Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A food truck offering Cuban food.  Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A.  Somewhere between Tampa and Miami, Florida. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. We see this scene in Episode 8, of Season 1.  Harry Morgan and Marie LaGuerta are returning from their road trip to Tampa, following a visit to the psychiatrist's home, and after going through the doctor's old files at the police station, where Harry learned that Brian Moser was the doctor's patient, with a dangerous history. Along the way, they stop for food at a cafe that is basically just a food truck (perhaps permanently parked), with a few tables outside. When we fade in, it's after dark and Harry is up at the truck buying “medianoche, with mojo sauce on the side”, while LaGuerta waits in the car. ( If you're curious, “medianoche“ is a pressed Cuban sandwich with roast pork, ham, cheese, and pickles. )

While Harry's gone, LaGuerta gets curious and sneaks a peek at the file Harry that took from the Tampa Police Department.  She wonders who Brian Moser is.

When Harry returns with the food, he senses that something is off with her, but she denies it.

Just then, Harry gets a call on his car phone and learns that his partner, Bobby, has been shot during a raid. He immediately heads home.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. This scene was filmed at “Auto Plaza Smog Check”, at 4021 Radford Ave, in Studio City.

Now if you are asking yourself why the hell they would film a restaurant scene at a smog-check place, the answer lies in the last part of that address: “Studio City”.  

The garage is literally right across the street from the main gate of the Radford Studio Center where they film the show.

This is a brief scene, and the location wasn't particularly important to the plot, They just needed Harry and LaGuerta to stop for a quick bite to eat, to give LaGuerta a chance to look at that file.

So they didn't bother hunting for a perfect location, and instead opted to simply shoot across the street.

As far as I can tell, they just parked a food truck In front of the garage (blocking the view of the building), added a few picnic tables out front, and strung up some decorative bulbs to make it look a little more festive. Add a few extras to stand in line as customers, and voila!, you have an instant cafe.

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

A.  I received a tip on this one, that they were filming at night right across the street from the studio entrance.

So when I took a look at the location, the first thing that jumped out at me was that tall iron fence, particularly since I knew that they could park a food truck just about anywhere. But that fence looked permanent.

Since they blacked out most of the background, that fence is perhaps the most notable clue to the location.  So I compared the fence in the scene to the fence at the smog-check place (via StreetView), and wasn't surprised when it turned out to be the same place.

The few visible details also match, including part of a roof on the left side and a telephone pole and wire visible above it. 

Here is a StreetView from Google:

 
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