A Holiday Gift From Casa Bonita
December 23, 2022 8:27 PM Subscribe
Raise your flag for another serving and watch the show. Matt and Trey and Dana have a special announcement in A Holiday Gift From Casa Bonita [1m]. To bravely quote from a YouTube comment from Chuck K: "Sopapillas! Black Bart's Cave! Cliff divers! Stalagmite room! Puppet show! Weird wishing well! More sopapillas! Thank you, Matt and Trey, for restoring this Denver treasure. May it survive thousands, if not millions of years into the future."
Oh, I forgot to include the context. For those unfamiliar, here's a 14m video about Casa Bonita. The pandemic closed it. It's being reopened. It's a bit of a legend among some circles.
posted by hippybear at 8:54 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 8:54 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Casa Bonita, shocking making its first appearance on the blue.
Immortalized by South Park, Casa Bonita is a chain of Mexican-themed entertainment restaurants which originated in Oklahoma City featuring varied attractions (including cliff divers!)
Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy in 2021 after 47 years in business as a result of challenges stemming from the pandemic. Later in 2021 South Park creators Matt and Trey bought the restaurant and have since invested millions in returning it to glory.
posted by matrixclown at 8:55 PM on December 23, 2022 [7 favorites]
Immortalized by South Park, Casa Bonita is a chain of Mexican-themed entertainment restaurants which originated in Oklahoma City featuring varied attractions (including cliff divers!)
Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy in 2021 after 47 years in business as a result of challenges stemming from the pandemic. Later in 2021 South Park creators Matt and Trey bought the restaurant and have since invested millions in returning it to glory.
posted by matrixclown at 8:55 PM on December 23, 2022 [7 favorites]
From Wikipedia: The Lakewood location was built in 1973 and opened in early 1974 on Colfax Avenue west of Denver, along U.S. Route 40/I-70 Business.[22] Similar in architecture to the Tulsa location (both were previously large retail store locations), the Lakewood restaurant seats over 1000 people at a time, and features strolling mariachis, flame jugglers (no longer allowed in 2019 for violating fire code), and a 30-foot (9.1 m) waterfall with cliff divers. It also has a small puppet theater, a "haunted tunnel" called Black Bart's Cave, an arcade with a large skee-ball room, and a magic theater. It was designated a historic landmark of the city in March 2015.[23]
I was there 20+ years ago and it was...something.
posted by Toddles at 8:55 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was there 20+ years ago and it was...something.
posted by Toddles at 8:55 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Cliff divers…Black Bart’s Cave…Sopapilla filled with honey…it’s 1989 and I’m one Ninja Turtle action figure from peak childhood.
posted by vorpal bunny at 9:25 PM on December 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by vorpal bunny at 9:25 PM on December 23, 2022 [8 favorites]
I moved to Denver just in time!!
posted by emjaybee at 9:38 PM on December 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:38 PM on December 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
So back around the turn of the millennium I was a dirtbag nineteen year old who had moved to West Los Angeles and didn’t know anyone. I developed a plan to remedy this by filling my pockets with as many drugs as my meager salary could afford and going to the Nuart Theater’s weekly midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and seeing who wanted to do a truly irresponsible amount of ecstasy and shrooms. I met some really fun people that way.
One night one of the cast members told me that the cast’s Brad had a friend with a big house and everyone was going there to party. Los Angeles provides a lot of opportunities to do drugs in other people’s expensive homes and at that point in my life the novelty had not yet worn off so I wasted little time before finding myself hippy-flipping naked and drinking vodka straight from the bottle in someone’s outdoor jacuzzi.
I gradually became aware that someone was in the jacuzzi with me and was asking if I wouldn’t mind passing the vodka over. I was amenable to that and we chatted for a bit and I learned he was the owner of the house. Eventually I asked him his name.
“Trey,” he said.
“Oh,” I said, “like the guy from Green Day.”
“No,” he said, “not like that.”
“Pffffffffffffft,” I said, “your name is Green Day.” I then proceeded to call him Green Day for the rest of the night.
I later learned that that is the story of my one and only evening in the company of Trey Parker. I haven’t been particularly impressed with the direction South Park went in subsequent years, but as a host he was surprisingly patient and gracious when he didn’t need to be.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:09 PM on December 23, 2022 [26 favorites]
One night one of the cast members told me that the cast’s Brad had a friend with a big house and everyone was going there to party. Los Angeles provides a lot of opportunities to do drugs in other people’s expensive homes and at that point in my life the novelty had not yet worn off so I wasted little time before finding myself hippy-flipping naked and drinking vodka straight from the bottle in someone’s outdoor jacuzzi.
I gradually became aware that someone was in the jacuzzi with me and was asking if I wouldn’t mind passing the vodka over. I was amenable to that and we chatted for a bit and I learned he was the owner of the house. Eventually I asked him his name.
“Trey,” he said.
“Oh,” I said, “like the guy from Green Day.”
“No,” he said, “not like that.”
“Pffffffffffffft,” I said, “your name is Green Day.” I then proceeded to call him Green Day for the rest of the night.
I later learned that that is the story of my one and only evening in the company of Trey Parker. I haven’t been particularly impressed with the direction South Park went in subsequent years, but as a host he was surprisingly patient and gracious when he didn’t need to be.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:09 PM on December 23, 2022 [26 favorites]
I only have vague memories of Casa Bonita from my childhood in the 80s. It was the rainforest cafe of Mexican restaurants.
posted by interogative mood at 10:17 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 10:17 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
I went to a Casa Bonita in Little Rock, AR in the late 70s but it had none of the amenities of the one in South Park except the tiny flag on your table that you could raise to get your server’s attention. And sopapillas!
posted by bendy at 10:28 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bendy at 10:28 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
As someone born and raised in Denver and who grew up not far from that area, I enjoyed many of my friends' birthday parties at Casa Bonita as a child. It was also a fun treat -- my parents would sometimes find a BOGO-entree coupon in the newspaper, which made it a relatively inexpensive way to entertain a kid for a few hours when the weather was terrible outside.
Once I was older and moved back to Denver after university, I then celebrated my friend's children's birthdays there, watching as it got more and more expensive and... even stickier? Less palatable? More broken down? Is that even possible? ...as the years went by. Oh, the terrible, terrible state of the skeeball machines!
However, despite attending many birthday parties there, both as a child and an adult, I never once celebrated my own birthday at Casa Bonita. But 2023 will finally be my year! I'm genuinely excited to see the updates they've made and what iconic features they've kept.
posted by paisley sheep at 10:32 PM on December 23, 2022 [10 favorites]
Once I was older and moved back to Denver after university, I then celebrated my friend's children's birthdays there, watching as it got more and more expensive and... even stickier? Less palatable? More broken down? Is that even possible? ...as the years went by. Oh, the terrible, terrible state of the skeeball machines!
However, despite attending many birthday parties there, both as a child and an adult, I never once celebrated my own birthday at Casa Bonita. But 2023 will finally be my year! I'm genuinely excited to see the updates they've made and what iconic features they've kept.
posted by paisley sheep at 10:32 PM on December 23, 2022 [10 favorites]
Metafilter: Oh, the terrible, terrible state of the skeeball machines!
posted by away for regrooving at 10:48 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by away for regrooving at 10:48 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
Does this foretell a resurgence in theme restaurants? Forgive them, they do not know what they do.
posted by Keith Talent at 11:10 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Keith Talent at 11:10 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
Having been a child living in the Denver area in the 80s was perhaps the greatest fortune of my life. I didn’t like the food as a kid but I sure did love the cliff divers!
posted by obfuscation at 3:26 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by obfuscation at 3:26 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, I remember Casa Bonita! We lived in Denver for a while when I was a child and my parents took me and my sister there a couple of times. It was such a treat.
posted by Kitteh at 6:11 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 6:11 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
There was one in my hometown! Such great memories. Perfect place for kids, full of cheap theme park-ish wonder, parents hated it with a passion. So cool that at least one of them is apparently going to be getting an upgrade to keep on going!
As for the food, I remember it was a running joke how bad it was. The last time I was there I was probably 11 or so and it honestly wasn't bad at all -- I suspect complaints about the food are largely just part of the fun. Then again, I was 11, so who knows.
posted by treepour at 6:58 AM on December 24, 2022
As for the food, I remember it was a running joke how bad it was. The last time I was there I was probably 11 or so and it honestly wasn't bad at all -- I suspect complaints about the food are largely just part of the fun. Then again, I was 11, so who knows.
posted by treepour at 6:58 AM on December 24, 2022
In 2010, my family ended up stuck in Denver after tornados made us miss our flight to San Antonio. A friend in the scooter community took us in and also took us to Casa Bonita.
"it's really bad food but fun."
"oh, I've had bad Mexican, I'm not worried."
"no, it's bad."
"how bad could it be?"
.
.
.
"Oh, yeah, that's bad."
At least the margaritas were strong!
posted by vespabelle at 7:23 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
"it's really bad food but fun."
"oh, I've had bad Mexican, I'm not worried."
"no, it's bad."
"how bad could it be?"
.
.
.
"Oh, yeah, that's bad."
At least the margaritas were strong!
posted by vespabelle at 7:23 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I know my cousin took his parents the first time they visited him in Denver.I didn’t believe what the described. I think every city needs a fun place to take guests. I would be very excited to go if I found myself in Denver!
posted by CostcoCultist at 7:29 AM on December 24, 2022
posted by CostcoCultist at 7:29 AM on December 24, 2022
Casa Bonita is also a tremendous episode, containing one of my favourite scenes that I often refer to in describing academia
May 2023 be the year my IRL Cartman nightmares finally end.
posted by avocet at 8:00 AM on December 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
May 2023 be the year my IRL Cartman nightmares finally end.
posted by avocet at 8:00 AM on December 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
Visiting my FIL and his wife back around '05 or so we convinced them to go due to our love of that episode. We found it great fun, but yeah, spent the whole ride home apologizing for subjecting them to the food. Still have a t-shirt hiding somewhere.
posted by calamari kid at 8:24 AM on December 24, 2022
posted by calamari kid at 8:24 AM on December 24, 2022
Casa Bonita was my favorite restaurant as a little kid growing up in Tulsa. Super big treat if we got to go there. It gave me a lifelong love for sopapillas, but more importantly, I think it taught me how to dream.
I was very jealous of the bigger locations. Got to see the cliff divers once when we visited Denver.
In Tulsa, there was another restaurant right next door to it called Crystal's Pizza that had an old style fortune teller machine.
Between those two places, I really grew up believing there were magical places in this world. I still do.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 8:43 AM on December 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
I was very jealous of the bigger locations. Got to see the cliff divers once when we visited Denver.
In Tulsa, there was another restaurant right next door to it called Crystal's Pizza that had an old style fortune teller machine.
Between those two places, I really grew up believing there were magical places in this world. I still do.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 8:43 AM on December 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
In the early 2000s Matt and Trey owned the domain casa-bonita.net (or similar, can't remember the exact spelling) and ran a listserv from it. So I guess they were playing the long game.
posted by credulous at 1:25 PM on December 25, 2022
posted by credulous at 1:25 PM on December 25, 2022
To this day I remember that the Big Sur Waterbeds Store was on E. Colfax next to Casa Bonita because their commercials always ran on Denver based TV stations. I assume it has long since closed.
posted by interogative mood at 5:17 PM on December 25, 2022
posted by interogative mood at 5:17 PM on December 25, 2022
I grew up in New Mexico. The 6th grade in our school did a musical every year and took it on the road. My 6th grade class in 1977 hopped on a Greyhound bus and went to Colorado Springs and Denver. The highlight of the trip was the night at Casa Bonita, all 40 or so of us running around exploring and running up the flags on the tables for refills. It’s legendary in my mind. Can’t remember the food at all.
posted by jenh526 at 5:08 AM on December 27, 2022
posted by jenh526 at 5:08 AM on December 27, 2022
I happened to visit my sister soon after weed got legalized in Colorado, and we proceeded to get high and watch South Park. Lo and behold the Casa Bonita episode comes on, we find out its real and decide to go! Popped a candy beforehand and had a great time. Yeah the food isn't great, but it's like Cici's is to pizza, it's technically in the food group but don't expect much. And having grown up around Poncho's buffet, I'd say it was the same quality.
Highly recommended after some edibles. Best day ever!
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:10 AM on December 27, 2022
Highly recommended after some edibles. Best day ever!
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:10 AM on December 27, 2022
Can’t remember the food at all.
That's probably for the best.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:58 PM on December 27, 2022
That's probably for the best.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:58 PM on December 27, 2022
« Older Lords A-Leaping +24%, Gold Rings +39% While Maids... | Ray Gun! Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:34 PM on December 23, 2022