Beer Authority: A Three-Level Times Square Beer Bar With 90-Plus Taps and an 11am Happy Hour
Beer Authority is a three-level craft beer bar at the corner of 40th Street and Eighth Avenue, by Port Authority, with more than 90 beers on tap and rooftop seating when the weather allows. Its happy hour starts at 11am and runs until 7pm, Monday through Friday.
During those hours drafts run $8–$10, house mixed drinks and wine are $11, cocktails are $13, pitchers $25 and beer buckets $30. That’s a real deal two blocks from the Times Square crush, and a sensible pre-theater stop.
The Happy Hour
Happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 11am–7pm: $8–$10 draft beers, $11 house mixed drinks, $11 wines, $13 cocktails, $8 seltzers, $10 shots, $25 pitchers and $30 beer buckets. It doesn’t apply on holiday blackout dates. These prices come from the venue’s OpenTable listing; its own site doesn’t publish them, so confirm the window before you go.
The Room
Beer Authority is at 300 West 40th Street, across from Port Authority: three floors plus rooftop seating, a long tap list, bottles and cans, non-alcoholic beers and a full cocktail program. Trivia runs Tuesday and Thursday nights, there’s a DJ on Fridays and live entertainment on Saturdays. It’s open 11am–2am daily, and the A/C/E at 42nd Street–Port Authority is right outside.
Who Beer Authority Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Pre-theater drinks | Two blocks from the Times Square theaters, with deals until 7pm |
| Beer nerds | 90+ beers on tap across three levels |
| A long lunch | Happy hour starts at 11am on weekdays |
| Trivia night | Quiz nights Tuesday and Thursday |