Casa Bonita Reopening in May!

The announcement is a Christmas gift to fans.

December 22, 2022

Casa Bonita

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Casa Bonita will open next May, according to an announcement just shared by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park who bought the pink entertainment palace late last year.

The two Colorado natives were joined by Dana Rodriguez, the Denver-based executive chef for the project, in revealing the date as a special gift to impatient fans of Casa Bonita.

“Casa Bonita has brought so much joy to so many people over the years — we wanted to share the news of our May reopening as our holiday gift to the people of Colorado," said Rodriguez.

Casa Bonita opened in 1974 at 6715 West Colfax Avenue; it was part of a now non-existent chain started by Bill Waugh in Oklahoma in 1968. Bob Wheaton's Summit Family Restaurants bought the place in the ’90s; it filed for bankruptcy in April 2021, just over a year after Casa Bonita closed during the COVID epidemic. It has been closed ever since, except for some tours offered that summer.

Parker and Stone broke the news that they planned to buy Casa Bonita during an August 13, 2021, sit-down with Governor Jared Polis to celebrate the 24th anniversary of South Park, their show on Comedy Central that featured Casa Bonita in several episodes, including one in 2003 that made the 52,000-square-foot Mexican-themed restaurant famous around the globe.

Since they closed on the purchase in September 2021 for a reported $3.1 million, they've been funding repairs and renovations on the place that have run millions, they said at the 25th anniversary of South Park concert at Red Rocks in August.

See the announcement of the reopening date here, and follow more developments on the Casa Bonita Facebook page. In the meantime, enjoy the Christmas miracle of an actual Casa Bonita update!

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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