Googong has a new pizza shop! Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Hackett’s local gem, 3rd Space, has crossed the border and opened a second location in Googong, bringing the same community focus, approachable atmosphere and bloody great pizzas!
The new location opened recently, and has already seen booming interest from the Googong community, which is excited to see another dining option.
3rd Space is a family business, run by Nic Nocera and his father, Alex. They were invited to take a look at the space in Googong by the landlord, who had long been a regular at the Hackett restaurant.
“Once we looked at the space, we realised Googong kind of makes perfect sense for us because we’re all about community,” Nic told Region.
“We’ve got a very family feel to our business, we know 70 to 80 per cent of the customers who walk in the door. And Googong is a great community, and they love staying in their community … We’re excited to provide for a community that’s been starving for something like us. People have been knocking on the door asking, ‘When are you opening?’ for weeks now!”
Nic Nocera, 3rd Space Canberra. Photo: Yianni Karatzas.
The Googong site offers a daytime experience, opening at 6 am on weekdays with coffee, cakes, focaccia, and fresh juices. The team is focusing on serving their amazing pizzas for lunch and dinner, but hopes to expand the menu to include their range of pasta, salads and hot rock steaks, or whatever else the locals ask for.
“We’re not going to limit ourselves! We’ll see what people want and then we can tailor the experience to that,” Nic said.
They’re hoping to introduce some favourites from the Hackett location, such as weekly trivia nights, kids’ menus, and other offerings.
Expect the classics. Photo: Burrows Digital.
The Nocera family began their pizza journey with a mobile catering business, Alex the Pizza Guy. They also collaborated with award-winning pizzaiolo Andrea Cozzolino to develop a distinctive recipe for their dough and refine their technique. But, despite all the care and pride they take in their menu, Nic describes it as ‘a by-product’ of their family-style service and community-driven business model.
So far, they’ve been run off their feet as the Googong community flocks to try the new offering. Nic said they’ve been working long hours all week and have been super busy – a great problem to have!
The 3rd Space Googong family. Photo: Burrows Digital.
When asked if there were any further plans to expand into more locations, Nic says they need to wait a few years.
“My 15-year-old brother needs to do some growing up first! Then, once we’ve got the third point of the triangle, maybe we can open a third location. We’re really proud to be a family business, so I think you’ve got to have one of us there.”
3rd Space Googong is located at 27 Beltana Ave, Googong, NSW. They are open Tuesday to Friday from 6 am to 3 pm, then 4 pm to 9 pm, and on weekends from 7 am to 3 pm, then 4 pm to 9 pm. Follow 3rd Space Googong on Facebook or Instagram.
