The Hi-Life
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 784-7272
- Price:
- $
- Hours:
- Daily 8:30am-3pm, Mon-Thurs 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-11pm, Sun 5-10pm
Editorial Review for The Hi-Life – by Don Rauf
The Scene
Surrounded by local art on the brick walls, diners gravitate to the comfy leather booths. In the summer, the enormous front doors open to let in the milder weather. Once again, Chow Foods, creators of several favorite local dining spots, has designed a venue with loads of warmth and personality.
The Food
Besides the individual pizzas, which approach New York quality, many other dishes--burgers, oysters, salmon--get the smoky apple-wood treatment. Dinner choices from this quarterly menu are all substantial and not overly fussy, such as a filling platter of pork porterhouse, enhanced by fig marmalade and creamy polenta. The Hi-Life takes brunch seriously, offering daily delights such as Cleanup on Aisle 12, a surprisingly tasty vegetarian hash of beets, greens and turnips.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Look GoodLeave room for dessert: The kitchen transforms ordinary leftover bread into a palate-blowing pudding, flavored with caramel, espresso and cream.
User Reviews for The Hi-Life
09/05/2008 Posted by dnsd2008
I really wanted to like this place! Three of us went, and after a long wait to get a table we ordered and started the long wait to get our food. An hour later the waiter told us the kitchen had lost our ticket. Two of us got ours eventually, but another hour after we got our food my husband FINALLY got his burger! And when he got it it was RARE!!! And I mean bloody and cold inside! The waiter did give us a free dessert for our trouble, but we were too tired of sitting there to wait another hour and a half for my husband's burger, especially since the rest of us had been done with our meal forever! I did give the place another try (may have just been a bad night for them?) and went with a friend for drinks and appetizers in the bar. The first 4 appetizers we ordered were sold out. We finally got their bread stuffed with cheese which was excellent, and our waittress was great. I general, I am very dissappointed with this restaurant. Hopefully they will get their "S" together.
Pros: Staff is friendly, great atmosphere
Cons: Staff is SLOW, parking in Ballard can be hell.
05/14/2008 Posted by getfuzzygurl
My boyfriend and I decided to give The Hi-Life a shot after going to The 5 Spot, it's sister restaurant, so many times. The Hi-Life was very nice in that it had a quieter and classier feel than the 5 Spot but still had several of the signature 5 Spot dishes on the menu. I had a wonderful Greek dish, the Mezzes Platter, that had just the right combination of flavors without being too overwhelming. The bottle of Greek wine that was paired with it was decent enough. My boyfriend enjoyed a penne dish which was nothing extraordinary but the chicken on top was very tasty. We finished our meal with an espresso cheesecake that was the perfect finale to our experience; not too rich but incredibly yummy! Our waitress was attentive and friendly and we loved that the atmosphere allowed us to have a more intimate dining experience as the restaurant was not crowded but wasn't dead either. I will probably go back again to induldge my Greek food cravings!
Pros: attentive wait staff, good food, classy without frills
Cons: limited street parking, wine list could be better
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