website is still active. The biography on the site claimed it was the first restaurant for fine dining in Arizona. 

Jim Gekas opened Harpo's in 1979 where Flycatcher is today at East Sixth Street and North Fourth Avenue.

It closed in 1984. 

Owned by Al Ganem, The Jester’s Court opened in 1969 with 6,000 square feet of space and room for 175 patrons.

Besides the live music, the restaurant and cocktail lounge attracted customers with two live black panthers behind glass.