CDMX's food and nightlife moves in clusters. The past stretch has brought a wave of arrivals that feel connected even when they're not: a vegan ramen shop in Del Valle, a michelada specialist in Narvarte, a late-night son cubano bar in Nápoles, a burger spot becoming a neighborhood fixture in Granada, and an Italian kitchen in Polanco where the chocolate pizza gets mentioned more than anything else on the menu. Not every new place earns its crowd fast. These five have.
The Italian kitchen at Av. Emilio Castelar 95 in Polanco, 50 Friends, has accumulated 1,859 reviews and holds at 4.7. For a restaurant that positions itself as accessible in one of the pricier corners of the city, that's a meaningful endorsement from a lot of people who presumably tried other options first. The chocolate pizza keeps surfacing in what reviewers mention. Whether it reads as dessert or novelty probably depends on the night. Open from 1pm daily, staying open until 1am Thursday through Saturday, it has the hours to match Polanco's late energy.
Vegan Ramen Mei Del Valle at Félix Cuevas 835 in Del Valle Sur has built 1,148 reviews at 4.7 with a completely plant-based menu. Open 2-9pm every day. What reviewers mention includes orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken preparations alongside the ramen, with a visual identity that leans into anime. Plant-based ramen is still a narrow category in this city, and hitting those numbers in Del Valle, a neighborhood that takes food seriously, means the kitchen found a real audience fast.
Two evening options worth knowing, both in Benito Juárez. LOS DE ARRIBA on Maricopa 10-10 in Nápoles opens Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm and runs until 1am. With 1,357 reviews and a 4.8 rating, this is not a spot that's still figuring itself out. Son cubano and standup comedy share the same bill, and tickets are required. The drink list (los tragos earn their own enthusiastic mentions from reviewers) is not an afterthought. Over in Narvarte, Michelanga at Av. Cuauhtémoc 808 is the afternoon counterpart: a beer garden where micheladas are the main event. Camarones and tamarind keep showing up in what 893 reviewers found worth mentioning. Prices stay under $100 MXN, hours start at 1:30pm every day of the week.
Chubbies Polanco at Lago Andromaco 17 in Granada has reached 1,196 reviews at 4.8. The price range sits in the $100-200 MXN bracket, fair for what reviewers describe as consistent and fast. What the crowd keeps noting is speed and taste together, a combination that turns a burger spot into a habit rather than an occasion. The padel mentions that keep appearing in reviews track with the Granada neighborhood. Open from 12:30pm daily, until 11:30pm on weekends.
Of these five, Vegan Ramen Mei Del Valle is the one worth watching most closely. The plant-based ramen category is small enough here that doing it well carries real weight, and 1,148 reviews at 4.7 in Del Valle suggests the kitchen earned those numbers. LOS DE ARRIBA looks durable for different reasons: live music and comedy create a return reason that food alone cannot. Michelanga has the budget price point and the drink-focused afternoon niche that builds regulars. Any of these could become fixtures. Which ones do comes down to what they look like in 500 more reviews.
