Glancing at the “specials” board placed outside the unassuming Bay Park Fish Co. had me feeling as though I had entered the twilight zone. I was meeting a friend for a cheap and casual lunch, yet the items listed in chalk prompted an urgent peek inside my wallet. Macadamia-crusted halibut for $25? Bacon-wrapped scallops for $28? Surely I must have arrived five hours late and hit the dinner cycle.

The one-year-old restaurant is located adjacent to Siesel’s Old Fashioned Meats & Deli on a cute neighborhood block leading to stacked-up residences that overlook Mission Bay. Unpretentious and inviting, and with a quaint sidewalk patio, you’d never expect to pay more than $10 here for a hunk of any seafaring creature.

Turns out there’s no disparity between the lunch and dinner prices on those entrées, which are perhaps justified by the fact that the fish is brought in whole and fresh daily, even on Sundays. And if it’s any consolation, the food is memorably good and the regular table menu offers some affordable options beyond that scary chalkboard.

My second daytime visit proved more satisfying than the first when sinking my teeth into a Swordfish Club Sandwich that’ll set you back only $9, relatively speaking. The fish is soaked in a limey marinade that gets poured over the thin filet during flame broiling, offering a beaming citrus flavor that complimented the addition of fresh avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and tasty caper mayonnaise. The sandwich was supposed to come with bacon, too, which the kitchen forgot to include. Just as well, because it wasn’t needed.

My companion in that visit chose the Smoked Fish Sandwich, made usually with albacore, our waitress told us. What appeared like basic tuna salad on a roll tasted like anything but. The fish is smoked on site in a mouthwatering bath of soy sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Priced at $8, it was both sweet and pungent, and went down quickly.

In the previous week during lunch, I lusted after my companion’s Spicy Crab and Tuna Torta, presented in a classically soft Mexican telera roll. Here, the tuna came in the form of a modest-sized filet with minced crabmeat over it. The sandwich’s spicy kick originates from Sriracha Japanese chili sauce contained in those big plastic bottles common to many tables in casual eateries.

The torta, priced at $10.95, was livelier and more substantial than the halibut Fish and Chips I ordered for two bucks less. (If you opt for red snapper, the meal costs $12.) My disappointment stemmed from the unbalanced ratio of fish to chips, with only five thin medallions of halibut coated in panko crust sitting atop a deep well of shoestring french fries. It took less than five minutes for me to polish off the fish, and it would’ve taken a maniacal carb craving to devour all those fries, which come with a majority of the meals.

Nonetheless, quality and freshness remained evident in everything I tasted here. And the more expensive items that didn’t fit into my lunch budget appear to undergo some gourmet preparations that you’d more likely stumble upon in upscale restaurants. From the appetizer list, for instance – which isn’t cheap either – there’s Kung Pao Calamari for $10, Crab Cakes with green papaya coleslaw for $12 and Seared Tuna with Asian slaw for $18.

Most of the fish is extracted from Baja waters and rushed onto the premises to be cleaned and filleted. The catch of the day, averaging about eight ounces and served with rice and veggies, starts at $16 and increases in price according to those elusive “market prices.” Thankfully, in the mix of expensive entrées are fish tacos, a grilled Chicken Torta and a burger on a Kaiser roll, each priced at $8. There’s also a kid’s menu that sticks to the $5 price point.

The double storefront restaurant also offers a retail counter boasting some gorgeous slabs of wild salmon, mahi mahi and swordfish, not to mention day boat scallops, clams, mussels and mondo-sized Mexican white shrimp. Service is friendly and informed. Yet with an atmosphere as casual as something you’d find at a dock on the bay, blue painted walls showing off framed pictures of fisherman flaunting their prized catches and a small bar to slug down a few brews, you’ll need deep pockets to eat here with gusto.