New London — Closed for nearly three months because of a compromised sea wall that threatened its structural integrity, On the Waterfront restaurant partially reopened Wednesday with less fanfare than owner Steve “Stash” Schiavone and his son Anthony Schiavone would have liked.

While preparing for the opening Wednesday morning, Stash Schiavone explained that customers needed to temper their expectations for the 250 Pequot Ave. property — a reference to the surroundings as opposed to the food that made the restaurant popular.

After all, Schiavone said, the massive construction project to replace the foundation and entire back portion of the building and sea wall are still ongoing. Construction is evident at the rear of the restaurant where much of the building has been removed and replaced with a temporary support structure.

The building is now structurally sound but mostly lacks water views and is missing at least 130 seats — two entire sections. The result is a small and cozy restaurant that Anthony Schiavone said “is the best we could do with what we have.”

“We have a lot of regulars and we really just wanted to open for them, even if it’s in a limited capacity,” he said.

For now, the restaurant will open on Wednesdays through Fridays from 3 p.m. to closing and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to closing, mostly to avoid the noises of the construction going on outside.

“I apologize and I ask people to have patience,” Stash Schiavone said.

Stash Schiavone said the target for the end of construction is sometime in December, after which he will revisit the idea of constructing a massive outdoor deck. He said he was exploring the feasibility of a 1,200- to 1,400-square-foot deck when the problem with the building was discovered.

Adam Bergamo, who with his father, Peter Bergamo, owns and operates Burr’s Marina and owns the building where On the Waterfront is located, said more than 50 years of tides lapping against the sea wall and two recent hurricanes likely led to the issue at hand.

Water had eroded the fill behind the sea wall and led to the building sinking, Bergamo said. The upcoming construction will include reconstruction of the building’s footings, the concrete barrier and sheet plate pilings. Demolition is nearly completed and engineers are still finalizing the plans.

The damage to the sea wall does not appear to be exclusive to Burr’s Marina. Owners of units at the nearby Harbor House condominiums at 292 Pequot Ave. say they are expecting to be assessed anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 per unit to repair damage to its sea wall.

Condominium owner Alexis Major said she recently bought a unit at Harbor House at a discounted rate with the understanding the added costs were coming. Major said the condo association has been working to get quotes for the work.

“My understanding is they’ve been dealing with this for a year,” Major said. “There is still uncertainty about how much it’s going to cost.”

g.smith@theday.com