Thai Express Adds Crunchy Calamari and Spiced PopBok to Its New ‘Meet the Crunchies’ Lineup
Thai Express is putting a little more crunch into its Canadian menu, and this time calamari is getting the main-character treatment. The Montreal-born chain has introduced its first Crunchy Calamari, a limited-time protein that can move from appetizer to full meal depending on how hungry you are.
The calamari leads a four-item lineup called Meet the Crunchies. It is joined by another new limited-time item, Spiced PopBok, plus two returning menu favourites: Imperial Rolls and General Thai Beef. For Toronto diners who usually think of calamari as a sit-down restaurant starter, the new release shifts it into quick-service territory and gives customers several ways to build it into an order.
The quick details
| New headline item | Crunchy Calamari |
| How to order it | Over Salt & Pepper Fried Rice, as an appetizer with sweet chili dipping sauce, or as a protein add-on to an eligible dish |
| Second new item | Spiced PopBok, a spicy popcorn chicken offering |
| Meet the Crunchies lineup | Crunchy Calamari, Spiced PopBok, Imperial Rolls and General Thai Beef |
| Availability | Limited time and participating Thai Express locations; availability may vary by restaurant |
Calamari moves beyond the appetizer plate
Crunchy Calamari is being positioned as more than a side order. Thai Express currently lists three ways to get it: paired with Salt & Pepper Fried Rice, served on its own with sweet chili dipping sauce, or added as the protein to an eligible menu dish. That makes the launch useful for both customers who want a full calamari meal and those who would rather sample it beside their usual order.
The fried-rice version is the most complete of the three. Crispy battered calamari sits over savoury Salt & Pepper Fried Rice, turning a protein that is more often shared at the start of dinner into the centre of a fast-casual meal. The appetizer format keeps things simpler, while the add-on route lets regular customers swap calamari into another eligible Thai Express dish.
Spiced PopBok brings a second new crunch
Crunchy Calamari is not arriving alone. Spiced PopBok is the other new limited-time release in Meet the Crunchies, taking the chain’s popcorn-chicken format in a spicier direction. Thai Express describes the bites as seasoned with lemongrass, lime leaf and chilis, with dipping sauces available alongside them.
For groups, that gives the new menu drop a shareable option that is easier to split than a rice bowl. For solo orders, it can also work as an add-on beside noodles, fried rice or another main. The lineup then rounds out with Imperial Rolls and General Thai Beef, bringing two established items into the same crispy-menu theme.
The premium-protein strategy is becoming a pattern
Thai Express says the move follows the response to its 2025 lobster promotion, which the brand describes as one of its most in-demand limited-time releases. The takeaway for the chain appears straightforward: customers are open to seeing proteins associated with full-service dining show up in a quicker format, as long as they still fit the flavours and ordering style people already know from the brand.
Calamari is a logical next test. It is familiar enough to need little explanation, but it is still uncommon as the main protein at a large quick-service chain. Offering it three ways also gives Thai Express room to see how customers prefer to order it rather than tying the launch to a single bowl or combo.
There is a Canadian growth story behind the menu
Thai Express started in Montreal and has grown to more than 300 locations worldwide. The brand’s official history credits sisters Loune, Line, Khay and Loy Thongvan with helping shape the concept in its early years. Loune Thongvan later worked alongside Dennis Ng in business development; the pair married in 2003 and remain part of the leadership story behind the chain’s expansion.
The company joined MTY Food Group in 2004 and has since expanded across Canada and into international markets. For Toronto customers, that scale means the new items may be easy to find, but the limited-time language still matters. Individual restaurants can differ in participation and stock, so checking the location or online ordering menu before making a dedicated trip is the safer move.
Where Toronto diners can try the new lineup
Thai Express operates multiple locations across Toronto and the GTA, including mall, food-court and street-front restaurants. Crunchy Calamari is listed as a limited-time item at participating locations, so availability can change by restaurant and as supplies sell through.
If calamari is the reason for the visit, check the restaurant’s current online menu first. The same applies to Spiced PopBok. The promotion is built around four crunchy items, but the two new releases are the ones most likely to have location-specific inventory while the campaign is running.
A new kind of crunch for the usual Thai Express order
Thai Express is not reinventing its menu around seafood. Instead, Crunchy Calamari works as a limited-time test that can slot into several existing ordering habits: a rice meal, a shareable appetizer or a protein swap. Paired with Spiced PopBok and two established favourites, Meet the Crunchies gives regulars a reason to change up an order without learning an entirely new menu.
For Toronto diners interested in trying it, the most useful detail is also the simplest: availability is limited and can differ by restaurant. Check your nearest participating Thai Express before heading out, then decide if the calamari is getting the fried-rice treatment or going straight into your usual order.
You Might Also Like…
