None of the invited reporters noticed “South Park” co-creator and Casa Bonita co-owner Matt Stone stroll over the cliff diving lagoon bridge and past overhanging coconut trees dressed in a t-shirt and jeans Friday.

May 26 is Stone’s and “South Park” character Kyle Broflovski’s birthday — and also the day the press was invited to tour the new and improved, $12 million renovation of Casa Bonita, the “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants.”

When the place will be fully open to the public is still a secret — there will be a soft opening for “invitation only” patrons who are on the Casa Bonita email list — but here is a sneak peak of what’s changed and what remains the same according to what reporters were allowed to experience Friday:

SAME

1. Food will be served cafeteria-style with the sliding trays and roped-off food line for everyone.

2.  Casa Bonita is very dark inside! The entire place is still dimly lit with wall sconces which give off an amber-colored light.

3. The heavy wooden southwest-style front doors are an exact replica of the old ones.

4. The walls are decorated with nostalgic posters including a 5 Cent Coca-Cola and Refriscos Jarritos sign. There’s also an old framed menu from the Tulsa, Oklahoma Casa Bonita.

5. Casa Bonita Plaza still has the wishing well fountain out front welcoming guests, except it is restored to the original light grey stonework

6. Divers dressed in bright orange jump from the cliffs at Acapulco into a lagoon pool which has been widened for safety.

7.  The sopapillas are the same warm, airy shell which can be enhanced with honey and a cinnamon-sugar.

DIFFERENT

1. The kitchen is brand new. It was gutted all the way down to the studs.

2. Added to the original 52,000 square feet is a 4,000-square-foot room designed to mimic the town square of Oaxaca, Mexico.

3. Tortillas will always be warm and fresh, as will vegetables. Kitchen cooks were busily chopping tomatillas and green chilis and shredding a light yellow cheese.

4. There will be something called a “Casa Bonita” cake, which a woman was mixing up. The batter was a delicious-looking yellow. A sign for Casa Bonita Cake orders was seen near the entrance.

5. There’s a lift to get to the second floor and the height of the black rails have been changed.

STILL UNKNOWN

1. Anything pertaining to Black Bart’s Cave.

2. Anything pertaining to the old-time jail photos room.

3. Anything pertaining to the arcade.

4. Anything pertaining to a wandering Mariachi band.

NOTE: There was no known references to “South Park” in the restaurant. Reporters were restricted to taking photos only of the cliff divers and the sopapillas, and not allowed to see Black Bart’s Cave!

“It’s like Fort Knox,” remarked 5280 Magazine’s Lindsay King as she waited inside the pink doorway for a personal guide, which reporters could listen to but not quote.

Casa Bonita’s hush-hush re-opening has only heightened the excitement. Ask Lance Castillo, who has been waiting in his mini-Cooper since Monday staying alive on pork rinds and cheddar fries to ensure first place in line.

He and his friend, Chaira Fortney wore t-shirts which read “Not homeless. Here for the sopapillas.” Castillo was determined. To keep from getting kicked out of Lamar Station Plaza, he had to move every two hours and get a receipt from various businesses which he showed to any security guard who questioned him.

“I asked for the week off from my boss to do this,” said Castillo, of Lakewood, who said he might consider changing his name to “Lance Casa Bonita.”

The 49-year-old Lakewood landmark has been shuttered since March of 2020, due to the pandemic. Previous owners of 25 years, Summit Family Restaurants filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2021.

“South Park” creators Stone and Trey Parker soon bought the 52,000-square-foot, pink hued family restaurant. Parker and Stone announced the deal in August 2021 during a sit-down interview with Gov. Jared Polis celebrating the 24th anniversary of the show.

Denver’s Dana Rodriguez has been named the new executive chef at Casa Bonita, which is located at 6715 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Rodriguez has opened three restaurants: Super Mega Bien, Work & Class, and Cantina Loca. She is a three-time James Beard award finalist nominee.

The new owners filed paperwork with the City of Lakewood estimating they’d sink more than $12 million in renovations and upgrades. Many questions remain as to any South Park-themed additions, but Stone and Parker have kept the staple cliff divers, Black Bart’s cave and sopapillas on-call with a table flag. They also hired some 550 employees to operate it.

It gained national and international attention after being featured in a 2003 episode of “South Park.”