Joan's on Third

Joan's On Third is an OUTSTANDING cafe that I can't say enough good things about.

Three words: Tarragon Chicken Salad. On the last film I worked on, I occassionally picked up lunches for the day, and whenever we picked Joan's, inevitably 90% of the orders were for this dish. It's amazing. They also have other great salads, sandwiches, fresh cheeses ... you name it.

Expect it to be very busy during the lunch rush--phone ahead and get some for take-out! If I lived closer, I'd be hitting this place at least a couple times a week ...

If you're getting take-out, order beforehand because you're going to have a LONG wait ahead of you depending on when you go. The set up is very poor - you order at one end and pay at another. It wouldn't be so awful if half the customers knew what was going on. However, the selection is great and the gourmet ingredients ensure tasty and interesting dishes. They have a wide variety of veggie mixtures and gourmet cheeses. Definitely a wonderful place to pick up picnic items, and the catering menu is HUGE. The prices are okay and the desserts are yummy, if a little too rich for me, and I have quite the sweet tooth.

Great salads and lunch items. Pleasant seating on the sidewalk as well.

Joan's is great for a casual weekend brunch or weekday power lunch. The trio is my favorite: selections from their cold case salads- the curried chickpeas and the asian greenbeans are two of my faves. Their sandwiches are made from the freshest ingredients, and their gelato is pretty good too. The mac and cheese was great, but a little on the rich side (i ate half and was full). Try it, and you won't be disappointed!

This is a great place for a quick dinner or lunch. I love their roasted fennel, chicken curry and capunatina salads. Their sandwiches a great too. For dessert I recommend the gelato, cookies and cheese cake. They have plenty of stuff to take home like artisanal cheeses, olive oils, salt-cured anchovies, and candies.

Traffic may get really bad on 3rd street, but Joan's makes it well worth it. There are a few parking spots on the back and some street parking in front (if you're lucky). I had the baby green salad with maple chicken breast and blue cheese--yum! its very light though, so if hungry, better order some soup to go along with it. The tuna sandwich was good, too, as they used japanese or wasabi mayo to spice it up. Plenty of cheese and gourmet items to choose from and service was excellent!

that's all..the cupcakes are really good. especially the coconut ones. dreamy. make sure they're fresh though

Joan makes some great food. You can pick up a sandwich or if you need to cater an event she's got some wonderful dishes that work great for parties. They are set up so you can pick the food up or have it done by professionals.

Just down the street from the Beverly Center, on the trendy stretch of Third Street, Joan's on Third reliably serves up sophisticated goodies for takeout. Last week I enjoyed a crunchy salad of skillfully combined fennel and sun-dried tomato salad. On a spring evening, it's also nice to grab a sidewalk table and savor your nosh out of doors--but Joan's is on a well-trafficked street, so don't expect too much ambience.