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Home > Restaurants > Hi-Life Restaurant & Lounge

Hi-Life Restaurant & Lounge

1503 Second Ave., New York, NY 10075
nr. 78th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-628-5433 Send to Phone
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  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    7.5 out of 10

      |  

    2 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Diner, Eclectic/Global
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Photo by Kate Appleton

Official Website

hi-life.com

Hours

Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2am; Sat-Sun, 10:30am-2am

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 77th St.

Prices

$13.95-$19.95

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Bar Scene
  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Delivery
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Kids' Menu
  • Late-Night Dining
  • Lunch

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Delivery Area

68th St. to 90th St., East End Ave. to Fifth Ave.

Profile

With an entire page of the dinner menu devoted to cocktail specials, it’s clear that this UES restaurant caters to drinkers looking to fill their bellies between rounds. Opened in 2007 as the sister location to Hi-Life Bar & Grill across the park, the restaurant’s adjacent lounge, outfitted in red and black vinyl booths and sporting a retro aquarium that doubles as the hostess’s podium, nods to Swingers-style imbibing. With big band music pumping throughout, the mood carries over into the similarly decorated dining room. Given High Life’s emphasis on cocktail swilling, it seems fitting that the kitchen’s best dishes are shareable bar food starters, like a truly grande platter of nachos dripping with cheddar, baskets of deliciously deep-fried popcorn shrimp, and smoked bacon-flecked Idaho potato skins. The scattershot menu of mains, from burgers to pad Thai, aims to please all, with predictably mixed results. Burgers are bland, and Maryland crab cakes fishy, but the refreshing Slammin’ Salmon roll with lemon and cilantro hits the spot. Clearly not a dinner destination, High Life lives up to its expertly mixed martinis and satisfying snacks. — Alexis Korman

Everyday Deals

Both locations offer daily drink specials and early bird deals on popular dinner entrees.

Kitchen Hours
Mon.—Wed., 11:30 a.m.—11 p.m.; Thu., 11:30 a.m.—midnight; Fri., 11:30 a.m.—2 a.m.; Sat., 10:30 a.m.—2 a.m.; Sun., 10:30 a.m.—11 p.m.

Recommended Dishes

Nachos grande, $9.95; slammin’ salmon roll, $5.95

7.5 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
100% Would you go back?
100% Would you take a date?
50% Would you take kids?
50% Would you go on business?
50% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.5
Service: 7.5
Décor: 8.0
Value: 9.5

Fun patrons, fun staff, good food and excellent value

blangdon from 10021 | Posted on 5/3/09

Overall Rating: 7 (Recommended)
Food: 7
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 10

HiLife runs so many different specials during the week, it makes it hard to cook at home when you can get the same food and at the same price and someone else does the cooking for you. Specialty drinks are great and done to perfection. I had the best Blood Orange Margarita the other night. Excellent value and a friendly staff make this place a no brainier when you want something good to eat and drink. All of the sushi rolls are great. Hamburgers are so fresh and cooked to perfection. They have an excellent Argentinian Chimichurri Skirt steak that they have as a special. Their Cobb salad is delicious and so is their balsamic dressing. I have had Brunch their many times. Pancakes(my son loves), Eggs Benedict are great and an excellent value compared to other place serving brunch on the weekends in this neighborhood. Steak tartare is ground to order and is different that any other place I have had it. I like it a little spicy. Tuna Tartare is equally as good as its beefy counterpart. Oysters are fresh and delicious with their dipping sauces. I have been going there since it opened.

Great for a drink and a snack

truly_sweet from | Posted on 4/18/03

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 7
Décor: 8
Value: 9

But beware - the bar gets CROWDED. Super-nice, cute, bar tenders and foxy waitstaff serve up decent sushi and BIG and LITTLE Bowls or decent grub. A good place to meet one of those "online dating fiascos".

Read All 2 Reviews >>

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