I was on the Casa Bonita wait list for two years before I made it in the building. The unbelievable, sad truth? I never did end up receiving that golden email saying: You! Yes, you. You were selected to eat at Denver’s most exclusive restaurant! Instead, an anonymous member of Casa Bonita’s Founder’s Club blessed me with a reservation, (of course, still seven weeks out) and the rest is history.
With their new reservation policy, more diners than ever will have the ability to access this same experience. Here’s how my reservation went!
Come the day, I grabbed my bestie, took $150 out of my savings account, and began the 45 minute drive from Boulder. Spotting the bright pink facade from Colfax Boulevard, I let out a scream. I had waited years for this. I was more excited for Casa Bonita at my big age of 21 than I ever was as a 7-year-old going to Disney.
Gleefully, I gave the outdoor hostess my fake name for the afternoon, handed over my bag for search, and entered the building. After waiting in two short lines, a new hostess came over to escort us to our table. To my surprise, we were seated on the terrace… in perfect sight of the diving pool. Jackpot. As if I hadn’t been wooed enough by the magical mystery of how Casa Bonita cramps so much decor, character, and activity into one seemingly small strip mall storefront, the restaurant was blessing me with a meal-time view of its most iconic attraction.
Both my bestie-guest and I chose to partake in the taco salad with carnitas served on the side, surrounded by a fluffy taco bowl. Now when I say it was scrumptious, I mean it was scrumptious. This was genuinely the best salad I’ve ever had in a restaurant, but if this vegan-friendly option doesn’t entice you, Casa Bonita also offers main-course burritos, enchiladas, nachos, and tacos. And of course, in addition to your entree, the restaurant supplies its famous sopaipillas with its flat-rate dining fee at the slightest raise of your table’s flag. These sugary, honey-coated sweets were the perfect top-off to the meal.
If you’re 21+ and feeling spicy, for an extra $13 plus tax, 15% service charge, and tip, you can enjoy a draft cocktail. I opted for a salt-rimmed blueberry margarita, per my kind and attentive server’s recommendation, and was frankly a little disappointed. Though, I was glad to have the drink later as we traversed the crowded attractions.
Black Bart’s cave was a surprising blast. This cave was designed back when Casa Bonita opened in 1974, and not much about it has changed. If you lean into it with a good friend (margarita in hand) it really is super fun, and a bit scary! The free face painting line was back-logged with kiddos, but if we’d had some patience I’m certain we’d have sported a lovely rainbow or dragon for the remainder of the night.
The roaming characters, mariachi band, wishing well, and museo all gave the place a really fun amusement park feel—adventure and entertainment was everywhere. While we didn’t stop in to see The Insanely Mysterious Sorsoro, we watched a full house trample out of the theatre as we waited to view the cliff diving show from its base. The diving show, which takes place every 20 minutes, was truthfully way less underwhelming than I’d imagined—after all, we’re talking strip-mall, pseudo Mexican-restaurant diving act. Nonetheless, the divers seemed like they were having a blast performing to the packed room.
The restaurant makes great use of its space, inviting you into the fantasy world of Casa Bonita, a place where story meets dining. We didn’t make it out of the building without spending upwards of $200 on our collective bill for lunch and *very necessary* matching merch purchases, but neither of us left feeling robbed of a cent. The joy was palpable and created a memory that will last forever. It’s 5 stars from me.