# Casa Bonita ! ! ! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 8, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609 "2015-07-08T19:51:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/21 "2015-07-09T03:56:16Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Cartman sure likes it. _Caaaaaa_sa Bo_niiiii_ta! Prior to this thread, I wasn’t aware Casa Bonita actually existed. Do they really have waterfall diving/pirate caves/whatever else was in that episode? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/22 "2015-07-09T04:05:50Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > _Caaaaaa_sa Bo_niiiii_ta! > > Prior to this thread, I wasn’t aware Casa Bonita actually existed. Do they really have waterfall diving/pirate caves/whatever else was in that episode? According to their website they have dive shows, pirates, gorillas and gun fights. Although I will admit that the latter does not seem unique to them in the Denver metropolitan area. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/23 "2015-07-09T04:06:38Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Do they really have waterfall diving/pirate caves/whatever else was in that episode? Check the link in the OP. [Here’s](http://www.casabonitadenver.com/tour/) the schedule for [dives, gunfights, pirates, golden idols, and combos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnHBE9PFgoM) (I really want to see the gorilla/pirate event). [Why would you eat there?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2jKXyW46gw) ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/24 "2015-07-09T04:38:09Z")
One can always just order a salad and drink. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/25 "2015-07-09T05:42:24Z")
The food isn’t nearly as bad as a lot of people like to claim. It’s the only building I know with a 30-foot high waterfall inside. Their shows are pretty entertaining in a somewhat cheesy sort of way. My favorite part is the strolling Mariachi band. Note to potential visitors – if you don’t want to wait in line, go well before or after main meal times. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait at least 45 minutes (standing up the whole time) before you can even order your food. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/26 "2015-07-09T14:31:41Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > The one in Tulsa closed several years ago. I think the one in Denver is still open. Do you like Cheez-Wiz enchiladas? Say no more! > [@Algher](#): > > The Tulsa one was a special place for me as a kid. > > Fun article here: > > [Restaurant serves up chaos and cliff divers, with a side of nostalgia](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-casa-bonita-20141215-story.html) So how many are left? Like the two posters above, I too went to the one in Tulsa in the 80s as a teenager and early 20’s kid. Man there was nothing like going there the day after a party night with friends. Stuff your face, raise the flag, repeat, end the meal with some honey and sopaipillas! Just for fun I’m going to assume I had a brush with a fellow doper while eating there as a kid. At some point I had to have passed by seal\_cleaner or Algher! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/27 "2015-07-09T14:34:45Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > The think I was most impressed by were the little flags on the table that you raised to signal a server - do they still have those? I thought it was genius!! Well, most of them. However the ones with a Confederate flag have now been removed. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/28 "2015-07-09T15:35:15Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Sigh. Diminutive-affective suffix: _bonito_ doesn’t say anything about size, it’s good and lovely, not good and small. Can I hit your Spanish teachers with a dictionary? Softcover, I’ll be good. I had no Spanish teachers. My abuse of your beloved native tongue is born purely of ignorance and observations untempered by knowledge. I freely admit my error in mischaracterizing the meaning of -ita, nevertheless I enjoyed doing it immensely. As my children do when they call me “papacita”. We’re pretty sure this is a similar, possibly even illegal, abuse of grammar but it cracks us up. But I really should learn proper Spanish–far more useful than any other languages I have disgraced. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/29 "2015-07-09T16:06:18Z")
I wonder how much their business has improved since pot was legalized. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/30 "2015-07-09T16:13:33Z")
I read that whole OP, unintentionally, in Antonio Banderas’ voice. I’m scared. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/31 "2015-07-09T16:29:31Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > As my children do when they call me “papacita”. We’re pretty sure this is a similar, possibly even illegal, abuse of grammar but it cracks us up. That would technically mean a female papa, so it’s a bit different. _Papacito_ would be better. However, there does seem to be a restaurant named [_Papacita’s_.](http://www.papacitas.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/32 "2015-07-09T16:50:59Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > If your kid (or someone else’s) drug you to Chuck E Cheese’s, you have no reason to go to Casa Bonita. CEC’s food is better. Contemplate THAT! Holy shit, that’s seriously disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/33 "2015-07-09T18:47:47Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Then I went back as an adult and it was a totally different story. The food is so bad it’s almost inedible. How inedible can it _be_? From the pictures I’ve seen it doesn’t look like it’s much different than Taco Bell or some of the gringo-ized Mexican food you might expect to find at a theme park or a buffet lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/34 "2015-07-09T18:55:11Z")
We used to go to Denver every summer when I was a kid and Casa Bonita was always on the itinerary. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/35 "2015-07-09T19:06:28Z")
I beg to differ. The food is not just “okay” it is not okay. It is disgusting. I went to CB on a double date with a guy I never went out with again, and I almost resolved never to eat food again. Not just Mexican food. Any food. I thought the ambiance was quite charming and the service was fine. None of this makes up for the food. I am not terribly particular about food, and I am a lousy cook (but a good baker). And even I would be embarrassed to serve such disgusting food. ETA: I did go one other time, during the birthday party years, with my son. Where I found that you can’t opt out of the food. You have to pay for it, even if you would never dream of eating it, which I wouldn’t, and also advised my son not to. (He thought I was nuts, but after trying a bit he was also convinced.) In general, places that give you all you can eat are not very tasty, but CB is new depths of that. They have decent margaritas though. (Or did then.) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/36 "2015-07-09T19:59:00Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Well, most of them. However the ones with a Confederate flag have now been removed. Why are the Mexicans trying to erase our national history? ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/37 "2015-07-09T20:05:55Z")
Another excuse for me to link to my [flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/9634145@N03/5910832363/in/album-72157627136107260/) account. The ordering process of “walk up to the counter, tell them what you want which they give you _immediately_, and then take it to the table where they give you normal table service thereafter” is something I have never experienced anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/38 "2015-07-09T22:14:11Z")
I was afraid of what the Gorilla was doing to our food in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/39 "2015-07-09T23:17:23Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > How inedible can it _be_? From the pictures I’ve seen it doesn’t look like it’s much different than Taco Bell or some of the gringo-ized Mexican food you might expect to find at a theme park or a buffet lunch. I’m going to go against the grain, and say it just wasn’t that bad. I liked it. Then again I haven’t even lived in Tulsa for over 25 years; but my memory is that it tasted like most most middle-of-the-road Mexican food. You’d get one crispy taco, two enchiladas, Mexican rice, refried beans, plus chips, queso, salsa and sopapillas with honey; and you just raise the little flag to get more. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609/40 "2015-07-09T23:22:43Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > One can always just order a salad and drink. You couldnt’ when I was there. Since it’s unlimited refills, which makes sense (except who would want even one serving?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casa-bonita/724609.md?page=3)