There are experiences you will always remember and Casa Bonita is certainly one of them. My friends recently moved to Denver and when I visited we all headed off to check out this place.
Prior to going, my friends had me watch South Park season 7, episode 11, titled “Casa Bonita”. Cartman wants to go to the restaurant which is pretty faithfully depicted in the episode. After seeing the show, I was dying to see the real thing.
Casa Bonita – The Entrance
The South Park version of the restaurant is quite similar to what you see in real life. There are even similarities in the surrounding shops which is amusing.
Ordering Food
Once inside, you walk through an area for queuing until you reach a till and place your order. It is generally recommended that you have the All You Can Eat Deluxe Dinner which comes in at $17.12 per person.
What do you get? The menu says – “Includes a crispy taco, two enchiladas, Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole and sour cream. Deluxe Dinners also include chips, queso, salsa and our world famous sopaipillas with honey.”
Eventually you grab a tray and shuffle it along for a bit until you’re given your plates of food. Next you go up to a spot where a server grabs you and whisks you off to a table.
The Casa Bonita Experience
Casa Bonita is huge inside! I mean Zeppelin hangar type huge! There are tables everywhere but the space is divided up so it seems much more intimate than it actually is. Loads of trees and rocks and all sorts of things break up the space.
Overall Thoughts
For those of you with a family and kids, Casa Bonita is going to blow your children’s minds. They will love everything about it as a lot of it is designed for younger people. The only minor quibble was that the sound wasn’t great during the Monkey show, as the noise of the waterfall makes it difficult to hear the performers.
That being said, there is still plenty for the young at heart and this restaurant really has to be seen to be believed. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Waterfalls, rocks, trees, divers, food, the sheer amount of seats and the rest. Definitely a must do if you’re in Denver!
Have you been to Casa Bonita? What’d you think? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Happy to hear it lived up to Cartman’s hype!
Hahaha! He certainly went nuts for it! Thanks for the comment!
When I was 6-7 years old in the mid-70s, my family lived in Denver and we went semi-regularly. As kids, we loved it. After seeing this article I’m going to have to ask my parents what they thought of it at the time.
I think that the first one was actually built in Oklahoma City and then the second in Tulsa. I never went to the OKC location but I remember it being there when I came to the city in 1987 for college.
I think this article will push me to go back the next time I’m in Denver for work.
That would be interesting to hear, what your parents thought of it at the time. They clearly didn’t mind going again since you guys enjoyed it so much. It’ll be interesting to see what you think of it with adult eyes if you end up going again in Denver. If you do, make sure you let me know and I’d also be interested in hearing what your parents thought of it back in the day. Thanks for the comment!
This is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about Casa Bonita food. It’s not awful, but like school cafeteria quality; would honestly be an improvement if they just charged a $10 entrance fee and sold you Taco Bell food.
Haha – well, I was being polite I guess – it was certainly edible. If I went again I would take it easy on the food (or maybe get the Fajitas) and then load up on the sopaipillas. Thanks for the comment!
They used to have one of these in Tulsa also. I’ve been to the Denver location a few times over 40+ years. It isn’t as nice as it used to be back in the 1970’s but still close. It can be a bit irritating when busy if you are seated near the cliff diving as rude folks may try to crowd around your table but other than that it’s fun and interesting.
True, I did see people crowding tables if you are near the waterfall – I guess some things never change. It definitely is an experience! Thanks for the comment!
Miss the Casa Bonita in Tulsa quite a bit. Brings back great college time memories. It shut down sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s. The Denver operation is the only one left in the franchise.
I wasn’t aware it was a chain, so that’s news to me. Thanks for letting me know – I guess it’s good to have one left, it sure is interesting! Thanks for the comment!
Haven’t been in 20 years since we lived in denver. It is definitely a memorable place. I don’t recall thinking that the food was outstanding, but you have to go here at least once just for the scenery and entertainment.
I completely agree with you, there’s certainly a lot going on every quarter of an hour. I’m glad I went and checked it out. Thanks for the comment!