There is a reason that Chicago is well known for its pizza. I recently visited Chi-town and can say that in my 18 years of pizza eating, it was by far the best I had ever had.

Since having authentic Chicago-style stuffed pizza, I now know the greatest pizza ever made and now consider myself a pizza know-it-all.

A friend told me about Jimano’s, a new pizza place with Chicago-style pizza and with my newfound expert knowledge of pizza, I had to try it.

Located on Calloway and Hageman at 9510 Hageman Road, Jimano’s pizzeria offers a variety of Italian-style foods. The menu is large and varies from pastas to pizzas to salads and ribs. They also offer a daily special menu.

The restaurant is set up as an order and then seat yourself cafeteria style and could be described as a bachelor’s pad if his girlfriend had decorated it. With three flat screen TVs placed throughout the room, half was painted espresso color and the other half a dull red. The walls were filled with black picture frames that held numerous pictures of Chicago and other things that were fun to look at.

I went with two friends, and we pondered over the menu for about five minutes before ordering 10 pieces of hot wings, jalapeno poppers and a 14-inch deep-dish ham and pineapple pizza.

The man who took our order was very friendly and informative. He was definitely knowledgeable about the menu and answered all of our questions without getting annoyed and was able to give us recommendations.

After ordering we had a short wait until our cream cheese-filled jalapeno poppers came out. Served with a spicy ranch dipping sauce, these were pretty good.

However, they were a bit over greasy, and I personally prefer the cheddar cheese-filled poppers.

Shortly after, the buffalo wings came out. They were awesome; they had the perfect amount of sauce and although the skin seemed a bit fatty, they were not overcooked as so many restaurants serve their wings today.

Then came the main course. The pizza was served and looked delectable.? And it was.

Although it wasn’t completely Chicago style with a crust all the way around the pizza, the pizza was undeniably delicious. The cheese was layered over the toppings, and the crust was fluffy but crisp: It was the perfect combination. There was not too much sauce or too little, and the sauce was not so overpowered with spices that it took over the flavor of the pizza.

After stuffing ourselves full of pizza, we decided to get a dessert.

Provided by the Cheesecake Factory, we ordered a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. This was the ending to all endings: This is how every meal should end. The cheesecake was a delightful blend of flavors and if I had not been stuffed already, I could have eaten another piece by myself.

The prices were more expensive than your average Pizza Hut or Domino’s but far worth the extra money. Our pizza with appetizers, drinks and pizza included cost about $45 altogether but was worth every cent.

My experience with Jimano’s Pizzeria was an excellent one. The service was friendly, and the food great.

Although the pizza we had wasn’t as amazing as the pizza in Chicago, save yourself the $300 plane ticket and drive to Jimano’s.

4 out of 5 stars