The Enormous Colorado Restaurant With Its Own Waterfall Diving Show

You can trek over 13,000 miles of the Great Wall of China, or sit and admire the sparkling beauty of the Taj Mahal, but you haven't lived until you've visited the bright pink wonder of the world that is Casa Bonita. Nestled in an otherwise unassuming shopping center in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb about 15 minutes outside of Denver, Casa Bonita is pretty hard to miss. The restaurant towers over its fellow store fronts, a spot of bright pink against a brusk, suburban backdrop, cutting a golden glow from its domed top. From its peak, a statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last emperor of the Aztec people, looks over his domain. Casa Bonita is, at a very basic level, a Mexican restaurant, one of many such restaurants across Colorado, offering up fare such as enchiladas and burritos for a stream of steady customers. 

However, Casa Bonita is also much more than another kitschy restaurant; it's an experience, and one that has inspired not only generations of Denver residents, but the creators of the iconic animated series "South Park" as well. But what makes Casa Bonita so special? For one, it is huge; spanning over 52,000 square feet, the restaurant features various rooms shaped into fake mines, and caves, and Mexican landscapes. But perhaps the restaurant's most iconic feature is its 30-foot-tall waterfall, and this water feature isn't just for looking at. It is the setting for the restaurant's famous diving shows, which are one of the restaurant's many amazing features. Of course, we'll have to plunge beneath the surface to get the whole picture.

Okay, so what makes Casa Bonita so special? After all, you can find Mexican restaurants in almost any corner of the U.S., with Mexican restaurants making up 10% of all restaurants in the United States. But Casa Bonita goes beyond what a typical restaurant can offer. In fact, Casa Bonita blurs the lines between restaurant and theme park, offering entertainment and amusement along with a hot plate of Mexican cuisine (think lots and lots of enchiladas and burritos). The restaurant has been dubbed the "greatest show in Denver" and "Mexican Disney" thanks to its immersive atmosphere. Besides its iconic cliff divers, it also features live music, puppet shows, fire jugglers, an array of arcade games, and some pirate-themed areas to boot. Casa Bonita is similar to, say, a Rainforest Cafe, another restaurant built on the basis of a heavily themed dining atmosphere.

Perhaps the one weak spot of Casa Bonita is its food, with many detractors calling out its dining options as being subpar or mediocre. Others dislike the restaurant for its overwhelming atmosphere, citing it as being too loud and, frankly, tacky. Still, that hasn't stopped the restaurant from becoming a Colorado icon, as many view its loud, tacky atmosphere through the lens of nostalgia. For them, the restaurant represents a callback to a simpler time, when restaurants were made for fun. After all, there is a whole business of theme-heavy restaurant chains, and Casa Bonita, in its singular glory, might just tower above them all.

In the Denver area, you either love Casa Bonita, or you endure it. The restaurant is big, fully decorated, and features an array of entertainment, including some roaming mariachi performers. Those who malign the restaurant deride its less than gourmet food, and balk at the kitschy atmosphere. However, for those who love it, there is simply no better place on earth. But how did the Casa Bonita come to be? Well, the tale of the bright pink tower begins in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where the first Casa Bonita restaurant opened its doors, way back in 1968. The restaurant was founded by Bill Waugh, who went on to open several more locations for chain in Arkansas, Texas, and, finally, in Lakewood, Colorado. And it was the Colorado location that would become Waugh's crown jewel. Construction began on the now iconic location in 1972. And though Casa Bonita was built within a local shopping center, in the shell of a former department store, the restaurant's construction was anything but typical. Waugh went all out in bringing his vision for the restaurant to reality, constructing waterfalls, and recreating the various building styles of different Mexican regions. 

The Lakewood Casa Bonita officially opened in 1974, and far outlived its other Casa Bonita locations. In fact, the Lakewood Historical Society named its Casa Bonita location as an official landmark within its community. And since its original opening 50 years ago, the restaurant has become the go-to spot for celebrations, special events, and family dinners — at least for those who love it. 

Of course, Casa Bonita wouldn't be standing today if it weren't for two of its most famous fans. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creative duo behind "South Park" and the Tony award-winning musical "The Book of Mormon," currently own the Colorado restaurant. The pair purchased the restaurant in September 2021, saving it from a bleak fate after the company that owned the restaurant filed for bankruptcy. When Parker and Stone came to the project, Casa Bonita was in rough shape. In fact, they spent about $40,000,000 reviving the Casa Bonita. The restaurant officially reopened in 2023. However, it was difficult to get a seat, with hopeful diners entering into a lottery in order to snag a seat. It wasn't until September 2024 that reservations became open to the public. And it seems like Casa Bonita has finally come back to life.

Even if it took some time, and a lot of money, it looks like Casa Bonita is getting back in the swing of things. Now, Parker and Stone's project to reopen Casa Bonita wasn't some slick business decision, but rather an act of love for the establishment. And this love for Casa Bonita has been forever immortalized both in their work to revive the restaurant, and "South Park," which features an episode named for, and featuring Casa Bonita. And, aptly enough, it is the main character Kyle Broflovski who calls Casa Bonita the "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants," a title which still endures.