I got in to Casa Bonita! (Denver: buying, upkeep, live)

[SkyDog77]

Finally got in over the weekend and all I can say is rarely do things live up to the hype the way this did. Just amazing!

I’m a Denver native and have memories from Casa Bonita going back to the early 80s. I took my kids most recently right before the pandemic closed it down.

The best way to describe it is it’s exactly the same as it was before, but so, so much better!
The food is better (damn near amazing), the music is better, the service is better, and the production quality on all the shows is better.

We opted for cliff side dining and found it to be totally worth it. Loved every minute and could not stop smiling the entire time. I was seriously giggling like a little kid half the time. So much fun.

Thanks to Trey and Matt! They saved a landmark and I cannot wait to go back.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Finally got in over the weekend and all I can say is rarely do things live up to the hype the way this did. Just amazing!
. . .

So good to hear! Thanks for posting about it.

[bluescreen73]

Nice! We'll probably try to get on the list if/when the demand goes down. They spent something like $40 million on the reno.

[mkwensky]

How long were you on the list before you got the invite? Did you use multiple emails?

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

How long were you on the list before you got the invite? Did you use multiple emails?

A bunch of us were on the list since the spring. My sister-in-law got selected and we made a reservation for 8.

[veuvegirl]

I remember going here when I was a little girl! Best birthday ever!

[heavymind]

Interesting post, thank you! Casa Bonita was gone from my memory until I saw this. I visited Denver in the late 1980s and my hosts took me there. I looked at the pictures and map, and that was definitely the place. Don't remember the food at all.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by heavymind

Interesting post, thank you! Casa Bonita was gone from my memory until I saw this. I visited Denver in the late 1980s and my hosts took me there. I looked at the pictures and map, and that was definitely the place. Don't remember the food at all.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/u...estaurant.html

Here’s a great write up on everything that has happened there recently with the South Park guys buying the place and dropping $40M to clean it up.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by heavymind

Interesting post, thank you! Casa Bonita was gone from my memory until I saw this. I visited Denver in the late 1980s and my hosts took me there. I looked at the pictures and map, and that was definitely the place. Don't remember the food at all.

Count your blessings. It was terrible. They didn't have any stoves or ovens in the kitchen. They steamed everything. I'd call it low grade dog food, but that would be an insult to low grade dog food. The sopapillas were the only good thing on the menu.

[heavymind]

A lot of Mexican restaurants are like that: fun ambience, but crappy or unmemorable food. They have to pay for the mariachi band and parrot upkeep to draw patrons in, and the food quality suffers. Anyway, Casa Bonita was a fun childhood memory, so that's good enough for me!