Scofflaw’s New Logan Square Bar Features Meaty Double Stacks

The Scofflaw Group’s ultra-casual beer and burger bar, The Moonlighter, opens on Wednesday at 3204 W. Armitage Avenue — across the street from the company’s original and namesake bar. The Moonlighter is, as Scofflaw partner Danny Shapiro puts it, “the kind of place you’d go to without a second thought.” It’s at a lower price point, and Shapiro says the group’s intention is to make this a place people would want to come to multiple nights a week.

The Moonlighter [Official Photo]

The bar’s large outdoor patio boasts a seating capacity for around 200 outside and 100 inside. The interior’s designed with camel-colored furniture and woodwork, and the bar and siding are made from salvaged pieces of an old South Side water tower. In the warmer months, a garage door will open to join the indoor and outdoor spaces. During winter, there’s a few fireplaces to keep warm.

The food comes from chef Mickey Neely, the original chef at Scofflaw. The group’s excited to reunite with him on food, and Shapiro says it’s stuff that “will really satisfy people’s cravings.” There’s a lineup of six double-stacked burgers — including a vegan burger using the Beyond Burger patty.. Other items include wings, nachos, loaded fries, and two salads.

The bar’s focus is beer, with sours and low-ABV beers highlighted — both local and not. The group’s taken care to include popular sours to introduce people to the style. Cocktails run the gamut on spirits, but are at the same level of craft expected at other Scofflaw Group spots. But patios call for large-format drinks, and three pitchered cocktails are ripe for a group of people sitting on the patio on a warm day. The beverage menu wraps up with $2 shots of rosé — just enough of a taste of the refreshing wine.

Stephen Meinster

The Moonlighter thirsts to quench Logan Square’s desire for creative and more-affordable bars. And with Best Intentions, Scofflaw, Giant, and Parson’s all right there, maybe there’s no need to leave the block. Check out the menus below. Scofflaw’s latest opens on Wednesday.