In our incredibly short survey, a quaint little spot in the park proves the only place in the city where the mlyntsy (pancakes) can be called best
Though Mardi Gras and Carnival are over, signaling the beginning of the Christian Lenten period, the local Maslenytsa tradition is
all set to begin, meaning it’s time to think about pancakes (crepes, actually), known in Ukrainian as mlyntsy.
In Ukraine mlyntsy are easy to find – just turn to any Ukrainian restaurant and they’re bound to be on the menu. But forget the restaurant scene for a while. Go walking arm-in-arm with that special someone, stop by somewhere and get some light and delicious crepes to eat.
The mlyntsy culture here is, sadly, almost completely undeveloped. The Best Of team found just four such huts in the downtown: two “Mlyntsy” huts on Khreshchatyk and Lva Tolstoho, the tiny Blin Clinton on Shota Rustaveli and the students’ favorite beside O’Panas in Shevchenko Park.
While “Mlyntsy” have two locations and they’re open 24 hours, what they serve is pretty average. No steaming, freshly grilled pancakes at these places – just cold fillings stuffed in cold pancakes and reheated in a microwave. It’s passable, but not the most satisfying.
Blin Clinton gets immediate marks for actually having a catchy name, as blin is the singular of crepe in Russian. It does not, however, get neither any marks for having catchy names relating to the former American president’s term in office, nor does Blin Clinton do fresh pancakes; they’re microwaved just like at “Mlyntsy.” And the prices were kind of high, too.
The Best Of team struck gold, though, at the little thatched-roof pancake hut just outside O’Panas restaurant. Students, parents with tots, star-crossed lovers and more all make the trek to this little open-air hut to stand in the cold waiting for their crepes, which are made fresh right before their eyes. It’s a simple exercise in love, patience and crepes, and it helps that the O’Panas hut has the best crepes in town. On a recent trip we had some with spiced apple as well as mushroom and onion. Lip-smacking good they were, and they were cheap, too. No wonder the students love them so much.
O’Panas
Shevchenko Park, 585-0523.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
