Mexico City doesn't have one food scene. It has fifteen, and which one you're in depends on the neighborhood and the hour. The comida corrida lunch wraps up around 4pm, then a quiet gap before 8pm dinner when Polanco fills up and the bars in Nápoles start their warm-up sets. Mezcal is everywhere right now, but the real constant is micheladas, found at $50 beer gardens and at cocktail bars charging four times as much. If you're new here or stuck eating at the same spots, here's where to go.
The best afternoon in Narvarte starts at Michelanga Narvarte (Av. Cuauhtémoc 808, Narvarte Poniente). The whole operation is micheladas: camarones, tamarind, lemon, and canned options in various strengths, all under $100 MX. Opens at 1:30pm daily, and by Friday afternoon the place fills up fast. The Metrobús runs on Cuauhtémoc if you're coming from downtown.
Ten minutes south in Del Valle, Vegan Ramen Mei Del Valle (Félix Cuevas 835, Del Valle Sur) has earned something rare: over a thousand reviews at 4.7 stars with almost no complaints. Don't let the name suggest health food with an identity crisis. The orange chicken ramen and the sweet and sour chicken bowl are why people come back. A bowl runs MX$100-200. They open at 2pm every day, so you can walk from your micheladas to your ramen without scheduling gymnastics.
If you need to catch a game, Torito Sports Bar Insurgentes (Av. Insurgentes Centro 1020, Insurgentes San Borja) won't punish your wallet. Under $200 MX per person is realistic: the tortilla soup and micheladas are the order, and the mojitos have their own reputation. Open Monday through Saturday from 12:30pm. The Metrobús runs right past on Insurgentes.
Polanco has more restaurants per block than anywhere else in the city, and most aren't worth the ride. Chubbies Polanco (Lago Andromaco 17, Granada) is worth it: nearly 1,200 reviews at 4.8 stars, burgers at $100-200 MX, open daily from 12:30pm. Four blocks away at Av. Emilio Castelar 95, 50 Friends does Italian without the Polanco markup. The chocolate pizza comes up in enough reviews to be worth ordering first. Budget €€, open from 1pm, stays open until 1am Thursday through Saturday. Metro Polanco on Line 7 drops you two blocks from both spots.
The night ends in Nápoles. LOS DE ARRIBA (Maricopa 10-10, Nápoles, Benito Juárez) runs Wednesday through Saturday, 8pm to 1am. That's the whole schedule. Come on a Tuesday and you get a locked door. Come on a Friday and the room has son cubano, standup comedy, a late crowd that came to listen, and drinks they call "los tragos." It earns the Bohemian reputation without announcing it.
One day, done right: Michelanga Narvarte at 1:30pm for micheladas and camarones. Walk to Vegan Ramen Mei by 3pm for a bowl. Metro to Polanco, Chubbies around 7pm or 50 Friends if you want pasta and a later evening. End at LOS DE ARRIBA by 9pm if it's Wednesday through Saturday. Total spend for the day: roughly $400-700 MX, depending on how many rounds you called at Michelanga.
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