I've been following Mike Touma's birria project since he launched a food truck in 2021 after a personal eating quest on both sides of the border; a Clairemont storefront followed in 2022, and now he and his wife Leona are opening a 2,100-square-foot Mike’s Red Tacos on Rosecrans Street in the Loma Square shopping center in the Midway District. Starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 31, they'll offer one free taco to the first 50 guests. The menu centers on classic tacos built on chili oil–dipped tortillas crisped on the flat top, while the slow-simmered beef also tops ramen and loaded nachos and is stuffed into California burritos and quesadillas; a signature item is the “CrunchStack,” a birria-filled play on Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap. This location will be open daily at 11 a.m., operate until midnight on weekends, plans to serve beer, micheladas, and hard seltzers, and Touma is already in talks to open additional locations across San Diego. - Candice Woo