Mystery Diner: Easy to see why Cemeno's Pizza was rated the best

JOLIET –  Sometimes, I just have to take our readers’ advice.

That’s what happened when I decided to stop at Cemeno’s Pizza. It wasn’t planned. I just kind of drove by, was getting gas in my car off Essington and decided I would turn my car around and have pizza that night.

It must have been the hypnotizing nature of the “Best Pizza” slideshow, but it stuck in my mind that this was a Joliet institution I just had to find out more about.

I was by myself, so I quietly slipped into a bar stool at Joe’s Dugout and ordered a thick crust pepperoni pizza for myself ($11.50).

I figured I could polish it off, it’s a small mind you, and I knew good thick crust pizza is a process, so I wanted to get that order in right away.

Pizza isn’t the only food option here, it was just the only option I was going after. They also have an assortment of appetizers, from $5.49 garlic breadsticks to $10.99 for eight of Joe’s Hot Wings or the combo snack with onion rings, zucchini, mozzarella sticks, cheddar nuggets and breaded mushrooms.

There’s also seven pasta options and 20 sandwich options, as well as soup and salad, cupcakes or cheesecake of the day or dessert pizza.

As I waited, I took a look at the beer options and sat back and relaxed while watching a basketball game. I think it was a college game, but I honestly don’t remember that part. It simply wasn’t important.

What was important was the pizza.

I’ve tried plenty, from Lou Malnati’s to Pizza For U (I like both, by the way) to the chains from top to bottom such as Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars. I won’t tell you which end was the bottom, but I can tell you I worked at that one for a year in college as a night closer.

Back to Cemeno's, though, and the Left Hand Brewing Milk Stout Nitro in a bottle that I chose. It was outstanding, imported from Colorado with "the aroma of brown sugar and vanilla cream, with hints of roasted coffee," according to beermenus.com.

I’m no pro at extracting aroma hints, but I found it to be a full-bodied creamy brew that left me satisfied as I waited.

Then the pizza arrived. And it didn’t take me long to realize why it had been voted the best.

Part of it was the sauce, outstanding for sure. But it was the whole package, from meat to crust to mix of cheese.

I also realized pretty quickly I would be bringing some of it home with me.

I’m sure I could have devoured it if something like a bet was riding on it, but I also thought it would be the highlight of my lunch the next day if I held myself back from that instinct.

I did, I finished watching that unimportant college basketball game, and I was on my way as someone who felt as if I could take part in the Joliet pizza conversation moving forward.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at The Herald-News. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.