When I first moved to Denver, Colorado, I had heard stories about the Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita. Casa Bonita, an off-beat suburban restaurant that’s seen better days, was a staple of many Denverites’ childhoods. Memories filled with exploring vast indoor cave dwellings, watching cliff jumpers dive into a massive pool of water, random gorilla sightings, and a Disneyland-like atmosphere that welcomes guests with cafeteria-style Mexican food, Casa Bonita’s popularity was attributed to a wonderment that consumed all 52,000 square feet of the humongous eatery.
Time has not been kind to one of Colorado’s most visited attractions. The COVID-19 pandemic sent the owners of Casa Bonita into bankruptcy, and many Denver area residents feared the worst: their beloved establishment would close forever.