A. A '50s-style diner / coffee shop.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

A. Near a Narcotics Anonymous meeting hall, somewhere in Miami.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 3 (of Season 2), "An Inconvenient Lie".

Dexter has just met Lila at the Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

During a break, they go to a nearby diner, where they have coffee and Lila begins to manipulate her way into Dexter's life.

She tells him she knows about the darkness inside, and Dexter begins to wonder if someone, for the first time, might actually be able to understand him.


and as will will

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A '50s-style diner.  But not in Miami.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. The scene was filmed inside Edie's Diner, a restaurant located right on the waterfront at 4211 Admiralty Way, in Marina Del Rey, CA.

The '50s decor, such as the juke boxes on the tables, was part of the normal decor at Edie's.

( The diner has also been seen in several movies, including the 2002 thriller, "Enough", starring Jennifer Lopez, and the 2003 drama "Matchstick Men", starring Nicolas Cage. )

Not coincidentally, it's located right next door to the building used as exterior of Dexter's Narcotics Anonymous meeting hall, and is also right next door to the parking lot seen as the used car lot ("Gulf Shore Motors").

In 2008, the restaurant changed names.  It's now called "The Organic Panificio Restaurant & Cafe". 


Update: in 2012, the location became the home of a new restaurant called Killer Shrimp, a popular spot in the Marina which, as of 2020, is still around.





I shot the photos below in Sept. 2008






Here is an aerial photo of the diner, with the building marked. And here is a map link.

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

A. This one was easy. I've had lunch here.

I first discovered Edie's Diner years ago when I was researching filming locations for the Jennifer Lopez movie "Enough". When I saw the colorful interior on Dexter, I was almost certain it was Edie's, so I compared it with some other photos I had of the diner's interior, for a perfect match.

( It also helped that they showed the outside of the diner in the used car scenes. )