Moneygun (660 W. Lake St., West Loop) pulled a fast one on us—the latest offering from the team behind Longman & Eagle and the Promontory arrived as a surprise opening last week. From the look of the crowds on Saturday night, though, word spread pretty quickly, as the midnight-blue shoebox was packed with well-dressed types sipping simple, throwback cocktails.

There was a thick crowd around the bar, some taking in the handwritten menu on glass panes propped up directly across from it, others waiting for carefully prepared Jack Rose and Bee's Knees beverages to be shaken up. Mostly, though, they were soaking up the artfully worn atmosphere, nodding along to Queen Latifah songs playing at blast volume, knowing they'd never be able to vulture a table.

Here's what else we saw when we stopped in.