Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. In Miami, near Coral Gables. The zip code shown on the map puts it near Dinner Key marina. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 9, of Season 8, "Make Your Own Kind of Music". Dexter learns that the Brain Surgeon Killer is Dr. Vogel's son, Daniel - now known as Oliver Saxon. She tells Dexter that one of her few happy memories with Daniel was that every Saturday, when he was a little boy, she used to take him to the King's Bay Café, at the marina. There was a jukebox there, and he always used to play the Mama Cass song, "Make Your Own Kind of Music." Dexter as Vogel arrange a meeting there, and Dexter hopes to intercept him.  (He drugs Vogel, to keep her out of the picture.) And sure enough, when the scene begins, we see Oliver Saxon enter the café and take a seat at the counter. He drops a quarter into the jukebox and plays the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music", over & over. Dexter, waiting outside, watches him through the window, and waits for him to  leave.  Dex plans to follow him, nab him in some lonely spot and kill him. But when he follows Saxon out to the parking lot, he finds that Saxon is one step ahead of him.  Saxon has slashed Dexter's tires. Dex realizes that Saxon may be heading to Dr. Vogel's, believing that she sent Dexter to kill him.

A. A restaurant at a marina.

A. This is Schooner or Later, the same seaside café that they used last season (the 7th) as the spot where
Isaak met Dexter for the first time.


A popular breakfast & lunch spot, you'll find it at the Alamitos Marina, at 241 N. Marina Drive, in Long Beach, CA.


Both the interior and exterior shots for the scene were filmed on location here.  The restaurant has a small enclosed diner area (with a counter), as well as a large, popular patio overlooking the marina.


(And yes, they do have a jukebox - although I'm not sure if it contains that Mama Cass tune.
)

Still, it can be a little tricky to find at the marina. It's on Marina Drive, but that's not terribly helpful, since there is more than one Marina Drive at the marina.

This is situated at a major bend in Marina Drive where it goes from being called North Marina Drive to where it's renamed East Marina Drive... That's just south of Studebaker Road.

The restaurant is sort of hidden away, in the back corner of a large, low blue building called the Alamitos Bay Marina Center (which houses a number of yacht & boating-related businesses).

There is a sign out by the road, if you look for it, but its southeast of the actual location.

Fortunately, their website provides directions.

So what kind of restaurant is Schooner or Later?  Well, since it's situated right on the water at the marina, next to the boats in the marina, and as you might expect, it's a casual spot -- mostly patio seating, specializing in breakfast & lunch (and drinks, of course).

Long lines are common at peak hours, so come early and/or avoid weekends.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  I had just done a page on Schooner or Later last season, and have been there on occasion, so it was easy to recognize.


(Plus, Suzi sent me that photo you see above...)