slothis · English

Teremok in Moscow: Trying Russia's Famous Blini

2016-06-30 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

As usual, we were lazy and didn't head out until it was almost lunchtime today. We wondered what to eat and decided to check out Teremok, a restaurant specializing in blini (Russian pancakes). This was for my girlfriend, who was blown away by the blini we had yesterday at Karavaev Brothers Cafe. Spelled "Teremok," I initially read it as "Tte-re-mok" in Korean, but it's actually a very famous blini franchise spread all over Russia. We had seen this restaurant in Irkutsk and even in tiny Listvyanka, but we're only just tasting it now.


They're as ubiquitous as Chinese delivery spots in Korea, so they're easy to find. I checked the 2GIS app and found one less than five minutes away from the Izmailovo Gamma Hotel, so we headed there. We entered a small shopping mall-sized building and asked a security guard, who predictably just gave a curt "third." I reminded my girlfriend that these people aren't actually angry, and we headed up to Teremok on the third floor. The most smiley lady in all of Russia asked us what we wanted to eat. With every single item we ordered, she smiled and said something in Russian. I couldn't help but wonder if she was an immigrant rather than a native Russian.


Every Teremok location has an English menu available, so ordering isn't difficult. Today's brunch-that-isn't-quite-brunch consisted of a meat-filled blini, a banana chocolate blini, and just a plain blini.


A cooking counter where an employee in a red uniform is cooking thin batter on a round iron griddle.
A golden-brown folded thin pancake on a paper plate with an orange pattern.
White cream and chopped brown filling inside a thin pancake split in half.
The meat-filled blini is so hearty that it's a bit tough to finish a whole one by yourself.
A thin pancake cut with a plastic fork revealing a generous filling of banana slices and chocolate sauce.
If you like warm bananas, this blini with banana is incredibly delicious.

It's sold like fast food, but the taste is guaranteed. Russian blini in particular use buckwheat, which sets them apart from similar flour-based dishes in other countries. Thanks to the buckwheat, they are delightfully chewy rather than dry and crumbly. The flavor also varies—from rich and nutty to a bit plain—depending on how much milk is added. Because of this, the taste is slightly different in every home and restaurant. If I had to pick just one thing you absolutely must eat when you come to Russia, I'd recommend blini over shashlik (meat skewers). I highly recommend a plain blini simply spread with honey.

Expenses

Total Expenses 5325

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 35,883 RUB + $152.26