Inside the REAL Casa Bonita from South Park

One of the most beloved episodes of South Park involves Cartman kidnapping his classmate Butters in order to nab his spot at a birthday party taking place at a Mexican restaurant called Casa Bonita. The restaurant in question has a haunted cave, mariachi bands, sopapillas, and cliff divers, you may think that it would only exist in a cartoon.

But don't be fooled: Casa Bonita is a real restaurant in Denver, Colorado, and all of the aspects of the restaurant included in that episode are real. (They actually left a lot of stuff out.) We enlisted the help of Mike Mason, the general manager who has worked there for nearly 40 years, to give us a tour of the 52,000-square-foot restaurant and fill us in on its long history. By the end of our visit, you'll understand why the place is known as "The Most Exciting Restaurant in the World."