Casa Bonita’s reopening allows for old memories to be remade. photo courtesy of Casa Bonita
The new ownership of Casa Bonita allowed for the reopening of Denver’s famous entertainment-filled Mexican restaurant.
Casa Bonita is a Mexican restaurant located in Lakewood, Colorado, but it is much more than just a restaurant and much larger than the front of the building suggests. Casa Bonita is a 52,000 square foot building with a kitchen and large dining area, waterfall and cliff diving performers, walk-through cave, arcade, magician, puppet shows, face painting, balloon artists, and roaming actors. Casa Bonita is a popular destination specifically for children in Colorado and visiting it is a memorable childhood experience for many Colorado residents.
Despite its association with the Denver area, Casa Bonita was once a chain restaurant originally opening in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1968. It then expanded to locations in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Little Rock, Arkansas, Fort Worth, Texas, and Lakewood, Colorado. Each of the locations outside of Colorado were closed between 1985 and 2011 although the Tulsa and Little Rock locations were both renamed Casa Viva before they closed permanently.
Even though Colorado’s Casa Bonita is open for business, the location did not go without its own struggle to stay open. Casa Bonita closed in March of 2020 due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the building went under new ownership in September of 2021 when Trey Parker and Matt Stone purchased the building for $3.1 million.
Parker and Stone are known for their creation of the comedy show South Park, but they both grew up in Denver and their childhood affinity for Casa Bonita compelled them to purchase and revamp the attraction. Their original budget of $6 million was a gross understatement of the funds required to revive the space and their renovations cost a total of over $40 million. Their renovations of the kitchen, the exterior of the building, the pool, and everything else were extensive and they revealed it all in the documentary ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! The complete renovation also included an improved dining experience with a brand new kitchen staff and menu.
Once renovations were completed, Casa Bonita had a soft opening in May of 2023 and reservations were opened to the public on June 23, 2023. Colorado residents were excited to visit the beloved destination and the business didn’t face any major issues after opening, that is until the actors and performers unionized and went on strike from October 30th to November 1st of 2025 in demand of higher wages. The strike ended on November 1st when the actors union and restaurant management entered mediation regarding new wages for the performers.
For the most part, Casa Bonita looks and feels the same as it did before it initially closed, apart from the replacement of the gorilla with the ManBearPig character from South Park. Casa Bonita is now a much safer and cleaner environment with a much elevated dining experience. The improvements made to the attraction are sure to exceed the expectations of all visitors and keep the magic of Casa Bonita alive.
