Hi-Life

Great food, quick service, nice ambient in the heart of Ballard.

Great brunch! Service was excellent and the food was plentiful!

The Sunday fried chicken dinner was delicious and so were our appetizers (onion rings and clams) and kids' pizzas. Our server was friendly and attentive. The restaurant was clean and cheery. Very nice experience!

Sunday night fried chicken! Whoa! So good! My wife and I shared the fried chicken plate, which included mashed potatoes and a biscuit (under $20), and a Caesar salad and were both stuffed. Daughter had the kids mac and cheese, which was also tasty. Highly recommended for good food and service!

This is easily my favorite place for brunch in Ballard. The rotating seasonal menu is always delicious, the space is beautiful, and the ambiance is relaxed and fun. I'm always thrilled when I can make it to Sunday night fried chicken dinners. I would eat every meal here if my budget and waistline could afford it.

I have been here twice now and the first time was not a fluke! Their french toast is to die for and I'll continue to get that. Plus they make shrub beverages which is a nice alternative to water and soda. Service is attentive without being overbearing. My only critique? The scrambled eggs are dry without any cheese, but most restaurants cook their eggs way more than I like them.

We used to just come here for brunch (which is yummy) but we came here last week for dinner. We think of this as a comfort food restaurant, but got top quality dining. The new winter menu had delicious items. Seared black cod with spinach spaetzle and olive tapenade was top notch. The blackened pork medallions with grits was too. We'll have to keep exploring their dinner menus - it was quite a surprise how wonderful it was.

This has been a regular go to spot for happy hour, and the food they have during non happy hour is quite good also. Usually a good variety of beer and Cocktails to choose from on the menu as well. Staff is pretty friendly. Parking can be a little challenging, but worth the effort once you get there.

I hosted a work meeting here in a private space. I coordinated from long distance without seeing the space and everything worked out perfectly. They did a great job of handling my group and making sure the space was ready when we arrived. The food was good, the staff friendly and the all the attendees enjoyed the hard to come by private meeting space.

The Hi-Life has great food and ambiance. The bar is also really cool and they open the doors wide when it's warm. Their Sunday night chicken dinner is ridiculously good. You get a half chicken cooked to perfection. Even a large appetite will be taking some home!

Great food, fun environment, and super friendly staff. I particularly liked the croque madame. We went for brunch and had a large group that could only fit at one table in the restaurant. We waited for over an hour for the party sitting there before us to finish. They had been done eating and were just talking for over 30 minutes, and the host felt so bad he brought us a bowl of fruit and a scone for free. That kind of service and thoughtfulness is hard to find!

I was in town from Canada visiting my cousin. She picked this spot to meet, I believe it was a Tuesday night. It's the best night to go because they have all day happy hour. Lots of bites for $5, I think the drinks were a great price too. The atmosphere was super chill, the bartender was very pleasant. The food tasted really good! We got the burger and the mac n cheese. For dessert we had the bread pudding. No regrets.

The food here is always great. They have annual staples but a seasonal menu based on availability of local produce. Cocktails are very good, service is great. Great happy hour as well. The pizzas are wood fired and amazing, their mac n' cheese is also one of my favorites.

Went for brunch this last time, though have been for all three major meals in the past. They always provide great service and food. This restaurant has a great seasonal selection menu. Because of it's popularity there can be a rather long wait for parties requiring a table for groups of 4 or more. I only mention this because the entrance lobby is a tight fit.

The food here is really good. It's like a home cooked meal. I really like one of their bar tenders, Ben. He's really nice and super pleasant. Their happy hour is one of the few places that is actually worth it too. I love getting the Mac and Cheese because it's made from scratch and only $4.... It's like doing it at home. It's different every time I get it, and that is a good thing to me. Probably my favorite place in Ballard.

The absolute best happy hour food I've had since I can remember. Menu was looking boring (both the happy hour and the regular), and maybe not the best service in town, however appearances are deceiving. We had burger sliders, salads (beets and blue cheese, lettuce greens) and cheese sticks. These trivial items tasted so good that we were thoroughly impressed and satisfied. People who put so much care in cooking 5$ entries that they make it a memorable dining experience earned my heartfelt admiration.

Great food and service. Nice selection of vegan and gluten free items. Decent prices for the size of plates and quality of food. My kids ate off the kids menu and gobbled it all up, I had the Ballard Market and it was delicious.

I was immediately impressed by the ambiance the restaurant has. Being an old fire house, it feels very homey and communal. The food was great! I had the sweet potato and butternut squash hash and it was incredible. One of my favorite things was the crushed red potatoes! However wonderful the food, ambiance, and service was, the waitress thought my boyfriend was a woman from behind (because he has long hair) and called us "ladies". No harm done, but maximum awkwardness.

Amazing service by our server, Annie; across the board they have service down pat. Instant seating @ the kitchen bar... even on Sunday rush. That's the best seat in the house; try it if you never have! Such a GREAT menu; choices for days! Can't say enough good things!!!!

Finally went for breakfast for the first time! I've sent a few out of towners there and they all loved it, but I hadn't tried it myself. Great bloody mary and other mimosa/breakfast cocktail options, and the breakfast choices were varied for any mood you might be in. Good coffee too (important!) Everyone loved their meals and I definitely would go back. Given how busy it was, I would say it's a popular choice. Love that they serve breakfast until 3:00 as well. Cool building, too!

Sunday dinner special of fried chicken was excellent. We also had 2 pizzas & an order of sliders and they were well prepared, with great presentation, and served faster than expected. The staff were all very attentive and knowledgeable. The 4 of us agreed we will be back!

We went for Brunch and it was excellent. A great menu and unique location. There was an interesting drink menu aswell. Great food with good portions. The staff was great & very patient with the 2 year old in our party who insisted on roaming every few minutes.

We were there just as it opened on a Friday morning and were the first people in the place for about 15-20 minutes. They have just started their spring menu which includes a delicious goat cheese scramble. Also, the potatoes are exceptional. Service was quick and our food came out fast. I have been there once before when it was very busy and service was still quick and our food still came pretty fast.

Great breakfast place . Good service , wait time may be inevitable and the food is yum! We went there for Sunday breakfast and enjoyed the experience . Ballard market is the image with fries on the side , oat meal is the second one, freshly squeezed orange juice was refreshing . Must try

The Hi-Life offers a relaxed atmosphere at a great neighborhood. They give generous portion of tasty food to jumpstart your day.

Went for happy hour and was not disappointed. Great variety on the happy hour menu and great price for the portion.

So we came here for the fried chicken, but we found out its only served on Sunday. It's a Tuesday and we were happily greeted and taken cared of by wonderful staff members and the food and drinks helped the great experience. We will surely come back, the happy hour Tuesday menu has good portions and flavors that were different and unique. So update, today I finally got to taste the fried chicken. Sooo happy that we came back on Sunday for the Fried Chicken. They are moist and soo flavorful.

Came here for brunch a few months ago and the food was fantastic. Great drinks and great atmosphere. The building is an old firehouse and the character really shines through. Went this past weekend for dinner and the BBQ left some to be desired. We had the ribs and the pulled pork sandwich. The BBQ sauce was pretty good, however the meat was tough and the ribs seemed over cooked. Will definitely go back, but may avoid the BBQ selections from now on.

Great food, much of it sourced locally. Nice portions. Great bar with many tasty cocktails created in house. Give the weekend brunch a try, it's stellar. Pizza from the woid fired stone oven is superb. Only thing missing is tablecloths, and I didn't miss them. Staff is friendly but can seem a bit overtaxed when it's crowded. I've never been disappointed here.

Went for the Sunday evening fried chicken. It was delicious, but alot of food! You get one breast, leg, thigh, and wing. The service was great and had a cozy ambiance. I have also tried the pulled pork sandwich but it was over cooked, really tough.

I love this place! It does get busy on weekend mornings, but for a good reason- the food is wonderful! The food menu rotates for the seasons as does the cocktail menu. There is always something new and interesting to try out. I've never been disappointed by my meals here, and the staff has never been anything less than friendly. There when you need something, quick to come check on you but not in your face. Over all a pleasure to eat here.

Pretty good all around but the food can be uneven and oddly, sometimes the beer is too cold served in a frosty glass (more suitable for Bud or Coors than a craft IPA). Still, these don't keep me from coming back. The staff is nice and it's big enough you can always get in. I like the ambience of the historic building.

I'd probably give it a 4.5 stars if I could. But just not quite a 5. We went to the bar for drinks and dessert so this is not a review of the full restaurant service. The ambience was fun, it is a piece of Ballard history. It's an old firehouse and part of an old fire pole is hanging above the bar. The lava cake dessert was okay but tasted a bit burnt and the specialty cocktails tasted like they tried to put one too many ingredients in that just didn't mesh. We looked forward to going and giving the restaurant a try.

Great atmosphere with interesting art on the walls and remnants of the old fire station still remain. The food is New American , tasty brunch options and a great family-style friend chicken dinner on Sundays! Though, perhaps because it is such a large space, it often feels like the food takes a while to arrive. Be prepared for long wait times.

One of our friends suggested this place so we decided to give it a try. The menu was really small which might have been a seasonal thing but we felt like the options weren’t the best. (It might be better at a different time of day!) We both ended up getting the pulled pork sandwich, as itself it was good we were big fans of the slaw. The service was pretty slow and it wasn’t very busy. The staff was friendly and it seemed like a great atmosphere.

Lunch time. Had a hair on my pizza. But this happens: it's how it's handled that matters. My waiter quickly removed the plate, ordered another one. I might be spoiled, but a quick apology from a manager would have been in order. Or a small peace offering like...a cup of soup to eat while my friends ate. My food arrived when theirs was finished. Such is life. Food was delicious. Just...less enthusiastic to see this place during a dinner rush. The beverages we're yummy, too. But good food isn't *good* (and worth the price) if the experiencing of ordering and eating it is not good.

late lunch was better than expected. pulled pork with a very good Cesar salad substituted for the fries. brunch the next couple of weeks was a different story. hot chocolate. was awful and the topping on the waffle was overpowering. the hotcakes were fine. be careful what you chose and it should be okay a little pricey for what we ordered

Spicy potatoes - Really good. I've only been here once, and haven't tried very much of their menu. What I had, the Nighthawk, wasn't especially good (except for the potatoes). I also recall that everything seemed expensive for the food described. Decent ambiance though. I believe they have a special for fried chicken on Sundays which I may actually go back for.

I love this place and have come here for brunch on a fairly regular basis. Today was an exception to the really good rule. Both mine and my partner's food was quite lackluster and we both hate to report that. I'm not sure if this is an off day for the kitchen or if this place has taken a hit since we were last here but the food today was simply unacceptable, incorrectly prepared, and just didn't taste good.

Let me start off by saying that the building itself is nice, and pretty cool. My experience wasn’t that great. It started by being seated at the table, and noticing there are spiderwebs and dead bugs on the lamp. Then, I got my coffee cup, and there was lipstick on the cup.... our server was very nice and replaced the cup.. but the food was very mediocre. I was very unimpressed. Not only that, but the menu is totally bizarre. There are a bunch of “Hispanic” items on the menu, which is odd because the only culture in this place are the hard working cooks and staff in the kitchen. I wouldn’t recommend this palace if you’re going for a good meal.