Eats & Beats — The New Casa Bonita reviewed

Casa Bonita is back. And it is the weird, funky, funny, corny, kitschy, best time you and your out-of-town guests will have at one time, in one place. I saw Casa Bonita being its best self.

GETTING ON THE LIST:
I went to the website CasaBonitaDenver as they were getting close to re-opening, me and thousands of others. After a few months wait, I was invited! But I never saw the e-mail, so I sent a note to get back on the list, and I got invited again almost right away.

They give you about a six-week window, you determine the size of your party, and then you start trying to find a date and time on their scheduling software. Cliffside tables usually go first, and you almost have to visit the website daily to get the reservation you want.

You get 90 minutes to enjoy your meal, then you must leave your table and walk around, which is OK, because there are so many attractions, and you can walk around with your beverage while the kids are losing their minds with visual stimulation.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT:
Security is a new big deal at the doors of Casa Bonita. Empty your pockets for the metal detector screening and submit your bag for inspection. Once inside I began to realize the staff had some extra theatrical energy.

The big question is how’s the food! Casa Bonita was infamous for basically bad food, except for the sopaipillas, which were always great (and still are). Celebrated chef Dana Rodriguez has revamped the rest of the menu, the kitchen, and the food culture entirely. We shared the taco salad con pollo and the cheese enchiladas with green and red sauce. Our meals were fresh, tasty, and hot. The drinks were good, and the flags at the table work like magic. Raise the flag, here comes a server, like within a minute, like, every time.

The cliff divers (yes, actual cliff divers into a pool inside the restaurant) hammed it up and worked the crowd. I expected to see the gorilla, but instead, I saw a ManBearPig. He’s real, I guess.

And even though the restaurant was made famous by the Comedy Central show South Park, there was very little presence of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, or Eric. It’s still Casa Bonita, not Cartman’s world. The Mercado was filled with some pretty cool Casa Bonita gear.

WHAT’S THE SAME:
The sopaipillas have not changed, but they’re now served in a tray that keeps the honey from running all over the place. They’re hot and flaky, and my wife informs me that the honey they use is premium quality.

The attractions are what’s behind the $30-$40 plates. The entire staff is like cast members, and they are really into their roles- the balloon artist, the walk-around dealers helping the kids with their scavenger hunts, and the servers. The rhinestone-studded sheriff with a glitter microphone in his holster gave me a big “howdy, pardner,” totally in character. I should note that it looks like the gunfights are gone. Maybe those days are behind us.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The mariachi band is positioned on a fixed stage now, but they were excellent, with a diverse setlist of traditional, some cumbia, and some Latinized pop covers. And in the Mercado, when the puppet theater was dark, a couple of fine flamenco guitarists added to the Mexican fiesta village atmosphere.

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker bought the City of Lakewood landmark (est. 1973) for $3 million in late 2021, and have reportedly spent more than $40 million on renovations, including the kitchen, back-of-house, HVAC, health and safety items, and matching the pink color for the outside of the building. The bathrooms were very nice.

TAKEAWAY:
If you’ve been to Casa Bonita before, this new version delivers on all the details. But once you’ve been, it’s not for you anymore. Casa Bonita exists to blow the minds of your kids and your out-of-town guests.

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Photography: Enchiladas-Casa Bonita/Westword; Flag-Casa Bonita Mercado; Sopapillas-5280 Magazine; Mariachi-Paul H. Trantow