Reader: Did He Order the Sour Grapes at Casa Bonita?

Andrew Novick has been eating at Casa Bonita since he was five; he’d eaten there 307 times before the pandemic, and finally got a chance to visit the reopened pink eatertainment palace earlier this month.

Now Casa Bonita’s self-professed “biggest fan” isn’t sure if he’ll go back to Casa Bonita for a 309th meal. While he appreciated all the effort that went into the renovation, he found the place “kinda sterile” – and much of the food was no improvement, he says.

Other fans were quick to respond in comments posted on the Westword Facebook page. Says Adam:

Oh, man, he must have ordered the sour grapes!

Adds Jake:

I went last weekend and was genuinely amazed. It’s everything we always wanted it to be. I don’t honestly know if I’ve had a more enjoyable night out since the pandemic. Awesome food, CLEAN and really wonderful.

Responds Roman:

 “Kinda sterile”? I mean, it’s a restaurant. For surgery, bathrooms and eating establishments, being sterile is a good thing in these settings. While I get that he may be nostalgic for the days when the walls were sticky with spilled drinks and the lighting was dimmed to hide the sea of gum on the floor, I must say cleaning a place up is overall a good thing. If someone wants to eat alongside cockroaches, there are still myriad holes-in-the-walls to enjoy all throughout Colorado. It’s like the smell of cigarette smoke in a restaurant. When I travel to places that still allow smoking, yeah, there’s nostalgia when I smell that grime and tobacco funk. But let the unhealthy crap go, let’s move forward, and stop committing passive suicide by environment for the sake of ambiance and nostalgia.

To everyone else, enjoy the clean food and support restaurant hygiene.

Notes Vincent:

So we’re writing articles about a man-child throwing a fit and pouting? That’s the thing about today: There can’t be anything new because it seems like now people (and unfortunately, I admit most are millennials like myself) are so consumed by that tiny bit of nostalgia that we can’t move forward. It’s proven in media and the arts. How can we move forward with so many reluctant and downright opposed to change?

Counters Jessica: 

He’s definitely not a millennial. Also, he’s a local artist who, with his friends, almost bought the place until Trey and Matt swooped in last minute. It was heartbreaking to see how it unfolded. Perhaps, after seeing what Trey and Matt went through, they would have been over their heads, but he’s not throwing a fit and pouting by any means. They put in countless hours trying to save it; I was really rooting for them. They would’ve kept unlimited sopaipillas.

Rudy returns to an important point:

Some of us hadn’t had a chance to go yet.

Adds Kim:

On the wait list, crickets.

Advises JJ:

That’s okay, even with the invite there are no dates available. I tooled over a 30-day period. You can go on a school day for lunch….

Concludes Amy:

 I’ve been waiting forever. I guess I’ll just have to look at the place from afar when I go to the Next show. Thanks, Andrew, for all you do.

Have you been to Casa Bonita since it reopened? What did you think?