Beer Authority

Beer AuthorityBeer Authority
Beer AuthorityBeer Authority
Bar, Eatery

300 W 40th St
New York, New York, 10018-1432
United States

(212) 510-8415 | map
beerauthoritynyc.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.79
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
56
pDev:
19%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by JohnW58:
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Reviewed by JohnW58 from New York

4.48/5  rDev +18.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
This is a relatively new place; apparently owned by Rattle N Him. Unlike Rattle N Hum, it's much larger, with 3 levels including a small bar on the lower level, a restaurant / bar / large screen television area with lots of windows on the second level, and a 3rd (open) level that includes picnic tables and of course a bar. The location is convenient; just across from the Port Authority on West 40th Street. There's a nice mix of food to choose from. The brisket sandwich I had was good. They also had a choice of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The staff is friendly and helpful. All in all, a nice first experience. I plan on returning.
May 05, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.06 by zotzot from Vermont

Feb 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.06 by Griffith from Connecticut

Mar 19, 2019
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Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Stopped by on a damp, overcast Saturday impromptu with a large group of close friends. Beer Authority is literally right across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (get it?) with ground floor access to a relatively small, very traditional looking bar area on that level and a much, much larger restaurant and bar on the second floor. Lots of dark wood paneling, mirrors/memorabilia, and brass throughout. There is also a large, outdoor serving area, which I would guess was not in use in December in New York.

Beer Authority advertises that it has "90 beers on tap, 100 beers by the bottle." I'm not convinced that that is quite true based on the menu, but it certainly did sport a very broad selection of beers including a cask conditioned offering and quite a few that can be hard to come by. In addition, there is a range of ciders, wines, and mixed drinks, as well. That said, if you go to the website to find out what is available, it will connect you BeerMenus, which is neither nearly complete, nor recently updated.

The service was solid: we arrived around 12:30 pm. Drank, ate lunch, drank, talked, drank, talked some more, drank, and had dinner without any pressure to move along. The food was a range of pub favorites: snacks, burgers, sandwiches, entrees like Shepherds' Pie. I have the Fish and Chips (the latter were predictably salty), which I enjoyed. Prices were a bit high, but this is midtown Manhattan. If you are in the area and looking for someplace for a moderate sized group to eat and hang out, Beer Authority might just work out for you.
Dec 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Rifugium from North Dakota

Aug 24, 2018
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Rated by Robwhite from New York

1/5  rDev -73.6%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1 | food: 1
Worst service and security I’ve ever come across in America, except for Aiden the bartender downstairs he’s the best
Jan 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Jan 04, 2018
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Reviewed by valrxman from Florida

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Met a fellow BA for lunch while in town. Pretty good tap selection, the bottle prices were high IMO. Food was pretty good as well. If you are in the area check it out.
Cheers
Jan 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by sansho from California

Nov 07, 2015
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Rated by Homers_Beer_Odyssey from New York

2.85/5  rDev -24.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 1 | food: 4
Complete failure to update website or beermenus.com
Sep 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by Stagga_Lee from Massachusetts

May 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by Brown120 from Pennsylvania

May 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Nmelione from New Jersey

May 21, 2015
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Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

3.57/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
Stopped in for a planning session/escape from a large group tour. I was pleased with the variety of beers but somewhat surprised by the prices. Service was OK, selection was decent. We didn't need to eat, so I can't comment on the food. It was convenient to our hotel, but I wouldn't travel across the city to visit.
Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.38 by eluvah from New York

Apr 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by JasonHaviland from New Hampshire

Feb 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by almostjay from Virginia

Feb 18, 2015
Photo of eddiebo
Reviewed by eddiebo from New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 2.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
Large selection with brewery-led events, but pricey, super loud and obnoxious crowd, and a staff who may or may not know very much about what you are ordering. Good for the selection, meh for just about everything else
Jan 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by PVMT from New York

Jan 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by vfgccp from New York

Jan 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by Phigg1102 from New York

Dec 06, 2014
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Reviewed by otispdriftwood from Colorado

2/5  rDev -47.2%
I've trashed this place in the forums enough so it's time to do the same in the reviews. Haven't been here for a year or so but the [bad] memories linger. Out of the 4 times I did find myself here, I got the wrong beer twice. To add insult to injury, the bartender told me I was out of my mind. Hell, once I ordered an IPA and got something entirely different. The bottom line is that this place is spacious and does have outdoor roof top seating but it's the biggest tourist trap in the city. And the prices suck. There are usually at least several beers that are $1 or more per beer than pretty much anywhere in NYC. There are at least 3 other places within short walking distance [District Taphouse, New York Beer Company and Shorty's]. Take your beer business to them.
Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.28 by jhuss10 from New Hampshire

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mattyrubes from New York

Oct 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Lare453 from Florida

Sep 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.4 by mjb42 from New York

Aug 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by reebtaerG from Maryland

Aug 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by JoeMans from New York

Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by sunofneurot from New York

Jul 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by mmmbeerNY from New York

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by WanderlustNJ from New Jersey

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Elfastball7 from New Jersey

Jun 26, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by Glaucio from Brazil

Jun 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by markgugs from New Jersey

Jun 10, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by paulish from New York

May 13, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by tainohawk from New York

May 05, 2014
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Reviewed by Michaelman73 from Connecticut

4.01/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Just discovered this place on a weekend trip to NYC March 1-2. Luckily, they could also make mixed drinks for my wife and she was happy with her Cosmo. We got there about 4 on Sat. afternoon so it was almost deserted upstairs. The two waitresses—one going off duty and one coming on—were knowledgeable about the IPAs I was interested in trying. Although they list almost 60 beers on tap, I'm an IPA guy. There were 7 IPAs (4 of which I had already tasted) and 4 Imperial IPAs. But I was still in heaven thanks to Bear Republic APEX and Firestone Union Jack. Tried a Troegs Perpetual IPA, but it was too spicy for me. Finished the afternoon with my standby Bear Republic Racer 5 (which I've had many times before; one of my favorites). Yes, it's $8 and $9 a glass, but that's the way it is in NYC. Beer Authority's menu looked OK—standard pub fare—but our plans took us to another place to eat. Pleased with my first visit. I would go back again.
Mar 31, 2014
Photo of TaylorMade2014
Reviewed by TaylorMade2014 from Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
I've been twice and my ratings are in the middle of my two experiences. The first time I sat at a table and vowed that I probably wouldn't go back.

The server was slow and rude. I could deal with that if she at least was knowledgeable about their beers. But she had no clue. I don't expect experts but when you're called "The Beer Authority" you should at least have servers who are somewhat knowledgeable. Add to that that the food wasn't great and the overall experience was less than desirable.

I did end up going back a second time and sat at the bar. Much better experience. The bartender knew pretty much all there was to know about every beer they were pouring and he made some excellent recommendations: Boulder Beer Mojo IPA, Firestone Walker Pale 31 and Olde Saratoga Black IPA

The place itself is a bit large and if crowded you will have people reaching over you to pick up their shots. Not really a beer pub atmosphere in other words but the selection makes it worth the hassle... I think...

If I go back I will only sit at the bar. That's for sure!!!
Feb 26, 2014
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Reviewed by BeerTwigs from New York

3.54/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.5
Stopped in over the weekend after seeing a show with my wife. It was a Saturday night and their was a band playing so it was pretty loud. It was definitely louder than I prefer but it was a Saturday night so I cant really complain. They have a lot of beer on tap, unfortunately most of it is pretty standard in terms of craft beer. They had a few beers that I haven't had before and I definitely enjoyed them but their prices are outrageous. Their beers are priced between $8-10 each and were served in the proper glassware. There are many other beer bars in NYC with better beer selections and better pricing. I assume they are priced this way because of their location right across from the Port Authority. They had a nice cask of Nugget Nectar on which was awesome so I will give them credit for that.

The bar is 2-3 levels with a roof top bar, unfortunately its winter so I didn't get a chance to check it out. The main floor was pretty packed and there were no seats left at the bar. The service was ok, we ordered 5-6 beers and 2 of them were wrong which was disappointing. Since it was a busy Saturday night I didn't even bother trying to return them and the waitress seemed very uninterested in being there. I typically prefer staff to have some recommendations and some beer knowledge and I didn't receive that type of service.

Overall I feel their beer menu is good, not great and they are over priced. I would only recommend stopping in if you need to kill time before catching a bus at the Port Authority or during happy hour. It looked like they had some happy hour pricing which would make the menu almost acceptable. There food menu seemed ok but I didn't have any food during my visit. Check the menu before you go. Cheers!
Feb 26, 2014
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Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.25
***Revisiting Beer Authority***

I thought that, being in my neighborhood and having so many taps, I would come back here often. That has not been the case. Service went from great to disinterested, the place got crowded with BMC-drinking types and the prices went up up up. 16-oz pints are now nine dollars. NINE. Think Goose Island IPA for 9 bucks. No, thanks.

They have a ton of taps but not that much variety of styles, really. 23 IPA's on tap are overkill.

I'll leave it to the tourists and Jersey commuters and go to Pony Bar instead.

From the creators of Rattle N Hum comes Beer Authority, a massive beer bar across from the Port Authority Bus Station. This place is gigantic and weird- it has got three floors and sprawling windows looking over 8th Avenue, but the main entrance is a narrow unmarked door on 40th street.

Seediness abounds in this glorious block, with a porn shop right next to the bar and the Parole Office down the street. In the tradition of other Port Authority-area bars, Beer Authority opens at 8:00 in the morning. Just in case you need an imperial stout before going to work!

As for the beers... there are 58 taps here, which is a damn good number but not as good as the 80 they were promising. Also promised and not delivered: cask beer. Hopefully they will get it going soon. The menu is divided by styles and is almost identical to the menu at R'n'H. Good stuff for everyone, including a ton of IPA's (Dogfish 60 and 90, Union Jack, Sculpin, Racer 5) and rarer stuff like Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter, Oskar BluesTen Fidy and Anderson Valley Horn of the Beer barleywine.

I love the ambience, never loud or crazy and spacious enough to guarantee a seat and a good time, although it does get busy after work. Tables, high-tops, a long-ass bar and different areas to choose from. It's all very chill so far, and hopefully it won't turn into another Ginger Man for corporate types and commuters.

Prices look a lil' expensive but are not terrible. 16-oz pints are $7, 12- and 14-oz glasses of specialty beers are around $8. Service is very good, with friendly and efficient bartenders, and so far the only disappointment is the food menu. It is not quite the "high-end gastropub fare" the owners announced. More like sandwiches, pastas, mussels and stuff. But the Spotted Pig this is not. The wife and I had the deviled eggs and they were alright. Not super amazing for sure, and way expensive at $9.

Still, this place is going to be the bomb, and I will be there drinking it!
Feb 21, 2014
Beer Authority in New York, NY
Place rating: 3.79 out of 5 with 56 ratings