Jun. 5—Biagio's Donut Shop and Pizzeria in Eastlake has been recognized as the 29th top doughnut shop in the nation by Yelp's Top 100.

According to Yelp, the company identified businesses in the doughnuts category which were then ranked by different factors including the total volume and the rank of the ratings left by reviewers between Jan. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.

Biagio's, at 35523 Vine St., has been open since 1963 but owners, Laura Freiberg and her brother Joey Cappadonna have been trying to stay on top of current trends to keep new generations coming for their dough.

"We try new things — sometimes a supplier suggests a popular item or something they have a lot of," Freiberg said. "My favorite is the Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter.

"We just started making peanut butter and now we make chocolate covered peanut butter. All our icings, glazes and fillings are made in-house."

Stuffed, glazed, fried and even specialty donuts are all made fresh daily.

Many of Biagio's traditional recipes like the classic glazed and chocolate sprinkle remain the top sellers.

With as many as 400 customers coming on busy days. Laura's Freiberg's son, Steve, helps during the busier times. He suggested one of the reasons that Biagio's has remained a staple and gained national attention has been their attention to simple ingredients.

"We use Eastlake water," he said. "We have been using Eastlake water for almost 60 years. Suppliers might change but that's the one constant.

"We make everything, and we keep the prices good."

Even with doughnuts come responsibility as owners Freiberg and Cappadonna swiftly found out after taking on their father's shop.

"We want to keep providing what he did, the same service and products. That's what it's about," she said.

Consistency is something Biagio's customers have come to expect, as the store remained open even following the death of the shop's namesake — Biagio Cappadonna — in 2016.

The store did close for three days when they moved to their current address.

"We had to shut down and that was really hard on my grandfather. This was everything to him. He lived and breathed this shop," said Steve Freiberg.

"I'm not planning on retiring anytime soon," said Laura Freiberg. "As long as my brother keeps baking them, I'll keep selling them."