 | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Text in several sections uses past tense for information that has passed and/or is no longer the case. Also in some places there is no info on what has happened since then in regards to what the outdated info is about. (October 2022) |
| Casa Bonita | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The front façade of the Casa Bonita located in Lakewood, Colorado | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1968–1993 (original restaurant) 1971–2011 (Tulsa location) 1974–2021; 2023–present (Colorado location) |
| Owner(s) | The Beautiful House, LLC (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) (2021–present)[1][2][3] |
| Previous owner(s) | Unigate (1982–1992) CKE Restaurants (1992–1997) Star Buffet, Inc. (1997–2021)[4][5] |
| Food type | Mexican |
| Street address | 6715 West Colfax Avenue |
| City | Lakewood, Colorado |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 80214 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39°44′31″N 105°04′15″W / 39.741927°N 105.070828°W |
| Seating capacity | 1,100 |
| Website | www |
Casa Bonita (lit. 'pretty house' in Spanish) is a Mexican restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado, located within the Lamar Station Plaza.[6] It first opened in 1974, and was originally part of a chain of Mexican entertainment restaurants that started in Oklahoma City. The restaurant attracted a cult following among Coloradans since its opening, and is considered by many to be an iconic establishment of Lakewood and the greater Denver metropolitan area.
In 2019, The Denver Post published a feature on the restaurant and described the decor, saying, "Its pink exterior conceals a vast network of nooks and crannies inside. While the main, multilevel dining room is decorated with plastic palm trees and strings of lights, different facades and themed rooms invoke regional Mexican architectural styles, including the resort of Puerto Vallarta." The centerpiece is a 30 foot (9.1 m) indoor waterfall with cliff divers, an imitation of the cliffs of Acapulco. The building is crowned with a gold dome and a statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor of Mexico.[7] It was designated a historic landmark of the city in March 2015.[8][9]
Casa Bonita temporarily closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its owner filed for bankruptcy in April 2021. Later that year, it was acquired by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who gave the restaurant a significant renovation. The restaurant held a soft relaunch beginning June 23, 2023, now billing itself as The Greatest Restaurant in the World![10]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HollywoodReporterwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McCormick-Cavanagh, Conor (September 27, 2021). "South Park Creators Buying Casa Bonita for $3.1 Million". Westword. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "The Beautiful House, LLC :: Colorado (US) :: OpenCorporates". Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "Star Buffet inks deal with 4B's Restaurants". Phoenix.bizjournals.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cbswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "JCRS Shopping Center store sign".
- ^ Wenzel, John (February 10, 2019). "Casa Bonita: The Definitive Guide to Colorado's world-famous Mexican restaurant". The Denver Post.
- ^ Briggs, Austin (March 20, 2015). "Casa Bonita named Lakewood Historical Society Landmark". The Denver Post. yourhub.com. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ Whitcomb, Don (2019). The Casa Bonita you never knew. Colorado Springs, Colorado. ISBN 978-0-578-56515-6. OCLC 1205596197.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Casa Bonita". Casa Bonita. 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.