A decade on Hull’s waterfront, celebrated with friends, guests and the people who have been part of our journey.

Sunday 18th October 2026 marked a very special moment for everyone at Tapasya Marina as we celebrated exactly ten years since opening our doors on Hull Marina.

Tapasya Marina first welcomed guests on 18th October 2016, following a £1 million investment in what was then the rapidly developing Fruit Market. Ten years later, we were delighted to bring together friends, customers, colleagues and supporters for a special anniversary celebration at the restaurant.

The event was an opportunity not only to celebrate a decade of Tapasya, but also to thank the many people who have supported the restaurant throughout its journey.

Guests enjoyed food, drinks and live music in the restaurant, with the afternoon providing a chance to catch up, share memories and look back on how much both Tapasya Marina and the surrounding Fruit Market have changed since 2016.

Ten years on Hull Marina

The anniversary received some wonderful coverage in the run-up to the celebration.

The Hull Daily Mail looked back at Tapasya Marina’s story, from the original £1m investment and the transformation of the Fruit Market through to regional awards, Michelin recognition and Hull’s recent international recognition by National Geographic.

The feature also explored some of the challenges faced along the way, including Covid, rising food and energy costs, the cost-of-living crisis and years of major infrastructure works around the city centre and Marina.

Read the Hull Daily Mail feature: “We wanted to create somewhere special”

During the restaurant’s first decade, Tapasya Marina has been named Most Remarkable Restaurant in Hull and East Yorkshire, received recognition from Hull BID and earned a place in the Michelin Guide 2020 with a Michelin Plate listing.

More recently, Hull was selected as one of National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 destinations, with Tapasya Marina specifically recommended among the places visitors should experience while in the city.

But while awards and recognition have been an important part of the last ten years, the anniversary celebration was ultimately about something much simpler: people.

Messages that meant so much

Following the anniversary, Tapan and the team received a wonderful collection of messages from friends, guests and supporters. We wanted to share them as part of our ten-year story.

Narendra wrote:

“Our heartiest congratulations on the 10th Anniversary of Tapasya@Marina. It has been a brilliant fine dining venue for those seeking the best of authentic Indian cuisine. Keep it up and may you achieve more success and accolades in this venture.

Geeta and I are away in the USA attending a conference and sadly cannot join you to celebrate the success. Our hearts will be with you on the day.”

Tom Watson of Wykeland, which has played such an important role in the development of the Fruit Market and has supported Tapasya throughout its decade on Humber Dock Street, sent his congratulations:

“That’s a lovely article and thank you so much for including us. We are very proud to have you as tenants as you have such a high quality and well regarded venue and are great to deal with. I wish you all the best for the next 10 years!”

Another message reflected on what Tapasya has meant to the Indian community in Hull:

“Tapasya Restaurant has been the pride of Indians in Hull. The exotic food, classy ambience and hospitality truly celebrates your vision of sharing authentic Indian taste. And you have done it successfully.

I’m very attached to Tapasya and a strong well-wisher of the restaurant. May the 10 years leap ahead to 20 years and the legacy live on. Looking forward to celebrating 10 years!”

Stuti Chopra wrote:

“Congratulations Tapan. So happy for you and the history you have created.”

M Chandel added:

“Many, many congratulations on completing 10 wonderful years. Wishing you lots of success, continued growth and even more goodwill in the Humber Dock and nearby areas. May Tapasya keep growing and reaching new heights.”

Ghanshyam and Charu, who were unable to attend on the day, wrote:

“Please accept our apologies for not being able to attend the 10th Anniversary celebrations for the success of Tapasya. We wish you further success and our best wishes. Tapasya is and will continue to be a landmark Fine Dining Indian Restaurant.

We look forward to coming in the very near future for a meal.”

Another personal message recognised the commitment required to reach the ten-year milestone:

“What an achievement. Ten years in the hospitality industry, at the same time working as an NHS consultant, and being able to flourish in both is something only a very few can boast of.

Despite the difficulty during the Covid period, you have sustained the business, which is testament to your hard work and vision. May your success continue to grow and hopefully the next generation can help build on your legacy.”

A celebration to remember

The messages continued after the anniversary event itself, with guests reflecting on the food, atmosphere, team and the significance of reaching ten years.

Tharuni and Shankar said:

“Thank you for the lovely evening and I am always awe inspired by your work ethics and people’s management skills. God bless you all.”

Another guest wrote:

“Had a wonderful time celebrating 10 years of a very loved restaurant. The food was excellent and the ambience was great fun. Thank you for a great evening.”

Savita wrote:

“Thank you very much Tapan and Mita for your invitation. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed the evening, the food was delicious and the music was fantastic.”

Sanjay and Anjali also shared their appreciation for the evening and, in particular, the Tapasya team:

“It was indeed a very enjoyable afternoon, Tapan. Thanks so much for the invite.

All the staff were so friendly and welcoming. One of your employees, a young man from Kerala called Tejas, took such great care of all the guests. He went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome and was very considerate about their food choices.

We wish many more years of success to Tapasya.”

Their kind words about Tejas and the wider team were particularly appreciated, as the people behind Tapasya have played such an important part in the restaurant’s story over the last decade.

Deepak Bhatia reflected on the scale of the achievement:

“It was a pleasure, Tapan. Best wishes to you all. A lot of hard work and commitment has gone into this. When one analyses it, it is quite a project.”

We were also delighted to welcome Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, who wrote following the celebration:

“Just wanted to write and thank you again for the invite to the celebration event yesterday. Lovely afternoon to mark a remarkable restaurant. Hope you enjoyed it.”

Another guest said:

“What a wonderful celebration of the 10th birthday of Tapasya. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Tapan for inviting us and making us part of such a wonderful, happy occasion.”

Gavin and Mandy praised the restaurant team:

“Thank you for allowing us to partake in your celebrations on Sunday. It was good to see you. Your staff are an absolute credit to you and your business.”

For those who were unable to attend, the photographs and videos from the celebration provided a glimpse of what was a memorable occasion.

N Pai wrote:

“The celebration photos and videos look amazing! We certainly missed a huge occasion.

We are so delighted though of the 10 years of T & T, Tapan and Tapasya, reaching these awesome heights in the culinary world!

We salute your entrepreneurial success and wish you and your staff the very best from the bottom of our hearts.”

And Ady Syke perhaps summed up the afternoon perfectly:

“What a fantastic afternoon pal, such a pleasure to be part of. Thank you so much. Here’s to another 10 years.”

Thank you for being part of our first ten years

Reaching ten years is something everyone at Tapasya Marina is incredibly proud of, but no restaurant reaches a milestone like this alone.

Our thanks go to the customers who have returned year after year, the team members who have helped shape Tapasya, our suppliers and local partners, Wykeland for its continued support, and all of the friends and organisations who have been part of the journey.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who joined us on 18th October, and to everyone who sent such generous messages and well wishes, helping make our tenth anniversary such a memorable occasion.

The first ten years have given us plenty to celebrate. Now we look forward to the next ten.

Posted on 24th Oct 2026

Tags: News.