Casa Bonita Mexican Restaurant in Denver, Colorado

If you are looking for a good place to eat and have a great time in Denver, Colorado, look no further than Casa Bonita Mexican restaurant. Located at 6715 West Colfax, the address is technically in Lakewood, but it's all a part of Denver.

Casa Bonita sits in a very unassuming looking parking lot with a strip mall, but don't let that fool you. The Mexican restaurant is anything but standard. The first thing one sees is the huge pink and white façade, complete with a giant fountain and wishing pond out front. There are some great photo opportunities there, so if you are on a date with the sweetie, it's worth finding someone to take a picture of the two of you outside.

The inside of Casa Bonita is nothing less than spectacular. It is like no other place I have ever seen. Some of its features include an inside waterfall and lagoon where there are hourly shows and cliff diving, a cave system that leads spectators to Black Bart's treasure with many scares along the way, a humongous arcade, seating for 900 guests and a gift shop with very reasonably priced merchandise.

Something is always happening at the waterfall/lagoon area. In a single trip we saw a pirate show, an escaped gorilla chasing around its trainer and a girl, several high dive shows and a fire juggling act that ended with a plummet into the lagoon for the juggler. So if you would like constant entertainment while you eat, request to be seated where you can see the waterfall.

We did an all you can eat special for around $13.00 each, and it really means all you can eat. We were both round and wobbling when we left. Each table has a red flag on a wooden pole, and when a guest needs something or wishes for more food, they simply raise the flag and a server comes very quickly. The Mexican food was great, but the treat of Casa Bonita for me has always been their Sopapillas. When I was a kid I'd hurry through the meal so that I could have Sopapillas and honey. When the meal is finished, you can hang around the place as long as you want and see the sights. Talk about cool!

There is an authentic Mexican Mariachi band that moves about the restaurant playing tunes for the guests. Sometimes, they'll come right up to your table and perform, which I thought was awesome. My mother never liked that, but she embarrassed easily.

My date and I actually went through Black Bart's cave system to find his treasure. There is a scary ghoul or beast around every corner, and signs along the way warning travelers to turn back. It's really well done. Don't forget the camera when walking through it, because the shots come out looking awesome.

There are puppet shows throughout the day for the kids, as well as the arcade and oodles of gumball, toy and souvenir dispensers. We went during the first of October, and so there were many displays of pumpkins and ghosts and goblins and monsters around every corner. They really do it up in there. The only thing that I can think of for a warning would be that because of the falls and the lagoon, the whole restaurant is pretty humid. I wore a flannel because we went at night, but immediately realized I could have gotten away with short sleeves. Other than that, which may or may not bother some people, the entire place is simply a haven of fun and good food. This author recommends it whole-heartedly.