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Beyond Tiki, Bilge, and Test / Beyond Tiki / Casa Bonita, Lakewood/Denver CO. (restaurant)

Post #602453 by Hakalugi on Sun, Aug 14, 2011 4:53 PM

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I first heard of Casa Bonita back in 2000 while planning a business trip to Denver, Unfortunately I wouldn't get to visit at that time. There was no way I could justify taking co-workers to what essentially might be construed as a Chuck-E-Cheese on steroids in the middle of a strip mall. Finally, over 10 years later, I had a chance to spend a few days in Denver, this time with wife and child in tow. First I did some more research on Casa Bonita and the consensus is that the food is deplorable. The Mexican entrees are all prepared with what may be goopy nacho cheese from a can. Supposedly they claim kids like it better this way. Additionally, the meat has been described by some as cat food. Unfortunately, to gain entry to Casa Bonita you must purchase a meal. So with this caveat in mind we were psychologically prepared. Our plane landed in Denver on a Friday around 12:00 noon, first stop after picking up the rental car... Casa Bonita!

Yes, Casa Bonita is in a strip mall. Here's a Google Maps street view approaching Casa Bonita:

Casa Bonita is huge. Apparently the location was previously a multi level department store.

Outside of the entrance is this plaque:

Upon entering you can pick up a small paper menu:

You then stand in a line and give your food order to an attendant. We wanted to avoid anything with meat. Fortunately they did have some non-menu items and also do special orders without any fuss. Today they had a Chile Relleno entree which I ordered. My eight year old daughter special ordered a bean and cheese burrito entree and my wife special ordered a cheese enchilada entree. You then continue in line and pick up a tray, silverware, drinks and then food. Then you wait to be seated. I have been told that people may wait up to an hour or more just to get their food order and then seated. You may wait even longer if you ask to be seated near the waterfall where most of the entertainment action happens. Fortunately we were there early enough to beat the weekend crowd and were promptly seated right next to the waterfall.

Soon the food arrived:

Chili Relleno:

Bean and Cheese Burritos with chocolate shake (or as they call it, a Chocolate Bandito):

Cheese Enchiladas:

Yes, the cheese on the enchiladas was some sort of goopy nacho cheese possibly from a can. Casa Bonita could easily improve their food reputation by at least offering an option for better cheese. Other than that, it wasn't as bad as I was prepared for. The Chili Relleno was actually quite tasty. A little different from what I'm used to here in Southern California but still palatable. The bean and cheese burrito also received a thumbs up. As far as drinks, I stuck with lemonade although they did offer beer, wine, some sort of Margarita as well as a few other booze concoctions.

On the table was a card listing the daily entertainment:

And right on time, out came the 1:45 Gorilla Show. Consisting of a trainer, assistant, and of course a man in a gorilla suit. Soon the assistant ends up over the cliff into the water and the gorilla breaks loose, running around the place:

Dessert was all you can eat Sopaipillas, a fried dough served with honey:

The Sopaipilla stand was right behind our table:

After our meal it was time to go exploring.

Black Bart's Cave:

Puppet Theatre seating area:

Blurry Pinata Courtyard:

Dive Show:

Pink Dining Room:

The Cave Behind the Waterfall and view:

Bubble gun purchased onsight:

More dining areas around the water:

Faces in the rocks:

The Mine Dining Room:

Entrance:

Inside:

Another Dining Room:

The Cave Dining area:

closeup of the bats:

Fortune Teller:

Mystery cave:
I think this might be an entrance to a backstage area. I'm not sure if this is ever actually open to the public. Maybe someone here more familiar with Casa Bonita can confirm either way.

Treasure room:
Free treats for departing children

Some areas I didn't get photos of were the arcades, the gift shop, the jail cell and much more. Meanwhile, these photos I posted hardly do justice to the place. Casa Bonita was absolutely amazing and if you ever get the chance to go, don't pass it up.

Okay, and lastly, here's a photo I didn't take but wanted to post here anyway.

Fire Jugglers:

[ Edited by: hakalugi 2012-01-02 20:48 ]