Julia's: on Cuauhtemoc by the corner of Chihuahua (metro Hospital General in Doctores [don't use this metro at night]).

I passed Julia's one day walking back to my apartment from the metro and had to do a double take. Who would have thought that one of the cheapest dive bars in town would be in the lovely Colonia Roma Norte? At 12 pesos a beer and 30 pesos a pitcher, the prices are unbeatable...plus the place is one of those rare dive bars that is clean. I've never been to Julia's when it was completely packed but they get bonus points for playing great music (often 70s funk and disco) most of the times I've gone. The place is often closed by 10 or 11pm but makes a great after-work-prefunk stop on Fridays. Don't let the sign on the photo fool you, it's not a restaurant so don't go there with a big appetite.

Rio De La Plata: Allende and Republica De Cuba (Metro Allende)

Rio De La Plata is one of the first and best dive bars I went into in the city. It has two floors, the top one with music and dancing (usually traditional Mexican music) at night. On weekends it's packed and there's a good chance you won't get in if you get there after 11pm. In which case they have Rio De La Plata 2 a, by far, inferior bar with the same great prices but without the rowdy ambiance. It's not the cheapest dive bar in this area but most definitely one of the liveliest. 14 pesos a beer, 20 pesos for a mug of dark beer from the tap, and you can buy cases of 12 bottles for, well...12 times 14 if you and your friends don't like waiting for a waiter. One downside; the bathrooms smell like hell, maybe even worse than hell on some days, but with crowds of people downing cases of beer at a time and then sweating it up on the dance floor, what do you expect?