The Hi Life Restaurant--Upper East Side

I am enchanted by the snazzy, vintage look of the Hi Life Restaurant with its little neon cocktail glass there in the logo...It is obviously a cocktail lounge kind of place, more than a restaurant...

Since I do not drink alcohol, I myself would not come here, but for people who do, this might be just the right place to find drinks you like and hopefully good cocktail lounge food...

Let's see what the gist of the reviews of this charming place is--

Well, it IS for the cocktail crowd, not for diners. I found this little review from New York Magazine which has it in a nutshell

Hi-Life Restaurant & Lounge

1503 Second Ave., New York, NY 10075 nr. 78th St.  See Map | Subway Directions 212-628-5433 Send to Phone See other locations >> Reserve a Table | Order Online Cuisine: Diner, Eclectic/Global Price Range: $$ Reader Rating: 8 out of 10   |   2 Reviews | Write a Review

Photo by Kate Appleton

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Official Website

hi-life.com

Hours

Mon-Fri, 11am-4am; Sat-Sun, 10am-4am

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

• Make a Reservation with opentable.com

Delivery Area

68th St. to 96th St., East End Ave. to Fifth Ave.

• Order Delivery with seamless.com

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.
Recommended Dishes Nachos grande, $10.95; slammin’ salmon roll, $6.50