Casa Bonita Just Turned Fifty! Here's Everything You Should Do When Visiting the Pink Palace (2024)

Cliff divers, Black Bart's Cave and raising the flag for sopaipillas. South Park immortalized Casa Bonita in a 2003 episode, and the show's creators now own the place after buying it for $3.1 million in 2021. Trey Parker and Matt Stone then spent over $40 million on renovations using the mantra "change nothing, improve everything." And last May, Casa Bonita welcomed its first guests since closing in March 2020 during the pandemic-mandated indoor dining shutdown.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of fans have signed up for the email list — which is still the only way to get invited to make a reservation. Admission, which includes your meal, is now $29.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids during lunch, and $39.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids in the evenings.

While Cartman's passion for the Pink Palace gave this eatertainment institution national recognition, it was a beloved local landmark for decades before that.

Bill Waugh opened the first Casa Bonita in Oklahoma City in 1968, adding locations in Texas, Arkansas and, in 1974, Colorado. While there's some debate about the actual grand-opening date — Casa Bonita itself lists the anniversary as March 27, while contemporary newspaper accounts peg it at March 25 — this is definitely Casa Bonita's fiftieth anniversary week.

The Lakewood location has long been the only remaining outpost of the small chain that Waugh built; the last one outside Colorado shut down in 1993. Located at 6715 West Colfax Avenue, the 56,000-square-foot building, which was named an actual historic landmark in 2015 by the Lakewood Historical Society, is much more than a restaurant.

It seems like every kid who grew up in the metro area during Casa Bonita's original run has memories of celebrating birthdays there. Even as the sprawling space got dingier over the years, with the games in the arcade rarely working and the questionable odors growing stronger, it remained a nostalgic favorite for many.

So news of a remodel by two celebrities — albeit celebs who are from Colorado and have maintained their close ties with the state — had a lot of people nervous.But Parker and Stone stayed true to their mission. Casa Bonita 2.0 still has many of the fan favorites from before, plus some new additions — and both the food and the aroma have been vastly improved.

It's easy to spend two or three hours exploring the place. A big part of the fun is stumbling upon the unexpected so we won't spoil all the surprises (hint: look for the mermaids), but there are some must-dos to keep in mind.

Once you finally have that invitation to make a reservation, here's everything you have to do when you finally get inside Casa Bonita:

Order the taco salad
Before the food menu was overhauled by its new culinary director, James Beard-nominated chef Dana Rodriguez, we listed the taco salad as the safest option in this 2009 Casa Bonita survival guide. Now, you really can't go wrong with any of the choices. The food is solid, though it's definitely not the main event. You're here for the experience above all, and the taco salad is a satisfyingly nostalgic pick.

Eat the sopaipillas, but consider adding an extra dessert
The pre-paid ticket price includes chips and salsa, an entree, a soft drink, chips and two sopaipillas per guest — you can order more for an additional cost, but since the food is actually good now, two are really enough. But if you're a fan of sweets, the add-on desserts are a fun treat, particularly the flan and thechocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich branded "Cleo's" after Matt Stone's daughter.

Get a co*cktail
These will cost you extra, too, but they come out fast and they're strong and delicious. Plus, each of the four bars has a different special attraction — chat up the bartenders to find out what to look for while you wait for your drink.

Or, opt for root beer instead
If you're skipping the booze, a trip to the root beer bar inside the arcade is the way to go, and your $10 soda comes with aplastic souvenir mug.

Watch the cliff divers
This is the main attraction for sure. The performances happen every twenty minutes, but they're short. For an optimal experience, it's totally worth paying the extra fee for a cliffside table. Bonus: diners with cliffside seats skip the cafeteria-style line that others have to enter through and get escorted straight to the table, where orders are placed with a server.

Walk through Black Bart's Cave
And take your time doing it.It got a really well-done update, and there are a lot of fun Easter eggs throughout, including some familiar voices.

Play games in the arcade
If you're on an adults-only Casa adventure, be aware that this area is kid central, but it's still fun to shoot some games of skeeball or try your hand at race-car driving. All the games operate using a pre-loaded Casa Card, which you can purchase in the arcade.

Stand in line for something
Several of the attractions, including the caricature drawings, jailhouse photos, face painting and fortune teller, will likely have a line, but it's worth trying at least one. Just make a trip to the bar first so you can have a refreshment in hand while you wait.

Interact with the roving characters
The performance staff fully embraces their roles, and it enhances the experience when you take some time to banter with them — you might even end up having an impromptu wedding ceremony.

Catch the magic show and the puppet show
These are the only two parts of Casa Bonita that guests are not allowed to capture on film or video, but both are just the right amount of cheesy and totally delightful.

Get a photo with Cartman
You'll find him posted up at a table, and there's staff on hand to take pics.

Pose with ManBearPig
While the gorilla of yore is gone, this hybrid creature roams around and may even snag a seat at your table. It might seem a bit wild at first, but ManBearPig is happy to hop in a photo.

Buy something at the gift shop
It's stocked with everything from shirts and hats to hot sauces, stickers and sheriff's badges. While some items are pricy, there are plenty of low-cost keepsakes, too.

Visit the museum
One big, brand-new addition is the museum on the way out. It's loaded with memorabilia — including an issue of Westword — and info about Casa Bonita's history and the remodel.