If you’re looking for flamingly good brunch and all around hot food choices, look no further than the brick exterior of The Hi-Life, a repurposed firehouse turned restaurant serving up delicious food inside of the high-ceiled, open air summer space. Dining hours run from 8:30 until 10:00pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11:00pm Friday through Saturday, but special deals can be scored during their three happy hour options. Find discounts on weekday mornings with the Not-so-Early-Bird happy hours on Monday through Friday from opening till 11:00 am. Duck in for everyday deals from 3:00 to 6:30 pm and 10:00 pm to close. Last, for all night happy hours, dine in after work on Tuesday from 3 pm to close.

On the exterior, The Hi-Life offers patio seating with inset table fireplaces against the backdrop of the previous doorways of the firehouse, now left open to let the summer air in and provide a constant stream of sunlight. High up on their brick walls, is a 20-foot neon sign with instructions: “Eat.” If anyone ever gets lost trying to find the place, that’s a certain way to find the spot!

The food at The Hi-Life is a lot like their space itself: simple but re-invented. From breakfast through to dinner, there’s old favorites done wonderfully and new inventions to try out.

For breakfast, or preferably brunch, choose from their seasonal menu, a list of scrambles, assorted entrees, or waffles, pancakes, and french toast. The current seasonal menu for the spring/summer features Varied Berry French Toast ($10.50) which is brioche griddled french toast with strawberry syrup, berries, and whipped cream; Linguica Hash ($13.00) which features house made Portuguese sausage, red potatoes, local squash, peppers, and onions; and a Yogurt Parfait ($8.50). Like many of the dishes from The Hi-Life, the seasonal menu uses an abundance of local ingredients and features them well.

The scrambles are top notch and again featuring local ingredients. Choose between the Migas ($11.25) with Anaheim's salsa, Cotija cheese, avocado, and tortilla strips; Lan-Roc Farms Ham Scram ($11.50) with Ephrata, local ham, scallions, and cheddar cheese; and the Ballard Market ($11.50) with roasted zucchini, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, greens, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and the kitchen sink. Their scrambles are simple, but hard to beat because all the ingredients going in are of the highest quality.

Other than eggs, The Hi-Life has an entire list of entrees, most notably Cleanup on Aisle 12 ($11.75) which is a hash with piles of vegetables over a polenta square, eggs, and toast; Firehouse Benedict ($13.50); and Biscuits and Gravy ($9.50). For anyone who’s an addict on the hunt for the perfect soft biscuit that isn’t just hiding under the gravy or gravy that actually has enough meat and isn’t just a drizzle on top of delicious biscuits; here it is.

Lastly, on the note of breakfast, whatever else you order, don’t miss on their smashed red potatoes on the side. They are perfectly spiced, crunchy but soft bites of heaven.

For lunch, choose from sandwiches and burgers, pizza, or their ‘meals.’ The pizzas are done in a brick oven and, like everything else, include some options that are a bit out there: the seasonal Fall River ($8.75) with spicy linguica sausage, corn, jalapenos, pomodoro sauce, and cotija cheese and the Butternut ($9.00) with butternut squash, goat cheese, pancetta, roasted garlic, and Tutto Calabria peppers. If pizza isn’t your thing, pick from a wealth of other options: pulled pork sandwiches, lamb burger, chicken pot pie, fish and chips, pozole blanco (seasonal)...

Dinner has much of the same options as lunch and then more. For dinner, more seasonal options are added and some more entree type items like Kansas City Spareribs ($19.50), Linguica and Charred Corn Rigatoni (seasonal; $17.00), Summer Garden Plate (seasonal; $16.00), and more.

The Hi-Life is great for groups with a variety of tastes and preferences because they menu has such a wide range of options for people to choose from.

To get cheaper deals on food, pop in for happy hour for $4 pizzas and sides like Bread Pudding, Suicide Sliders, Mac and Cheese, and Onion Rings.

Along with food, The Hi-Life serves beer, wine, cocktails, and mocktails galore. Like for food, there’s a seasonal menu of cocktails with prices ranging from $8.50 to $13.50. For draft beers, expect a lot of local features from Ballard, Redmond, Bellingham, Seattle, and an additional rotating local brewery and featured cider. In bottles, the choices are even more extensive. For anyone under 21 or avoiding alcohol, they serve fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning, house made ginger beer, some mocktails, bottles sodas, and jalapeno lemonade. Personally, I always appreciate a creative non-alcoholic menu since so often anyone not drinking alcohol is limited to Coke product or water, but The Hi-Life has plenty of fun options whether you’re of age or not.

Overall, prices are mid-range. Expect an entree to run from $10-15 typically, though some are more expensive. If you’re trying to eat out on a budget though, stop in for any of their happy hours where prices are highly reduced. Remember, Tuesday nights have nightlong happy hours with $4 and $5 dinner options so you can eat out without going broke.

In short, whether for brunch on Sunday morning or after work on Wednesday night, The Hi-Life of Ballard, Washington has got a lot of personality in their locale and their food that won’t disappoint.