If there’s one thing Matt Stone and Trey Parker know how to do well (I mean, besides create a super sensational 26-season adult cartoon), it’s generate a buzz. At the time of writing this newsletter, Casa Bonita has still not announced an official opening date, but I was invited to a press preview of the new and improved Pink Palace last week. So I’ve got some fresh, hot deets:
First impressions: I called up my audio producer Paul Karolyi from the parking lot. You can hear my first impressions of what I saw on the City Cast Denver podcast.
What’s changed? Aesthetically, hardly anything! (At least, in the areas we were allowed to snoop.) There are a few new, still-on-theme decorative pieces, especially along the entrance line, but mostly the place is just … sparklier. And waaay cleaner. (But yes, it still smells like an indoor pool.) The changes were mostly minute and safety-related: Widen the waterfall pool, replace the cliff rocks, add more ADA-compliant features, etc. However, there were a few big changes worth noting:
- A plate of food (ordered at an old school cash register just inside the door) is no longer required for entrance. Instead, there is an actual ticketing booth with eight windows selling admission that will include your entry, your food, and all the magical entertainment that awaits you inside. (Pricing not yet disclosed.)
- Instead of waiting in a dark, damp hallway for your food to shoot out of a hole in the wall on a plastic lunch tray, acclaimed local chef Dana Rodriguez tore down some walls so you can watch your dinner being plated (which, as she’s alluded to before, will be entirely made from scratch in-house).
- Speaking of the food … While I didn’t get to try anything more than a sopapilla, the CB team did share some photos, and it looks waaay tastier than the mediocre school-lunch-style Mexican food they served previously. There will also be gluten-free and vegetarian options!
Chef Dana Rodriguez serves up fresh sopapillas. Plus, new sopapilla flags! (Peyton Garcia / City Cast Denver)
A sneak peek of the new menu. (Credit: Feed Media)
What about Black Bart’s Hideout? What about Chiquita?? While I didn’t visit Black Bart’s hideout myself, press photos do show the fan-favorite feature intact. The fate of our favorite table-dancing gorilla remains unclear.
How and when can I get in?? TBD. The CB team has described this as a “soft opening.” The restaurant will open with limited dinner hours, and the first guests will be pulled (randomly?) from the CasaBonitaemail list. No walk-ins. Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul recently told us it would be opened to the public in a “phased approach.”
Performers practice dives from Casa Bonita’s famous 30-foot waterfall. (Peyton Garcia / City Cast Denver)
That’s all we know for now. But while you wait and speculate, listen back to our last couple years of Casa Bonita coverage:
- Inside the Fight to Save Casa Bonita - 04/15/21
- Why Casa Bonita is Text Book Fun (And Why Matt and Trey Couldn’t Ruin It If They Tried) - 10/06/21
- BONUS: Is Casa Bonita More Fun Than Meow Wolf? Or Lakeside? - 10/06/21
- Could the Words ‘Gourmet’ and ‘Casa Bonita’ Really Go Together? - 11/19/21
- Casa Bonita’s Food Needs Help! Chef Dana Rodriguez to the Rescue - 11/22/21
- Hungry for Casa Bonita Updates? We’ve Got a Spicy One - 08/16/22
