Casa Bonita 🏠💃

I went there a couple of months ago, and I want to go back soon! I am talking about Casa Bonita, of course. You might know it from the TV show South Park (featured on Season 7, Episode 11). It’s a real place, and it really is the Disneyland of Mexican restaurants.

Casa Bonita is a huge 52,000-square-foot Denver, Colorado landmark. It’s been there since 1974 and is well known for its theme park-like interior areas, featuring an indoor waterfall, cliff divers, and haunted caves. After covid struck, the owner of Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy. Then, South Park creators stepped in, bought the restaurant, and spent a whopping $40 million on its restoration.

I don’t live anywhere near Colorado, but I did have some free airline miles from a credit card, so I booked a free round-trip flight for me and my partner. We left on Friday and came back home on Sunday. The hotel I booked was really nice. It was almost like an apartment with a full kitchen, living room, and bedroom. There was a nice pool and hot tub, too.

We went to Casa Bonita on two separate occasions that weekend. As far as the food goes, the main entrees were okay, not amazing but not terrible. The sopaipillas were REALLY good, we had several of those! Asked the waitress to keep them coming. Sopaipillas are a crispy, puffy, deep-fried, light bread served with a drizzle of honey. Sooo good. BUT, the food isn’t the main attraction; it’s the atmosphere. There is so much to see and do, you can just wander around in there all day long. There are lots of activities and entertainment are going on all over the place.

Walking around in Casa Bonita, you’ll catch some live music, including a full mariachi band and guitarists. The magic show and puppet show are 100% must-sees. Let’s not forget the world-famous cliff divers doing flips and other acrobatics off their big man-made waterfall. There are interactive elements like the wishing well, face painting, balloon artists, jailhouse photos, Black Bart’s Cave, and the opportunity to meet roving characters like ManBearPig. There’s also an arcade, a museum, and a gift shop. The list goes on and on.

Here are some photos and videos I took while we were there: