‘Well, that’s a nice surprise,” says a friend when we spot the tiny glass kiosk of 75 on Liberty Wharf. It’s not exactly hard to find, but a small, cozy restaurant with big, dramatic views is not what we’ve come to expect on this rapidly developing stretch of waterfront dominated by multi-floor dining palaces. Owner Thomas A. Kershaw and executive chef Markus Ripperger of Beacon Hill’s 75 on Chestnut — itself a nice surprise of a restaurant — have created a new place where creative cocktails and well-executed versions of pub favorites are set against the twinkling lights of the harbor.

You open the front door and realize just how small it is: less than a dozen tables seating about 60, with the same number outside on the wooden deck. On this night, the open-air tables are empty despite heat lamps, but they’re a reminder that someday spring will come and this location will be spectacular.