Casa Bonita: Difference between revisions

The [[Lakewood, Colorado|Lakewood]] location was built in 1973 and opened in early 1974 on [[Colfax Avenue]] west of Denver, along [[U.S. Route 40 in Colorado|U.S. Route 40]]/[[Business routes of Interstate 70 in Colorado|I-70 Business]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Marty |last=Meitus |title=Casa Bonita at 20... Denver's Favorite Dive-In Restaurant |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=1994-03-15 |id=NewsBank ID 0EB4DE0EDFFFEE6D }}</ref> Similar in architecture to the Tulsa location (both were previously large retail store locations) features strolling [[mariachi]]s, flame jugglers (no longer allowed in 2019 for violating fire code), and a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} waterfall with [[Diving (sport)|cliff divers]]. The website Roadside America mentions that the restaurant has "Wild West shootouts, brawling pirates, [and] a dancing gorilla" that "can be viewed while you eat.".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Casa Bonita (In Transition), Lakewood, Colorado |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/13076 |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en}}</ref> It also has a small puppet theater, a "haunted tunnel" (Black Bart's Cave), an arcade with a large [[skee-ball]] room, and a magic theater. Since 2023, as a nod to its new owners, the restaurant has references to ''[[South Park]]'', such as a prop of [[Eric Cartman]] having food in his iconic table and a ManBearPig meet-and-greet. The restaurant is {{convert|52,000|ft2}} and can seat up to 1,100 patrons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Casa Bonita – Lakewood, CO: Historic Mexican Restaurant and Stage Show from South Park |url=https://www.uncovercolorado.com/dining/casa-bonita/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=www.uncovercolorado.com}}</ref>