Is The NEW Casa Bonita Worth The Price? My Full Food Review

Casa Bonita in Lakewood, Colorado closed in 2020 but the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, bought the landmark and reopened the famous establishment in 2023 with a full remodel and improved menu. Eager diners have flocked to experience the changes hoping for the best.

For most people, Casa Bonita is NOT worth it except if you want to relive the childhood experiences you had at the restaurant or if you are a super fan of the South Park television show. 

The food and overall experience felt very disappointing especially for the high price to enter the restaurant. The food tasted mundane and nothing about that whole night felt fun. 

There are great places to eat and drink in Denver, but Casa Bonita isn’t one of them.

I know a few of you may disagree with my review and I understand why, but I want to explain my position in more detail. 

Casa Bonita Is About Nostalgia

I learned that Casa Bonita was a place where children all around Colorado visited, even on school field trips. Families would come for a fun night out and everyone can enjoy the evening at an affordable cost. 

A few of my friends explained how they LOVED the experience as a kid, watching cliff divers perform dangerous flips, playing arcade games, and eating sopapillas to the point of bursting. 

The cheap food and wild atmosphere looked amazing through the eyes of a child. There was no other place like it.

The new Casa Bonita, for Coloradans, is about reliving those childhood feelings and emotions, capturing the wonder of feeling like a kid again. 

Even when we first walked in, my wife, who is a Denver native, squeaked with excitement, “It still smells the same!” 

The interior, despite the new remodel, felt familiar with similar lighting and overall aesthetic, so I was told. 

We came to Casa Bonita for a friend’s birthday and he explained how much he enjoyed the place as a kid and how much he loves it now. 

I, however, didn’t grow up in Denver and never visited Casa Bonita before. Yes, this was my first time. I am looking at this place through the eyes of the uninitiated with no attached feelings or sentiments.

I heard rave reviews from other Coloradans about the new changes and I was eager to taste this new and improved food for myself. 

The Food At Casa Bonita

I heard the food was bad before the remodel, and I can say for a fact that the food is TERRIBLE now. I’ve never experienced a more disappointing meal than what I ate at Casa Bonita. 

Walking in, I placed my order with the cashier and walked by the cafeteria line assembly where I saw them scooping out my food. This wasn’t a problem per se, but nothing was made or prepared fresh to order. 

My friends and I made our way to the table where we were all served the food. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, the chile relleno, but my first bites left me speechless.

The oven-baked chile (not fried) tasted bland with hardly any cheese on the inside. Dried out and almost inedible, the rice and beans tasted old, like they were made in the morning and sat on the counter all day. 

My heart broke when I realized that my dish only came with one meager chile. Just one small, lonely chile. Everyone else at the table ordered a protein dish and ate almost twice as much food as me while still paying the same price. 

Luckily, my wife and friends shared some of their food with me allowing me to taste the Chicken Mole, Enchiladas, Ceviche, and Carnitas Tacos. 

I hated the chicken mole and so did everyone who ordered it. The chicken felt super dry and hard to chew. 

The enchiladas were ok but lacked any real flavor. The pork for the carnitas tacos was good, but their house made tortillas were an absolute embarrassment. I’ve never tasted a tortilla that terrible. 

The only decent menu item that I tasted was the Ceviche, where I could actually taste the flavor in the tender shrimp.

To make dinner worse, sopapillas are no longer all you can eat. I heard countless stories about how Casa Bonita, before the remodel, served endless sopapillas and how every kid ate their fill whenever they visited. 

Now, everyone gets one sopapilla, and more costs extra. Plus, they tasted bland and lacked the satisfying crunch I was longing for. Why did I come here again? 

For me, I don’t believe it’s worth the trip. Maybe it was the time of day or just an off night, but the food did not come close to justifying the price.

A few days later, my friend went again with coworkers and told me the food was much better, so who knows what you might get.

The Atmosphere And Overall Experience

Despite the food disappointing me at every turn, the ambiance and atmosphere were actually quite nice. The tropical interior adorned with colorful lights hit me by surprise with the close attention to detail in all aspects of every decoration. 

The cliff divers jumped off the high waterfall spinning with impressive acrobatics and quick backflips before fearlessly diving into the bubbling blue pool below. 

A live mariachi band played a variety of music and it looked like most people were having a great time. 

Casa Bonita offers plenty of other entertainment options like a museum, gift shop, puppet shows, magic shows, and arcade. 

Since the evening was starting to run late, we only had time for the magic show which, unfortunately like the meal, disappointed on every front. 

I love witty and funny magic shows where the act is meant to make you laugh not to trick you. But this was terrible on another level not even worth the time.

The magic was especially gimmicky and the humor felt a bit forced. Nothing made me laugh and the silent children in the audience felt the same. Only a few drunk adults appeared to enjoy the show. 

I am sure the puppet show and arcade would have been stellar experiences but they were shutting down and we couldn’t stay. 

Meals, Prices, and Costs

Currently, Casa Bonita’s price is set at $39.99 for adults and $24.99 for children ages 3-12 for weekends and dinner. Weekday lunch is available only on Fridays between 11 am and 2:30 pm at $29.99 for adults and $19.99 for children and will soon be available Monday-Friday. Kids aged 2 and under are free. 

Alcoholic drinks and other beverages are available at additional costs.

After taxes and fees, my wife and I paid a little over $50 per person for dinner. For that cost, I can eat at some of the best restaurants in Denver and enjoy every aspect of the night. 

How To Get Reservations

Reservations are currently done through a ticketing system with an online email sign-up. No real reservation system is currently in place. Submit your information and they will email you when openings are available. 

You must pick your day and time and pay for your WHOLE meal to secure your reservation. This is a bold move as I’ve only seen this practice with fine dining restaurants. 

Final Thoughts on the New Casa Bonita

Unless you visited as a kid or want to experience the place by watching South Park, I don’t think you will enjoy Casa Bonita. The food and price are the two main factors that hurt my experience. 

I understand my money pays for the overall experience and not just the food, but the meal tasted so bad, that it goes on my list of worst meals of all time. 

To put this into perspective a family of four will need to pay a minimum of $150 plus taxes, fees, drinks, and money for the arcade for a night at Casa Bonita. That is an expensive family night. 

My friends explained that Casa Bonita focused on family fun nights that everyone could afford. Now, it’s more geared toward those who can afford hundreds of dollars upfront. 

Casa Bonita Information

Address: 6715 W Colfax Ave, Lakewood, CO 80214
Website: CasaBonitaDenver.com
Phone: (303) 232-5115
Reservations: CasaBonitaDenver.com/newsletter