I came here a few times years ago and found the baked goods dry, the coffee burnt, the lines long, and the cafe pretty grotty overall. I was in Girdwood a couple of days ago and saw that the Alpine Bakery had changed significantly. It is now a third of its original size and its menu has been reduced to only baked items and drinks. Although it still looked a bit worn, it now looked much cleaner, so I decided to give it a try. I was SO glad I did!
The blueberry fritters were the BEST fritters I have every tasted in my entire life! They looked mouthwatering and, as a lovely surprise, they tasted as good as they looked. (One person with us bought a big cookie, which tasted like a standard big cookie.) We all ordered different espresso drinks and they were all perfect. Also, the Alpine Bakery used to be sooooo slow, but now, there was only one man working there and he was extremely professional and zipped through customers' orders very quickly.
It still looks like a dive and there are no longer places to sit, but I highly, HIGHLY recommend this as a coffee and fritter pit stop on your way to the Kenai Peninsula. Excellent food experience!