Dianella is having a moment.

From feeling like it was the back end of Perth, the suburb is suddenly buzzing.

Growing up in Dianella, I was told the suburb was “at least an hour” from Fremantle. And almost as far to the hills, the city or the beach. As an adult, I now know this to be untrue, especially with easy access via Reid Hwy.

So instead of leaving Dianella to get to the more buzzing neighbouring suburbs of Inglewood, Mount Lawley and Leederville, people are coming TO Dianella.

Pimlott and Strand got the ball rolling when it opened at the corner of Pimlott St and The Strand in December 2018 (only cafe nerds will recall a cafe of the same name opened in North Perth Plaza around 2013).

Before Pimlott and Strand and at some point in the distant past, the site was a Lucky 7 deli and possibly a traditional continental deli or butcher with meat slicers and the works. For a suburb crying out for a decent coffee shop, the spot was ripe for redevelopment.

Breakfasts were nothing amazing when the cafe first opened but many locals were won over by the introduction of a well-priced dinner service.

Pimlott and Strand really came into its own during COVID-19. Unable to offer dine-in (dinner has not returned, it is still only breakfast and lunch), the owners ramped up takeaway and deliveries in a big way.

The three pizzas for $30 deal became a staple for many, as did ready-to-go meals, with flavours for everyone, from gnocchi with ragu to beef rendang.

You can still order pizzas, pizza bases, and ready to go meals every day. Insider secret: The $10 breakfast wrap and coffee deal is also excellent value – takeaway only. Coffee is by Italian roaster Pascucci.

Pimlott and Strand also has a great deli counter offering conti rolls that rival the best in town, antipasto, fresh bread, cakes, pastries and a big gourmet pantry of items including pasta, pasta sauce, coffee syrups and nougat. Especially important to note during snap lockdowns – they also have milk! Opening hours are 7am-4pm Monday-Saturday and 8am-3pm on Sundays.

Aposto opened a year after Pimlott, in December 2019, but it took me until March 2021 to find it thanks to a recommendation from its coffee supplier, Kam and Louise at Leftfield Coffee Roasters.

The Bayley St cafe occupies the space of the former Novembar’s burger bar (yes the place that was infamous for its burger-eating challenges). The coffee, being Leftfield, is of course excellent and the cake counter is droolworthy.

The frittata is a trusty lunch offering but Aposto has in recent months become known for its soft and fluffy cinnamon scrolls. Warm, the right icing to bun ratio, and just $4.50. The brekky brioche is also a steal for $9.

Aposto is open weekdays from 6.30am-3pm and Saturdays from 6.30am-2pm; cinny scrolls available Fridays and Saturdays only. Keep an eye on Aposto’s socials for pop-ups by baker extraordinaire Arnah of Short + Sweet Bake Shop.

Hot tip: there’s also a cute courtyard out the back of Aposto for additional alfresco dining.

This brings us to the new kid on the block, the stylish Nogi Lane, adding a touch of inner city chic to a fairly pedestrian strip of shops occupied by a hair salon, a deli that has been hanging in for decades and a tiny workers pub.

Within weeks of opening, Nogi Lane had already hosted food influencers and been featured in UrbanList and Broadsheet, no doubt due to the pedigree of its head chef, Jason Nicholas, whose CV include Hotel Rottnest and Vasse Felix.

The cafe was previously called The Real Coffee Mob, which from memory, opened in 2019.

The coffee window is open weekdays from 6am, weekends from 7am with dine-in brunch seven days from 7am -1.30pm.

Brunch is the real deal and the Dandaragan organic pulled beef, poached egg, spinach and cardamom hollandaise is the closest thing to the sensational rendang eggs benny at The Courtyard Marriott in Seminyak.

The hasselback potatoes with smoked salmon, smoked sour cream and chimichurri is another innovative breakfast dish worth trying, especially if you love potaoes that aren’t just a packed hash brown.

Coffee is by Five Senses.

It would be remiss to not also mention Cake Date in Wellington Village, offering coffee, cakes, muffins, cinnamon scrolls, macarons as well as celebration and wedding cakes to order.

So whether you’re after coffee, takeaway meals, a leisurely brunch or a slice of homemade cake, there are plenty of options in once sleepy Dianella.