Harry Hines Bazaar

It’s difficult to explain what I liked about the Harry Hines Bazaar. Most of the people I spoke to were friendly and very patient with my broken Spanish. It’s not required that you speak Spanish to shop here, as there are plenty of English speaking vendors, but I wanted to practice.
You can get a very wide variety of items here including Hello Kitty backpacks, Spiderman dolls, computers, mobile phones, wedding dresses, lunch, candy, clothes, and cowboy boots. You can even have professional portraits made or get a tattoo. There is a hair salon and a nail salon as well.
We ate at the restaurant in the very back, I think it was called Abby’s. I had two quesodillas and a diet Coke for less than $ 7. Pretty good deal. It would have been a lot better if the waitress had one nice bone in her body though.
If you are looking for a fun, interesting way to spend an afternoon (Thursdays — Sundays only), then I would recommend checking out the bazaar.

We came in to add #s to our soccer Jerseys I paid with my visa and the transaction was taking awhile. I told the guy that I had some cash, but it wasn’t enough I pulled it out and he said «we were all good». I don’t know what just happened, but I think I just bargained at the bazaar!!! Love all the little things about this place.

This is a really cool place to people watch. If you feel like having Mexican food and taking in some of the culture while browsing small shops definitely stop by. Parking is a little tricky but well worth it! Great grilled corn vendor out front too!

This review is for the elotes stand right in front of it —
I was brought here by my Mexican friend to have some good ol’ roasted corn in a cup (with mayonnaise, lime juice, chili. etc). The corn was being roasted in front of my eyes… hot and delicious! The entire combination of condiments + corn was mind blowing!
Perk — they are very receptive to you practicing your Spanish while ordering!

I have a love hate relationship with this place. The deals — oh, how amazing you are! and on such a variety of different goods! Last time I visited I almost bought (and need to go back for) a holographic picture of a white tiger whose eyes track you — awesome! They also have lots of last supper versions where the folks in the image move as you pass by the picture.
If you’re not that into holographic pictures (maybe not for everybody), there are still tons of other things you will probably want to buy — mens-​wear, cowboy-​wear, ladies-​wear, under-​wear, used foot-​wear, hair-​wear, suitcases, candles, religious stuff, toys/​dolls, and importantly, lunch! The little restaurant/​booths that sit amid the labyrinth of the Harry Hines Bazaar are not much to look at, but the food is solid, and most of the menu is displayed at the entrance to the seating for that food place so you can decide where to eat based on what looks the best to you at the moment. We gave in pretty immediately after finding one, and once I saw that the menu listed pozole soup I had to stay. The pozole wasn’t really what I was looking for — this version (maybe this is how it is in Texas generally, or eastern Mexico — I have no idea) was red and oily rather than a spicy clear broth with green chiles, chicken, and pozole. The spice was nice, but I ended up looking like I’d bitten through a small mammal in rage by the time we were done eating — the red oily stuff having gotten all over my mouth. Guess next time I’ll have to bring some petroleum jelly to rub on my face before starting to eat so I don’t end up with a food stain all over my face, or perhaps just not order pozole in Texas — undecided.
The only downside to Harry Hines Bazaar (not taking off any points for it being a bazaar) is the parking lot. It’s INSANE. You will spend an hour trying to park, sitting in a not moving car behind other people who are also trying to park, slowly trying to avoid getting T-​boned at every turn. If you want to go to this bazaar, your best bet is to find a friend or stranger whose car is already super beat up and have them drop you off on Harry Hines. Don’t let them pull in though, or their quick drop off jaunt could take an hour due to the need to snake around the lot to exit. That is, unless they’re also giving you a ride home and you can get your business done in that amount of time. Either way, whoever’s driving, if they enter the lot, is likely to experience some degree of road rage.

just a fun place to walk around and look at random stuff. it’s kind of … not so clean but … if you’re just driving around and not doing anything then … it’s ok to just walk around.

On a wild goose chase for authentic margarita glasses, I ended up at Harry Hines Bazaar after scouring a few non-​descript Harry Hines stores, which were probably store-​fronts for.. .. . oh never mind. While this may not be the best place to go in search of something as specific as margarita glasses (which we didn’t find), it is definitely a great place to go to with an open mind, especially if you are fluent in spanish.

Harry Hines Bazaar is a special treat. I decided to pop in earlier this week to get a Mexican wrestling mask for a Christmas gift. This place is the poor man’s Trader’s Village. Not that Trader’s Village is the rich man’s anything.
Reasons why I visit the HH Bazaar:
* Mexican wrestling masks
* Aguas frescas
* Hilarious XXXL T-​shirts
* Dashboard saints
HHB has a lot more to offer than just the items listed above. There are food booths, a «hangout area», cowboy boots, Mexican candy, wedding dresses, poorly made lingerie, and more!
I’m pretty sure you can bargain at the Bazaar but I don’t think I ever have. Everything is pretty inexpensive. Great place to take out of towners. If you need a gift for that person that has everything, hit up the HHB.

Things I have bought here; batteries, a grill, and ghetto hoody.
Things you can get here: gold, jewelry, speakers, grills, haircuts, Botulism, Fat Albert t-​shirts, furniture, and weaves.
Things you can probably get here: day labor, dog meat, dog tags, collectible knives, pot… God bless America.
The Harry Hines bazaar is a one stop shop and a hidden treasure of Dallas. Make sure to get a cup of elotes and an horchata on the way in and on the way out. Did I mention that it’s across the street from Pandora’s Box and block or two way from the Mecca? Make it a day, or better yet a date, because what goes better together than cinnamon rolls, grills, and battle-​scarred strippers?