For my first café review, I was lucky enough to be taken to Piccolo’s Corner in West Leederville. Piccolo’s Corner is run by Jesse in the kitchen and Shanel who’s in charge of front of house. They came up with the name Piccolo’s Corner as a tribute to Shanel’s Italian background. Piccolo means ‘little’ or ‘small’ in Italian and a piccolo latte is also Shanel’s favorite coffee — but for Jesse and Shanel, it’s also all about their five month old baby whom they call their ’little piccolo?

Walking into the shop, it was immediately evident that they had put a lot of thought and care into the fit out. It’s a great use of space, very warm and inviting with a homely atmosphere. Maybe this is because of the big, nostalgic lolly selection which is a nod to Piccolo Corner’s deli roots (Shanel and Jesse both used to come here as children to buy sweets after school) or maybe it’s because you are literally walking into their home. With the café at the front and their living area at the back, Piccolo’s Corner is definitely a unique café with a great community feel. Not only do you feel at home, but you feel more like a friend coming over to someone’s house for some coffee and cake than a customer here to get your daily fix.

On one wall there is a great range of high quality deli goods — dried pastas, olive oil, fresh fruit, canned tomatoes and, of course, lollies. There’s also a counter fridge bursting with freshly prepared rolls, salads, pies and cakes. With such a big selection, we were debating whether a cookies and cream baked cheesecake could be considered a healthy lunch option. Alas we decided not, so we opted for something a little healthier — spanakopita with a pear salad. This review therefore comes with special thanks to the chef Jesse and his mentor Tansy Burrows. It was delicious. For coffee, we had one long black and one flat white of their Harvest blend. These coffees were amazing with a deep chocolate flavour, heavy body and a slight hint of citrus peel. The cute and ornate tea cups really caught our attention too.

After we finished our lunch, we were joined by Shanel, a Mum extraordinaire, who balances the care of a newborn with the care of her customers and the stress of opening a new café. She told us that their dream café had been in the works for some time. They had collected bits of recycled furniture and light fixtures over a number of years while waiting for that perfect location. However, the baby and the café were not meant to happen at exactly the same time! She wanted to thank all 30 of the friends who came down for a weekend and helped renovate the café while the baby slept in the living room with only one wall separating the café and the cot. Obviously everyone had to renovate quietly!

Walking towards the back of the building to the backyard, there was some outdoor seating amongst a flourishing herb and veggie garden. Mums with strollers were sipping their coffee amongst the local plants and frangipanis and toddlers were running about on the grass playing with toys. This setting made it a really relaxing and enjoyable place to visit. Having been busier than expected, they are already looking at expanding out into another one of their living rooms and creating a bigger and better space. Visit for yourselves and see what we mean.

Piccolo’s Corner
Cnr St Leonard’s Ave and Woolwich St
West Leederville, WA 6007

Opening hours
Tues to Fri: 7:00am – 5:00pm
Sat & Sun: 8:00am – 2:00pm