Foodie Forecast: Dia de los Muertos tequila dinner, tamal festival, Tour de Tapas new lunch service

Chef Karina Orozco is making Mexican bread, pan de muerto, for two days only at Spill the Beans. The pan de muerto (bread of the dead) is a sweet bread that is round with extra dough on top placed like crossbones. The bread is meant to embody and remember the dead, according to Orozco. It is also traditionally served and placed on a Day of the Dead altar. Spill the Beans’ Pan de Muerto will be sold for $4.20. It can be purchased on Friday and Saturday at all five San Diego County locations: Seaport Village, Pacific Beach, Mission Valley, Gaslamp Quarter and Ocean Beach. spillthebeanssd.com

Halloween cocktails: Pacific Beach AleHouse is serving two new Halloween-inspired cocktails for two days only. The $14 Barn House Blackout contains tequila infused with charcoal, lime, agave and orange bitters. The $14 Scarecrow Slaughter mixes vodka, strawberry purée, lemon juice, agave and soda water. Plus, on Friday and Saturday, Pacific Beach AleHouse will be decorated like a haunted farm with live DJs. 721 Grand Ave., San Diego. 858-581-2337, pbalehouse.com

Escondido Tamal Festival: Event organizers expect 10,000 visitors at the 2025 Escondido Tamal Festival. The event spotlights local chefs with a tamal contest, vendors selling other Mexican foods and a craft beer and wine garden. There will also be a children’s zone with free face painting, a stage with live music and cultural dances, a Day of the Dead fashion show and a dog costume contest. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. 321 North Broadway, Escondido. Free admission. usamulticultural.org/escondido-tamale-festival

Dia de los Muertos tequila dinner: Rumorosa is hosting a Dia de los Muertos dinner with a tequila tasting. The one-night dinner is a five-course menu paired with Espolón Tequilas that features spicy tuna tartare, a tequila-cured hamachi roll, charred zabuton cochinita pibil with blanco tequila and a white chocolate mousse with a tequila glaze. 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego. $140. 619-692-2331, rumorosasd.com

New lunch service: Tour de Tapas is now serving lunch, featuring European-inspired dishes and drinks. The menu includes various crepes, sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads. The crepe options are pork ham, spinach and cremini mushrooms, turkey and brie and strawberry cream. The sandwich selections include chicken, roasted beef, a mozzarella capri and smoked salmon. 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. 118323 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. 619-391-3396, tourdetapas.com

El Torito fall menu: El Torito has released a new fall menu, filled with several seasonal ingredients and Mexican dishes with a twist. The $11 pumpkin bread pudding contains tres leches sponge cake and is topped with vanilla ice cream, vanilla whipped cream and powdered sugar. The $21 ribeye tacos come with two flour tortillas grilled with cheese, guacamole, hot sauce, pico de gallo and cojita cheese and are served with a side of rice. To drink, there is a pumpkin and pineapple cocktail, which blends tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice, a pumpkin spice syrup, agave and coconut juice. 5024 Baltimore Drive, La Mesa. 619-698-7404, eltorito.com

Carlos Rico, Union-Tribune