So: 1) use an USB hub that is self powered (has it's own power module). And 2) use a USB device (like cp1202 etc.) that can negociate the full 500 mA from the HUB.
At this very moment I have an ESP2866 in front of me running off an USB port, so yes, it can be done . What may make the difference is that I added an external voltage regulator (5V -> 3.3V) instead of using the one in the FT232 (in this case), which might a bit too small for this purpose.