When I first moved to Denver, Colorado, I had heard stories about the Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita. Casa Bonita, an off-beat suburban restaurant that’s seen better days, was a staple of many Denverites’ childhoods. Memories filled with exploring vast indoor cave dwellings, watching cliff jumpers dive into a massive pool of water, random gorilla sightings, and a Disneyland-like atmosphere that welcomes guests with cafeteria-style Mexican food, Casa Bonita’s popularity was attributed to a wonderment that consumed all 52,000 square feet of the humongous eatery.
Time has not been kind to one of Colorado’s most visited attractions. The COVID-19 pandemic sent the owners of Casa Bonita into bankruptcy, and many Denver area residents feared the worst: their beloved establishment would close forever. It was looking like that would be the case despite protests and campaigns to save it, but then the most famous Colorado natives decided to live out their dreams.
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone purchased Casa Bonita and have worked for the past several years to renovate it. They once dedicated an entire Season 7 episode of their Emmy-winning animated series to their love of the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” is a documentary about their efforts to bring Casa Bonita back to life with a multi-million dollar budget that balloons over the course of the 88-minute film.
Desiring to keep the restaurant brand as traditional to its roots as possible, Parker and Stone commit to the quirky environment that they know will keep patrons happy and families coming back for more.
Life-long Colorado residents Parker and Stone know well what changing a beloved institution like Casa Bonita would mean to the Denver community. Stories of how bad the food has always been, yet the experience of walking around the restaurant and observing its many peculiarities more than made up for it. Parker remarks at one point during the documentary that as a kid, “The nice thing about Casa was that since it’s an enclosed place, your parents could just sit at the table and you could just go roam around by yourself… which to a seven-year-old was a lot, it felt big.”
That’s the magic of Casa Bonita.
“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” seeks to bring attention to Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s reasoning behind purchasing one of their favorite childhood restaurants while attempting to keep its charm and history alive. They’ve successfully revamped the pink-painted restaurant flanked by a towering outside fountain by hiring a new chef, custodial staff, and kitchen staff and promoting their achievements alongside Colorado Governor Jared Polis. All of this comes at a very (very) high cost, complete with numerous delays and what some might call a genuine money pit.
What many Denver residents will tell you that this documentary doesn’t is that reservations for the reopened Mexican establishment have so far been limited to invite-only through an email sign-up list. It’s been reported that reservations will open to the general public starting in October, but for a while, the renovations described in this film have only been witnessed by a small portion of Coloradans.
I was lucky enough to experience the new, and some would say improved, Casa Bonita recently. Having never eaten at the restaurant before, I had expectations based on friends’ stories of what they remembered it to be and what the food tasted like. Nothing prepares you for what it feels like to walk into the restaurant, a truly Disney-like encounter that takes you through multiple dimensions of indoor activities that strive to make you feel like you are still outdoors.
Yes, there are employees confusingly dressed in gorilla costumes. Sopapillas galore, starry skies, and waterfalls surrounding the restaurant make you completely forget that you’re in a strip mall directly next to Dollar Tree and Planet Fitness. But that’s the appeal that Stone and Parker seem to be going for and the appeal Casa Bonita has presented for decades. Denver residents understand the food isn’t the draw here… it’s the quality of its atmosphere.
“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” isn’t as engaging as director Arthur Bradford’s tremendous “6 Days to Air,” a documentary that details the weekly production of “South Park.” What it does well is signify that a cherished establishment can get its flowers and make memories for the varying generations of people who call Casa Bonita home. Matt Stone and Trey Parker put their heart and soul into making sure their favorite spot stays a favorite for those who remember it with high regard, staying true to their roots and creating memories for new clients looking for adventure and excitement with their tacos.
“¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” is currently in theaters and will premiere later on Paramount+.