Based on the exterior establishing shots it is supposed to be located on
the north bank of the Miami River, as the restaurant named Modern Garden is what they zoom to before every scene at La Palmita.
Q.
When did we see it on the show?
A. We see the restaurant more than once in Episode 2, of Season 1.
In the first scene, new intern Dexter accompanies the Miami Metro crew
(Angel, Masuka, and Bobby) to lunch at a restaurant named La
Palmita.
The guys prank him by arranging to have his Cuban sandwich delivered the table without any meat between the bread.
Then, with
mock ceremony, they present Dexter with his laminate, which he wears
around his neck (instead of a badge) as proof that he works with
the police department.
In the second scene, at Harry’s encouragement, Angel Batista takes
Dexter out to the same restaurant at night (when the place has a very
different ambience, with live music and salsa dancing).
Angel tries
to encourage Dexter to dance, and eventually tells him about a loan shark
named “Handsome Tony” Ferrer, who was responsible for the death of a
Cuban immigrant busboy named Rene, who worked at the restaurant.
( While
here, Dexter is briefly approached by a guy who asks if the table is
free. Dexter tells him he's waiting for friends, and the guy walks away.
We later learned that this was Brian Moser, Dexter's psychopathic
brother, whom Dexter didn't recognize. )
This leads Dexter to target “Handsome Tony” as his next kill.
We see the restaurant again at the end of Episode 3, when Deb
joins Dexter there, and they talk about Sofia, among other things.
We see the restaurant one final time at the end of Episode 10, the
season finale, where Dexter, Debra, and Harry are celebrating Dexter's
promotion from intern to full-time forensics. Deb surprises Harry by
letting him know that she has enrolled in the police academy. The three
of them wind up happily dancing together to a live salsa band.
But a final shot shows Brian watching them through a window.
( Ttey originally filmed a scene of Brian getting into a taxi outside
the restaurant, with a passport in hand, indicating that he was leaving
the country. But they changed their minds and didn't use the scene,
instead leaving the last shot that of him watching Dexter through the
window. )
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A restaurant / brewery.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This scene was filmed at a large
seaside restaurant in Long Beach, California, which has gone through
several name changes over the years.
When I first went there, ages ago, it was known as the “Windrose”, and
as you can see in the scene, it features large picture windows offering a
great view of the blue Alamitos Bay. Then it became “Khoury’s”. And as
of 2025, it is called “Ballast Point Brewing”. (https://ballastpoint.com)
( I haven't been there
since the last name change, but it sounds like the emphasis is now more
on drinking beer than dining. But they do still have a food menu. )
In 1997, the restaurant appeared in the Jack Nicholson / Helen Hunt rom-com “As Good As It Gets”.
It’s located right next to the Alamitos Bay Marina (which shows up again in
a later episode), at the far end of a shopping/dining center that was
originally known as “Seaport Village”, but is now known as “Alamitos Bay
Landing”.
The address is 110 N. Marina Drive, in Long Beach,
and it can be a little difficult to find, located at the very
southeastern tip of the marina peninsula. Driving southwest on Marina Drive, when you reach that end of
Marina Drive, you have two options: you can turn left over a low bridge that crosses the San Gabriel River,
or you can go straight ahead into the Alamitos Bay Landing center,
where you'll find this restaurant
A. As I mentioned. I used to frequent the restaurant for its great views.
So I simply recognized it when I saw it in the episode.
If you want proof, look at the background through the windows in the
screencap below, and you'll notice a building across the bay that is, in
real life, Long Beach's Alamitos Bay Yacht Club:
