Twisted Soul

4.5 stars
Twisted Soul has been a consistent favorite of mine since my freshmen year of college (now a senior). The food there is unlike what I get anywhere else– and I’m from NYC, so no shortage of interesting food places there.
Twisted Soul has whatever you’re in the mood for, whether it’s noodles or empanadas or macaroni and cheese. While the place can get quite cramped (it’s pretty small) and service can be slow at those crowded times, the food has been consistently great.
The restaurant is also great for sweet drinks (bubble tea! One of the only places I know of in the area that serves it) and desserts (creative cupcakes).
Note for Vassar students: skip out on Twisted Soul on Tasty Tuesday and go to the actual place other days. The portions are better, food is fresher, and they take Vcash on site.

Based on the rave reviews, I tried this place. I especially was excited to know of a Bubble tea place without going to Kingston. Unfortunately, this isn’t it. The menu is, as they say in the city, doing the most. Perhaps that’s why they can’t get something done perfectly? The food is underwhelming. The girls at the register are disgustingly rude. Chick mean mugs me like she’s doing me a favor and then can’t even say one courteous sign that she has manners or home training while I ordered and paid. May I help you? Do you need assistance ordering? Have you been here before? Please? Thank you? I guess she wasn’t trained in normal etiquette. Then the manager (?) Rolled her eyes, walked away, only to come back blabbing on the phone in Spanish so loudly that I had to yell over her for the other cashier to hear me. I won’t be back here. I have no patience for stank females’ attitudes. I have enough of my own and I could spend money supporting a business with nice cashiers. Furthermore, the Thai tea looks like black tea, the food is not authentic and I really wish people as a whole would stop thinking they can cook all cuisines just because they like how it tastes when that culture makes it well.

I had the fried chicken noodle bowl which is now my new favorite. So delicious!!! I knew the plantains and corn & goat cheese empanada would be just as good. I will be back often! Yum

Twisted Soul has some of the best fusion food in the Hudson valley! It’s right off Raymond Avenue near Vassar college so the vibe is youthful and hip. The décor is nice, they have local artist artwork on display and in the back display some family photos which gives it some personal touch. The restaurant is pretty narrow so you’re close to other parties but it’s nice.
The food is wonderful, I would describe it as South American Asian fusion street food. My personal faves are the slow BBQ pork steam buns which are topped with pickled cucumbers and the BBQ pulled pork Colombian style arepas. And all the different arepas are gluten free which was s a major bonus. I’ve also had the rice bowls, Mac and cheeses and noodles bowls which are all tasty as well. Fried plantains are just as good as your own abuela’s.
Lastly they have a nice beverage menu. The have bubble teas, milkshakes, Thai drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, power smoothies, signature drinks, alcoholic drinks and street drinks. My personal favorite is pineapple mango ginger smoothie. And they have a wide variety of cupcakes to finish you’re meal off great.
If you are looking for a nice bite to eat, a full meal, catering or take out for an affordable price this is your place! One of the best fusion places in Poughkeepsie.

A whole new level of. food. Lee and his staff are amazingly creative. You must give them a try. Sometimes a wait for your food, but it’s worth it.

Delicious! Fresh ingredients. Super super friendly staff. Family owned.
Great menu with eclectic flavor profiles
Crispy chicken noodle bowl is delicious (try the glass noodles)
Empanadas (all 4 flavors are amazing)
Dumplings! Must get!!!
Can’t get enough of Twisted Soul.

Hands down one of my favorite places to eat. Great food, great menu, and great staff. A+++++

Very trendy place in the Vassar college strip of restaurants. Kind of a tight space if you plan on dining in and can get uncomfortably crowded during a rush so don’t have your heart set on eating there. My favorite menu item remains to be the fried chicken noodle bowl with the peanut flavored sauce. However the flavor notes are sometimes a hit or miss. Another item I like is the sticky rice. Not too fond of some of the other items especially since I am not a pork eater but I would still come back for the 2 afore mentioned items alone. Also not a place for big portions, so definitely more of a lunch place for those of us more substantial eaters. Yummy drink selections featuring twisted lemonades, teas, bubble teas and smoothies. Definitely a good choice for lunch! and if I am in that Vassar strip area, Twisted Soul would be my top choice.
P. S. No one should be expecting waiter service here, the people working here really don’t get paid for that lol — If you eat in, someone will bring you your plate but they are not waiters or waitresses and won’t be back to ask you if everything is okay. But that does not take anything away from the place, personally.

Twisted soul’s food is great and I’m always happy with what I eat but the customer service leaves something to be desired. While I’m used to the long wait that usually comes with ordering ahead and picking up or even eating there the other night I had my worst experience yet. We ordered on the phone and came in to pick it up about 15 minutes later on a Wednesday night. When we walked in I could see the food waiting on a counter behind the register. No one seemed to notice us but then a guy I didn’t recognize came over to see what we needed. He seemed confused by us wanting to pay for items separately and then after we all paid he disappeared for 5 minutes. After returning he took another customers order before finally putting our food into a bag. My request for the soda we had ordered and napkins and utensils then took another few moments and seemed to confuse him.
The women I usually interact with at twisted soul are sweet and much more efficient. I don’t know if this man was new but usually the service is better. If not super fast it always feels like people are aware of the customers and their needs.

We love Twisted Soul! It is one of our «go to» places for lunch, a quick or take out dinner. We have even had «pick up «catering from them and it is outstanding! It’s a very small place with mostly high top tables and an order at the counter, very casual service and ambience. The menu is far from ordinary and that’s one of the things we love most. Plenty of vegetarian and gluten free options as well.
Our favorites:
Arepas
Sweet potato noodle bowl
Kool Noodles
Any of the salads (very generous portions)
Steamed buns
Chick pea fries
Brenda’s Award Winning Cupcakes!
Definitely give it a try. Expect to wait in line.

Stopped by while driving through poughkeepsie.
Items I had: the mexican hot chocolate, the pork belly bun, yucca fries, fried chicken noodle bowl with egg noodles, bad ass rice with chicken adobo.
The fried chicken noodle bowl was way too bland. It had the color and hint of malaysian curry but ultimately tasted like water boiled noodles with no seasoning. The chicken was fried quite nicely though.
The bad ass rice tasted a bit off at first but it actually started tasting better the more bites I had. Sadly, the chicken was breast meat rather than dark meat. I probably could have had the same texture if I substituted the chicken with cardboard. Overall, I recommend it but get a different meat. Or ask if they can use dark meat.
Yucca fries were very competently done and worked well with the accompanying tamarind sauce.
The highlight was the pork belly bun. They deep fried the pork belly rather than just roasting it like other places. Give that pork belly an EGOT. It deserves all the accolades.
Wrap it all up with some mexican hot chocolate.
I have no idea what this restaurant is (American?) but it’s worth visiting just for the pork belly bun alone.

I’m dying to like this place more. They have such a cool menu and potential, but I’m having a hard time forgiving my first experience eating there.
After having missed them a few times (they’re closed on Tuesdays and for whatever reason, I kept forgetting), I was so excited to finally try Twisted Soul, because I’d had several people rave to me about their food. So, all pumped up about it, my boyfriend and I split the Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Steamed Buns, which are served with green onions and pickled cucumbers. You get three for $ 7.95, and they’re pretty good, nice and filling.
For myself, I ordered Ethiopian Wings (served with Ethiopian Sauce, Fried Plantains, Peanuts and Green Onions) and an Ethiopian BBQ Tofu Rice Bowl (which is served with Fried Plantains, Peanuts and Green Onions). The ordered the wings (which were quite small and dry) because I was happy to see that they came with the plantains, but ended up being so, so disappointed with the teeny portion they gave me.
Oh well.
When I got my Rice Bowl, I was surprised by the portion, which was smaller than I expected. I don’t mind being served a smaller portion of something when I go out, as long as it’s well done and really highlights the main part of the dish. The main part of the dish, it seemed, was rice. I received a huge portion of white rice, which was fairly annoying, and also made the dish really dry.
Luckily, I had one of their Lavender Lemonades with Basil Seeds, because that drink is dope. I came back all summer for it and will likely continue to do so for as long as I live in Poughkeepsie.
They have a few locations and I know they won K104’s annual Cupcake Wars. People love them and I could live off that lemonade, so they’ve gotta be doing something right. Even though I was really underwhelmed by the food the first time I went, I’ll probably try it again and hopefully can say that they were just having an off day.

Are you the same twisted soul that’s on Washington Street in the town of Poughkeepsie in the Marist College area? If you are, it’s just plain terrible. One of my worst lunch meals ever.

This place is my jam. They have a great selection of vegan grub but I usually can’t stray from my beloved bbq tofu rice bowls. The new vegan empanadas are really good, and the sauce they serve it with is key. The soy chai bubble tea is also a favorite. Great fruit smoothies, too!
Suggestions:
— I’d love to see some plant-​based versions of the dumplings and cupcakes as well as a vegan mac&cheeze.
— The rice bowls need more sauce.
— Less ice in the bubble teas, please.
— Clean up the menu a bit.
— I’d like to see some transparency in where the ingredients are sourced from and an eventual shift to local & organic.

I was a little disappointed. The fried chicken noodle bowl looked so great in all the pix, but IRL it lacked flavor and was a little watery. I also expect something like that to be rich and have a kick, this wasn’t and didn’t. The chicken cutlet was not at all greasy…
The bubble tea, however, was delish and the empanadas I got to-​go look flaky and delish.
The staff was super friendly, also, so I wish I had liked the food more. In future, I will get empanadas takeout for parties or the drive-​in …

I love this place. The food is very good and tasty. The service is the best. My favorite dishes are the fried chicken noodle bowl and the Ethiopian flavored wings with sticky white rice. Expect it to be crowded around the typical busy periods of the day. The prices are nice too.

Fancy stuff. It’s the catering option of choice in town. There could be less than delicious things so make sure you vet all the dishes if you do choose them to cater. Also make sure you have enough budget.
On the other hand, it’s a bit expensive for college students, unless you come to their stand on Vassar’s Tasty Tuesdays.

Love this place! The arepas, chickpea fries, and yuca fries with chutney are amazing. I wouldn’t no about the other food, because I usually switch between those same three items every time, but I’m sure everything else is just as delicious. Everything is tasty, a true flavor sensation. The inside is nice, small, but because they don’t have it cluttered, and they have some nice artwork up, it opens the place up. Fresh, good favorable food.

I’ve been about four times, and each time left happy.
Let me forewarn you, there’s no décor to speak of, so this is not an impress-​a-​date place. The space is narrow and long, and you have to go up to the counter and order. Mostly tapas-​type items, so you can try a variety if you go with a group as I did.
The food itself is good to great, especially some of the Asian items. We ordered a bunch of stuff, and I was happy with all of it, especially the arepas and the noodle bowls. The prices are on the low side so this can be quite a good value as well.

I have very much missed Twisted Soul and finally got to order take out from here yesterday since I was in the area.
It seems they have greatly expanded their menu and I had a difficult time deciding what to order.
I ordered the mac&cheese, bbq pork steamed buns and 2 beef empanadas. I haven’t had the empanadas yet, but they’ve always been delicious. The steamed buns were really good, however the mac and cheese was just ok. I wish I had decided on something different instead, but at least I know for next time.
I like that for the bubble teas you have the option of soy milk as well. I wasn’t a fan of the passion fruit flavor, but that’s no fault of them, just personal taste.
I can’t wait until I’m back in the area again