A Bit of Nostalgia for the Former Midwesterners in Connecticut

You may have heard of Casa Bonita if you grew up in Colorado, Oklahoma, or watch South Park, but thanks to a student at Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut, I have a bit of our childhood to show off to you.

I spent 1976-1984 in Oklahoma, Casa Bonita was my favorite restaurant. I was 11 years old in 1980, and arcades ruled. Casa Bonita was a Mexican restaurant, but so much more. It had a huge arcade, but the interior wild. It was like stepping into a villa in Acapulco, with torches, palm trees, costumed waitstaff, and different Disney-like settings like a watery cave, adobes, and villas. it was an entertainment destination, like Rainforest Cafe, Chuck E. Cheese, Showbiz Pizza, and now like Cava in Southington, or Dave & Buster's. I was Cartman every time my brother Steve and I went to Casa Bonita with my parents.

Thanks to a very kind student at the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut, I was able to relive a bit part of my youth due to his recent trip back home to Colorado. My wife works there, and told the student that we had recently been to Tulsa to pay homage to my old friend. Tulsa's Casa Bonita has been permanently closed since 2011, but I took a photo of it in December 2024. Here it is.

Well, this student went to the real Casa Bonita in Denver, Colorado on his recent break and brought me back a beautiful Casa Bonita hat and coffee mug. So very thoughtful. Casa Bonita has been resurrected in Colorado by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who had the same experiences we did in this wonderful restaurant. What I would give to have a cheese enchilada deluxe, and 14 warm Sopapillas right now.