If we asked you to name the most iconic restaurant in Colorado, what would you say? Casa Bonita, right? Most Coloradans either love or hate this weird and whacky institution. Still, we can all agree that the “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants” is about as iconic as they come, which has many of us either wondering or flat-out worried if it will ever re-open after Covid-19. Here is what we found:
Like nearly every restaurant in Colorado, Casa Bonita found itself having to close amidst the Covid-19 pandemic yet - unlike most other restaurants - has yet to re-open with social distancing protocols in place.
Since the massive 1,100-seat restaurant has yet to re-open, many Coloradans have started to wonder if Casa Bonita has closed for good, to which the answer is no, though only time will tell when.
According to the Denver Channel, there is no set time for when the restaurant can re-open, with Summit Family Restaurants President Bob Wheaton saying that “Our plan is to open the business as soon as we believe it’s legally possible."
In addition to his interview with the Denver Channel, Wheaton also spoke with Westword, saying, in part, that “Every day that [Casa Bonita] stays closed, it’s increasingly difficult to get it reopened," later adding that “The message to the community is that we expect to be back in operation by the beginning of the summer.”
Unlike other restaurants, Casa Bonita is home to not only dining but other various indoor attractions like cliff-diving, a haunted cave, arcade, and puppet shows, making for a one-of-a-kind ambiance that encourages its patrons to get up and walk around, which is nearly impossible amidst social distancing guidelines.
Translating to "pretty house" in Spanish, Casa Bonita first opened in 1974 after a year's worth of construction and has since gained popularity via both word of mouth and through the Comedy Central series, "South Park."
