Diners visiting Casa Bonita this fall will have different meal options to choose from than those in the past year.
Lakewood’s Pink Palace, now open to the general public, recently rolled out a new menu featuring tacos, nachos and a burrito. While the menu is now slightly larger, some items were eliminated, including the beef suadero, a favorite among staffers at The Denver Post, and the mole.
One notable change is the addition of a whole section of tacos. Previously, Casa Bonita offered pork carnitas tacos served on homemade tortillas. Those options have now expanded to include proteins like green chile brisket and chicken tinga, as well as a vegetarian option with corn, poblano peppers and caramelized onions.
The newly added Betty’s Burrito comes stuffed with green chile brisket and smothered in additional green chile. The restaurant still serves each table chips with salsa, but guests can now also order a side of guacamole ($3.99) or queso blanco ($5.49) for dipping.
Some dishes remained despite the menu revamp, including the enchiladas and the taco salad, both favorites of owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone. All entrees come with rice, beans and cabbage salad.
And each table still gets a complimentary basket of piping hot sopapillas with the raise of its flag.
No one from Casa Bonita was available to discuss the menu overhaul, but in previous interviews, Stone and Parker said they would continue improving the guest experience. That’s why they also decided to ditch the buffet line upon entry and instead seat and serve guests in a traditional restaurant format.
“It was keeping us from making food as good as possible,” Stone told The Denver Post in September.
It’s worth noting this isn’t the first time the menu has been modified since Casa Bonita unveiled it in 2023. And considering the eatertainment venue serves 11,000 to 12,000 customers per week, the new offerings may help streamline kitchen operations.
Casa Bonita’s food has always been a hot topic, even before Stone and Parker – also the creative minds behind “South Park” – purchased the beloved venue out of bankruptcy in 2021.
When Casa Bonita opened in 1974, the kitchen served a large selection of American and Tex-Mex dishes. According to longtime locals, famous items like the Beef Deluxe Dinner and American fish plate were good, if mass-produced, in the early days. But in later years, the food became notorious for how bad it was.
Still, that never deterred patrons since the real allure of Casa Bonita is its cliff divers, roving performers, live mariachi music, and attractions like Black Bart’s Cave and the arcade.
Reservations at Casa Bonita are now open to the general public, though getting a table is still a hot ticket. Cool down when you go by pairing your meal with a house Casa Lager, brewed by Denver’s own Ratio Beerworks.
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