Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A patio café at the beach. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. Somewhere in Miami. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 7, of Season 7, "Chemistry". Dexter is eating a sandwich at a beachside café, when he is suddenly approached by Isaak, who takes a seat at his table. He informs Dexter that he plans to kill him, but not right now, since Miami Metro is watching him closely. But Isaak is curious about what motivated Dexter to kill his friend, Viktor. He figures it wasn't just the death of Mike Anderson, since Dexter had only known him a short time. "I have a feeling you're a different kind of animal. The question is: What kind are you?" Dexter, in an unusual moment of candor, tells Isaak that he's the kind who hunted his friend down, strapped him to a board, put a plastic bag on his head, and crushed his skull with a fire extinguisher. Isaak's calm demeanor breaks for a moment, as he winces at that news. "The kind," Dexter continues, "that's going to do the same thing to you... give or take the fire extinguisher." Isaak tells him that he's going to regret sharing that with him, and leaves. Q. What is it actually in real life? A. A patio café at the beach - just not in Miami. Q. Where can I find it in real life? A. This was shot at La Palapa Del Mar, at 4020 E. Olympic Plaza, in the Belmont Shore section of Long Beach, CA.

That's at the foot of the city's Belmont Pier, next door to the Olympic Pool.


They've filmed a lot in this area.


Last season, they filmed the memorable scene of the victim filled with snakes just a few yards away from this café.


Back in Season 3, they filmed a scene where LaGuerta meets with Miguel Prado & his brother at the café.


It's also right next to the beach used for the third season scene where a stranger stalked Rita's daughter. (In fact, La Palapa is visible in the background of some of the shots in that beach scene.)

And it's just a short walk from the alleyway where Debra interviewed some hookers in another scene.

The restaurant is open to the public, so feel free to drop by on some sunny day to enjoy a meal on the patio.

To get there, just take Ocean Blvd to S. Termino Ave and turn towards the ocean. The café is right on the beach, and you can't miss its pointy roof.

The restaurant even has its own website, at www.lapalapadelmar.com.





I shot the photos below in 2009 & 2010.

A.  In the early seasons, I usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes, using clues from the various scenes.  By the now, though, I've developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know in advance when something was about to film there.

Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode airs, I already know most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only need to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct locations.

This group of helpful fans includes Rick, Ellen, Elaine, Mia, Joel, Susan, Eric, Jeff, Kerry & others. My thanks to all of them.

I've been to La Palapa on several instances in the past, to shoot photos for previous episodes. It was easy to recognize.