What's worth noting about the spots gaining attention in CDMX lately is how focused they are. A bar where the entire menu revolves around a single drink. A ramen shop that commits fully to plant-based cooking and doesn't apologize for it. A music venue above Nápoles that mixes son cubano with standup comedy on the same night, and an Italian spot in Polanco where the chocolate pizza has become the conversation. These are places with a point of view.
LOS DE ARRIBA on Maricopa 10 in Nápoles is, as the name suggests, upstairs. It's a live music bar that has also built a standup comedy following, and the combination of son cubano with bohemian energy is what reviewers keep coming back to. There's mention of an elevator in the reviews, which suggests the climb isn't required. The bar runs a full program from 8pm to 1am, Wednesday through Saturday, closed the rest of the week. That schedule is deliberate: this isn't trying to be your neighborhood spot. With 1,357 reviews at a 4.8 rating, it has earned the reputation to justify the trip.
Vegan Ramen Mei Del Valle is at Félix Cuevas 835 in Del Valle Sur, open every day from 2 to 9pm, priced MX$100-200 per bowl. The menu goes beyond noodles in broth: reviewers flag orange chicken and sweet and sour chicken alongside the ramen, and there's an anime aesthetic running through many reviews. Del Valle is a food-serious neighborhood, and plant-based concepts have had a harder time sticking there than in Condesa or Roma. At 1,148 reviews and 4.7 stars, Mei has connected with people who weren't specifically looking for plant-based ramen. That crossover audience is what tells you a place is doing something right.
50 Friends sits at Av. Emilio Castelar 95 in Polanco. Italian, mid-range, open from 1pm every day including Sunday. What stands out in the reviews is the "chocolate pizza," which comes up often enough that it's clearly not a random mention. Polanco has no shortage of Italian restaurants, so for 50 Friends to approach nearly 1,900 reviews at 4.7 stars, something specific is resonating with the neighborhood crowd. The chocolate pizza question alone is enough reason to book a table.
Michelanga Narvarte at Av. Cuauhtémoc 808 in Narvarte Poniente is a beer garden where micheladas are the entire point. The name gives it away. Under MX$100, camarones on the menu, tamarind running through the drink options, open daily from 1:30 in the afternoon with extended hours on Friday and Saturday until 10:30pm. Nearly 900 reviews at 4.7 stars. Narvarte rewards walking, and Michelanga is the kind of focused, low-cost spot that fits the neighborhood's rhythm. Bring a group.
Of these four, Vegan Ramen Mei Del Valle is the one I'd watch most closely. The numbers suggest it's pulling in non-vegans on the strength of the cooking, which is harder to sustain than a concept that only appeals to people already looking for plant-based food. If that crossover holds, Del Valle might have something worth following. Go in, order whatever sounds strangest, and find out.
