Walnut Street is getting a new pizzeria—this time, a slice shop. 3rd Joint will open on April 20 at the former Walnut Street Bagels storefront, bringing slices, sandwiches, house-made bread, desserts, and more to Montclair.
Owner Beverly Lacsina is no stranger to the local food scene. In 2022, she opened Walnut Street Kitchen in the space formerly occupied by longtime Montclair staple, Corso 98. The cozy hidden gem offers seasonally driven plates in a casual, BYO atmosphere.
Shortly after, Lacsina opened Walnut Street Bagels. It was there that she first started experimenting with pizza. Lacsina’s bagels were made using no commercial yeast, instead opting for poolish—a pre-ferment often used in traditional breadmaking. This made the eventual transition to pizza a no-brainer.
Lacsina closed the bagel shop late last year. While pizza is not lacking in the neighborhood—pizzerias dot Walnut Street up and down, including two top spots in Brick & Dough and Boschetto—she saw a lane to bring something a bit different to the bustling street.
3rd Joint is a slice shop. That means a case of slices—both classics and specialties—available daily. Her pizza sits somewhere between a classic Jersey slice and something a bit more gourmet. Poolish-leavened dough brings structure and body to the pie. Low-moisture mozzarella brings that classic cheese flavor and texture. But where 3rd Joint’s pizza really shines is in the sauce.
While most NY-style pizzerias use raw sauce for their pies, Lacsina is using cooked sauce. It brings a more intense tomato flavor to the equation, and it’s immediately distinguishable from other nearby slices. The pie glows with that signature, slice shop orange hue. It’s an excellent version of an otherwise classic pizza. It tastes familiar—like the pizza of your youth. Perhaps that’s what Walnut Street was missing all along.
What’s more is homemade bread. 3rd Joint’s sandwiches come with the option of focaccia or ciabatta. The pizzeria will also serve as a full bake shop, dishing out fresh-baked brown butter chocolate chip cookies and other desserts, like lemon bars, vegan brownies, chocolatey icebox cake, and a rotating cake slice of the month.
But there’s one more trick up 3rd Joint’s sleeve, and it’s something the neighborhood was practically begging for. The Walnut Street slice shop will be open until 1 a.m. most nights, bringing a late-night food option into the equation. With popular bars nearby—Eagans and Tierney’s—3rd Joint offers the option to get some food in your stomach before you stumble home. And what’s better than a steaming slice of pizza or a sandwich when you’ve had one too many Guinnesses? Absolutely nothing.
Montclair certainly isn’t scarce in the pizza department, but I will always accept new options with open arms. Beverly Lacsina brings 3rd Joint to the city, offering specialty and classic slices, whole pies, desserts, focaccia sandwiches, crusty ciabatta, late-night hours, and more.
Beyond the naturally-leavened pies and housemade bread, she leans heavy into the classic NJ pizzeria vibe. In an era where it seems like a new, pretentious, artisan pizza shop opens every other week—without offering slices—that’s a breath of fresh air. “It’s a slice shop,” she tells me. “That’s just what I wanted to do.”
3rd Joint officially opens to the public on April 20.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
