The Hi-Life

First let me start by saying that building for this place is awesome! It’s an old fire fighter house turned into a restaurant. You have old architecture mixed with modern so it instantly gives a cool vibe. The service we had from our waiter was also very friendly.
I ordered the Clean up on aisle 12 since I saw a lot of good reviews for it. My verdict: it was good, I wasn’t amazed by any means but I wasn’t disappointed either. All the vegetables were cooked great and those poached eggs… very nice! I’ve never had roasted beets for breakfast before but it totally worked for this hash. The polenta that accompanied it was also very good. Their biscuit wasn’t the best I’ve had it was a little on the dry side but still ok.
My favorite thing though– the roasted potatoes! WOW. I could just eat a whole plate of those with some ketchup lol. Perfect crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Next time I’ll make sure to order around that. I’ll have to try more items from their menu next time but overall I had a good experience.

Hi-​Life has always been mediocre to me. It’s good, I’m never disappointed with the food but I’m never wowed either. What is disappointing is the awful service. Whether I’ve sat in the bar or in the main restaurant for Sunday brunch, you’re experience is ruined because you’re constantly trying to track down your server. Maybe other people have better luck in this department!
The best thing I’ve had here are the breakfast potatoes and the waffles. The Firehouse Benedict is good but the pickled Anaheim can be a bit overwhelming at times. French toast is thick and moist, a definite crowd pleaser. And you can never really go wrong with the ham and cheese scramble. The food is never brought out hot, it’s always lukewarm as if it’s been sitting in the kitchen window too long. Another bummer.
Bloody Mary’s and coffee are good, just don’t expect a refill unless you’re blessed with an attentive and friendly server.

Rockin pub food. Don’t be fooled by the name. Sounds like a dive bar, this is a very nice restaurant. I had the ribs, my wife had the hanger steak salad and my son had the pulled pork sandwich. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Amazing service, Laura was our server in the bar area…
Food was amazing, had the Firehouse Benedict. Perfect balance and portion.
I love bloody Mary’s, there amazing and their mimosas are on point!
Can’t wait to go back!!!

Overpriced and underwhelming.
The foods was just all right — tasty but not particularly special nor executed terribly well (beet salad with hardly any beets, vegetable hash with hardly any vegetables… sigh), and the portions were small considering the tab. I have no qualms paying a premium for quality (or quantity for that matter), but I didn’t notice ingredients that would justify these prices — perhaps they start with their overhead expenses and work backwards from there, haha.
Our service at the bar (on a suspiciously slow Saturday night) was lackluster to put it rather politely. On the bright side, the interior is cool to look at. Thankfully we were just about to leave when the place filled up with smoke — I suppose a pizza took one for the team?

Had the Enchilada Stack, wonderfully warm and gooey corn tortillas saturated in a cheesy black bean enchilada sauce topped with over easy eggs and on the side significantly above average deep fried potatoes on the side. That was five stars, but the veg in my girlfriend’s beet hash and polenta was cold, appatently left out, with warm poached eggs. For simpler dishes that people can easily do at home, poor prep is really unfortunate.

The setting is fantastic… it’s in an old firehouse with an open-​kitchen concept and dark, romantic interior. It’s trendy for sure and has a really nice ambiance.
The wine list is not the most diverse I’ve seen, but still had some decent wines. They have a lot of slightly aged selections, which is a plus. The red wine I had was sweet with tart undertones. I really liked the wine.
They had about 3 specials for NYE, all of which were pescetarian. I was with a large party and got to see a lot of the dishes they brought out. The portions were mostly on the small size, but a few were huge. My friend was underwhelmed by the ahi-​tuna crostini plate. It was tiny and he got sick later that night and is convinced it was from the raw fish.
I opted for the quinoa veggie burger and a salad with green goddess dressing. The burger was incredibly dry and crumbly. Half of the patty had to be eaten by fork because it just fell right out of the bun. I stole some of my friends aioli which improved it, but not by much. It came with goat cheese on it, but they were really skimpy with the amount. I could not taste the quinoa. No extra veggies on the burger either… I prefer mine with lettuce, onion, and tomato… it was probably the most plain jane veggie burger I’ve ever had.
The salad was a nice blend of kale and arugula but the inclusion no other veggies left it uninspiring.
It was alright, but not worth the money at all.
Our waitress was awesome and personable though. The staff is definitely attentive.

The Hi-​Life is becoming our go-​to breakfast/​brunch place when we have a large party visiting us from out of town. The food is on par with most other brunch places so you wont be disappointed, its location inside an old converted fire station makes it interesting, and its proximity to the historic Ballard Ave means that you’ll have something to do in the neighborhood after you’re done eating.

Hi Life has been a good consistent standby for us. Whenever we swing by for drinks or dinner, the food never disappoints. The menu changes frequently and according to season. A few months ago we had the mussels with chorizo sausage and it was almost as amazing as the homemade ricotta cheese with heirloom tomatoes. Wow – they really know how to maximize fresh local ingredients. Those mussels were terrific though. Even the roast chicken is great, and I cook so much chicken at home I’m a bit tired of it – except for theirs. Of late, the place has been packed with families with young kids. That’s not bad; we bring our child but if someone is looking for a more romantic venue, a late Friday night is probably going to be more appropriate than a Saturday or Sunday eve. Bottom line, HiLife is a home run.

This is fun, spunky place in Ballard made out of a converted old firehouse. If you have any family members who work with the fire department they may get a kick out of it, as my brother did!
Try their Mac n Cheese which is magical. It’s served in the evenings and has just a slight, delicious kick. The bar menu is reliably excellent, and their bar tenders are typically excellent at their craft. Worth a visit for happy hour.

After a major buttermilk pancake drought and last Saturday’s disappointment at Chace’s Pancake Corral in Bellevue, it was a major score to score a table at The Hi-​Life for brunch with the kiddo.
A pair of Station House #18 with perfectly scrambled eggs, crispy sinful bacon strips, and a stack of the ultimate buttermilk pancakes. The butter and maple syrup makes that stack even better with each bite. I repeat, real maple syrup!
I don’t indulge in such entrees often, but in the voice of that Dos Eques commercial, ‘but when I do, Station House #18 fills the bill, stay hungry my friends.’ Yes, it was pouring outside, but I had major culinary sunshine in my stomach today. Sigh.

Being a college student for the first time in Seattle, I was excited to try new restaurants in the area. I was excited to see their brunch menu that ranged from a variety of pancakes and french toast to BLT’s and other Sandwiches. I chose to have the Peppered Bacon BLT with Lemon Aioli, and it was to DIE for. I absolutely loved it. The fries it came with as well were amazing. I’ve gone back a couple times specifically for this meal.
The only thing I would point out is that parking can be tricky depending on what time of day, and that the menu differs at different times of the day. They have three menus, so be sure if you want a specific meal, to know which menu/​time of day it is served!

I’m surprised Hi-​Life is rated only 3.5 stars. I come here for brunch regularly with my wife and we almost always have to wait 15 – 20 minutes because of packed it is. This restaurant is pretty rad; it was a former fire station back in the day that they converted into a pretty cool looking restaurant. The breakfast is phenomenal here. I’ve had almost every single entrée from their menu and I have to say, it’s oh so good. They have great fried potatoes that are always constantly crispy and fresh. Their eggs are cooked to perfection (I always get over easy) and they have AMAZING bloody marys. I typically get the corned beef hash, which comes with potatoes, onions and poached eggs. Absolutely phenomenal and you can tell they use only the finest of ingredients. My wife always gets the Migas and swears that it’s the best thing on the menu. The Migas is a scramble with anaheims salsa, avocado, cotija cheese and tortilla chips.
I’ve only gotten lunch/​dinner there once and it was for the Sunday Night Fried Chicken deal they have. It’s $ 15.50 per person/​$ 7.75 for kids and it comes with mashed potatoes & gravy, seasonal veggies and biscuits. The chicken is very good; I wouldn’t say it’s «Ezell’s good» (not a fair comparison) but I would say that this is a must have for all you fried chicken lovers out there.

The Hi-​Life is quite busy on weekend mornings so it took two times before I was able to try this place out. I ordered the croque madame and got to try one of the scrambles. My croque was good and came with fried potatoes. Overall, fairly typical breakfast selections, but the service was great, the food came out in a timely fashion, and the atmosphere is chill.

First of all: Best French Onion Soup in Seattle. Hands down.
I came here on Friday night before joining a friend for her birthday celebration at Stoup. Chose the french onion soup and a grilled pear salad.
The soup I’ve already addressed. It was everything I could ask for in a french onion. My only qualm is that the price tag seemed steep at $ 9.50. Frankly, I expected a larger serving and put this one at $ 7.50, but the Gruyère on top was very good which I’m sure contributes to the price tag.
The grilled peach salad, though, I was a little disappointed by. A grilled peach (good!) accompanied by arugula and pecans just isn’t enough of a salad to really wow me. But good and seasonal, so I’ll give them that.
Loved that the hostess gave us two table options! Also, I was glad I’d made reservations on a Friday at 6:30. :)

Great breakfast spot.
Got the Fancy French toast. It was extra fancy.
Espresso mascarpone was really different in a very good way. The custard and bread from Macrina they used was right on point. The hazelnuts weren’t necessary for me but we’re tasty.
Pretty cool restaurant an old firehouse and it looks like they have a private dining area for large groups.
My companion got the biscuits and gravy, which were huge. I’m not sure if I would order them unless I was prepared to take a long nap and had some stretchy pants handy.
Service was friendly and the food came out quick. I will definitely be back for breakfast.

I really wanted to like this place, mostly due to its convenient location and the pretty presentation of its plates.
But, I just can’t understand:
— Apple fritter special served cold
— Greasy, still dripping bacon
— Sourdough bread used in French toast
After each course I kept hoping the next would be better. But the only thing I really liked was the fresh-​squeezed Oj that my dining partner ordered.
At these prices, there’s really no compelling to return. Walk just a few blocks to Skillet for delicious brunch.
Very good service.

Dinner here is… pretty spectacular! Especially the burgers and cocktails! Here on a saturday night, and the restaurant is comfortably empty. But what’s really awesome is the service here. Definitely one of the best waitresses I’ve had.
I think for the most part people come here for the breakfast and fried chicken, but dinner options are pretty hefty. You have the option of pizza, burger, steak, salad etc.
I ordered the lamb burger and arguably that was one of the best lamb burger I’ve ever had. It’s medium-​well, extremely tender and juicy. The steak fries were killer too. It comes with a side of goat cheese dip and ketchup. But you can request other dips (like blue cheese if you want)
But be warned, it’s pretty spicy, which I think comes from the pepper.
The cocktails here are super well made, and the sangria is tasty. Cocktail + burger + tip and taxes made it a $ 30 meal.

I love the happy hour at Hi-​Life! If you’re looking to shake up your usual, visit this old firehouse turned restaurant for a really laid-​back yet classy vibe.
On Tuesdays they have all night happy hour. What’s not to love about an all night happy hour? Try the $ 5 cheeseburger that’s served pretty simple with cheddar, Mama Lil’s aioli and a crispy onion ring. It’s certainly not the best burger in the world, but it’s a nice little snack and/​or dinner that pairs well with an ice-​cold beer or glass of wine (just $ 3.75 for either on HH!) If you’re in the mood for something a bit richer, their mac and cheese is a delight and has a smoky kick, with the addition of roasted anaheim peppers. Mmm.
My next thing to try is their brunch which I’ve heard is fabulous — stay tuned!

Used to come here regularly, but this was my first visit in a few years. Didn’t really have a reason for the hiatus, just got distracted by trying new things, but my return was a tasty one.
They have a great variety on their breakfast/​lunch menus — you can be good (options like oatmeal or their farmers market hash) or you can be bad (benedicts, pancakes, etc). They also have a list of seasonal menu items that keep things fresh and interesting. I went with their green chile grits (no chorizo). Came with the aforementioned grits, black beans, pico, and a pair of sunny side up eggs. Two thumbs up!
The Stumptown coffee flows freely and the service is friendly. Atmosphere is also nice, housed in an old firehouse with high ceilings. Only downside to that is that the bathrooms are a bit of a trek.
I’ll make my hiatus much shorter this time!