There are some people you meet in life under circumstances you could never plan.
My friendship with Chef Martin Danilowicz, owner of Roost Restaurant at 1502 Niagara Street in Buffalo, New York, is definitely one of those stories.
It didn’t start over dinner.
It didn’t start at a business event.
It didn’t even start with a mutual friend.
It started with a felony traffic stop.
A High-Stakes Moment in Front of a Fine-Dining Room
At the time, I was working in a specialized police unit called the Strike Force Task Force. My partner and I were conducting police work when we initiated a felony traffic stop.
For those unfamiliar with law enforcement, a felony traffic stop is considerably different from an ordinary traffic stop. Depending upon the circumstances, it can require additional officers, a faster approach, removing possible suspects from the vehicle and completing several other tasks designed to keep everyone involved as safe as possible as these are normally very fast and strategic car stops.
There was just one problem.
The vehicle decided to stop directly in front of a beautiful new restaurant. Neither my partner nor I had any idea that was where the vehicle was going to pull over. The restaurant was Martin Cooks, owned by a chef I had not yet met named Martin Danilowicz.
So there we were—police vehicles, officers, flashing lights and everything else that accompanies a serious police encounter. Then, in the middle of everything, I looked through the restaurant’s two giant front windows.
I remember thinking something along the lines of: Oh, man. This is terrible.
There were dozens of people sitting inside this beautiful, high-end restaurant trying to enjoy their meals. Meanwhile, directly outside the windows, they were getting an entirely different kind of dinner entertainment.
A vehicle had suddenly stopped. Officers had quickly gotten out. More police arrived. People were quickly being removed from a vehicle. In addition to all of that, our emergency lights were practically putting on a light show through these enormous windows.
Once I noticed this, I immediately turned off my police lights and started telling the other officers to turn theirs off as well. I felt absolutely terrible.
Maybe some of the customers thought it was the greatest dinner show they had ever received for free. Others were probably thinking, “I did not come here for this.”
Meeting the Man Behind the Kitchen | Martin Danilowicz
Once everything was resolved and the scene was clear, I walked inside. I wanted to speak with the owner or management and personally apologize.
That’s when I met Martin.
From the very first moment, he was warm, calm, and incredibly understanding. Even though the situation hadn’t bothered him one bit, I kept apologizing. I explained how bad I felt about interrupting people who had traveled from all over Western New York just to enjoy his food.
Martin brushed it off with grace.
We exchanged information, and I told him he could call me anytime he ever needed anything. That conversation marked the beginning of a friendship—and a lifelong loyalty to his craft.
One Visit That Changed Everything | Martin Cooks Was an Experience I Had Never Seen Before
Not long after, I stopped by his restaurant again. I lived nearby, so it seemed convenient. That turned out to be a huge mistake. Because once I tasted his food, I was done for.
I became a forever customer.
What amazed me wasn’t just the flavor—it was the experience. Martin would stand behind this massive cooking table and prepare food right in front of everyone. I had never seen anything like it. No hiding in the back. No separation. Just pure confidence, passion, and mastery on display.
I told him right then and there: “Wherever you go, I’m following.”
And I meant it.
Following the Chef to Roost Restaurant
Martin eventually closed Martin Cooks and made the leap to a much larger restaurant in the Crescendo building on Niagara Street. Contemporary coverage described Martin Cooks as wildly popular and noted that the move substantially increased the size of his operation.
So I followed him right over to:
Roost Restaurant
1502 Niagara Street
Buffalo, New York 14213
716-259-9306
And somehow, Martin took everything that made Martin Cooks special and turned it into something even bigger.
Roost Is Really 100 Restaurants Wrapped Into One
When people ask me what makes Roost different, this is usually how I explain it: Roost is basically 100 different restaurants wrapped into one restaurant.
That may sound like an exaggeration until you become a regular.
Martin doesn’t seem interested in cooking the exact same food for the next 20 years simply because people like it.
One period might feel Italian. Another menu might be influenced by Vietnamese cuisine. Another could explore Thai flavors. You might encounter New York-inspired dishes, African influences, Mexican cuisine, Mongolian flavors or something Martin simply decided he wanted to create.
And then he’ll change it again.
That isn’t merely my perception as a customer. Published profiles of Martin have documented the same philosophy. Roost has long been known for frequent menu changes, and a 2026 profile reported that the menu changes approximately every three weeks. Martin compared cooking the same food indefinitely to watching a favorite movie every single day: eventually, even something you love becomes repetitive.
That’s Martin.
Always creating.
Always experimenting.
Always thinking about what he can do next.
This is why it is so important not to judge Roost after one visit.
You might go one month and find a menu that isn’t necessarily designed around your personal tastes.
That’s okay.
Go back.
Because a few weeks later, you could essentially be walking into a different restaurant.
If you’re a picky eater, check Roost’s website or social media before visiting. Maybe Italian isn’t your thing and Martin happens to be exploring Italian dishes when you check.
Wait a little while.
Three weeks later, you may see something completely different and think:
I have to try that.
That’s why I recommend experiencing Roost several times throughout the year.
You’re not simply returning to eat the same favorite dish. You’re returning to see what Martin created this time.
That philosophy goes back to the earliest days of Roost. Before the restaurant opened in 2016, Martin was already telling the public to expect menu changes every two or three weeks.
Nearly a decade later, that spirit of reinvention remains part of Roost’s identity. A 2026 profile still described the restaurant as having a menu that changes every three weeks.
That takes an incredible amount of creativity.
Then There Is the Pizza…
I can’t write about Roost without talking about the pizza.
Martin’s pizzas are unique, creative and absolutely delicious. And the centerpiece behind them is almost as impressive as the food.
Roost has a massive Italian pizza oven. Early coverage of the restaurant described a rotating Mariana Forni wood-fired oven as one of only two of its kind in the United States, while more recent coverage continues to highlight the enormous Italian oven as one of the defining pieces of Roost’s open kitchen.
Another early profile reported that Martin’s wood-burning stone oven was capable of reaching approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
You combine equipment like that with Martin’s creativity and willingness to experiment, and you get pizzas that aren’t an afterthought on the menu. They’re part of the experience.
The Chef, The Genius & Passion Is Only Half the Reason I Respect Martin
As impressive as all of this is, none of it explains why I’m actually writing this article.
I could write an entire article about Martin’s food. I could write one about his restaurant. I could write another one just about his creativity.
But the reason I consider Martin a friend goes much deeper.
If you’ve spent time at Roost, you’ve probably seen him walking around the restaurant talking to customers. He doesn’t just make a quick appearance so everyone can see that the owner is there.
Martin talks to people.
He sits down.
He laughs.
He tells stories.
He asks questions.
And, most importantly, he listens.
I’ve watched him do it over and over.
It’s not a marketing strategy.
It’s not Martin trying to make himself look important.
I genuinely believe he does it because he loves people.
You can see the joy on his face when he’s sitting at a table laughing with customers.
Interestingly, published accounts of Martin describe almost exactly what I’ve witnessed personally. A recent profile describes the energy that comes over him when he’s sitting at his bar talking about food, while an earlier interview captured Martin’s desire to create a restaurant where people feel comfortable enough that they simply don’t want to leave.
But one particular experience with my family showed me just how genuine that side of Martin really is.
“Whoa, You’re Going Into Architecture?”
My wife, my daughters and I were eating at Roost one day.
The restaurant was packed.
It was busy.
It was loud.
It was lively.
In other words, Martin had a restaurant full of customers to worry about.
My wife, my oldest daughter and I were having a conversation about college and architecture schools. My daughter is 17 and seriously considering architecture as the direction she wants to pursue.
Martin happened to overhear us. He could have smiled, said congratulations and kept moving. Instead, he stopped.
“Whoa, you’re going into architecture? I know some architects.”
And just like that, Martin sat down with my family.
Remember—the restaurant was full.
He had a business to operate.
Employees needed him.
Customers were everywhere.
Food was coming out.
There were probably a hundred things demanding his attention.
Yet Martin sat there with my wife, my little ones, my 17-year-old daughter and me and had a full-blown conversation about my daughter’s future.
Not small talk.
Not a two-minute conversation.
He genuinely wanted to know what she was interested in and where she wanted to go.
Then Martin did something even more remarkable!
He connected us with a good friend of his who holds a leadership position at one of Western New York’s top architecture firms!
And that conversation eventually led to my daughter shadowing professionals at one of the top architecture firms in Western New York.
Think about that.
Martin wasn’t going to make money from doing that.
It wasn’t going to sell another pizza.
It wasn’t going to generate publicity for Roost.
There was absolutely nothing in it for him.
He simply heard a 17-year-old talking about her future and thought:
I know somebody who might be able to help her.
And then he actually did something about it.
That’s Who Martin Danilowicz Is!
That interaction told me more about Martin than any award, review or article ever could.
This is a man running one of Buffalo’s most distinctive restaurants, in the middle of a packed service, who was willing to stop what he was doing because he saw an opportunity to potentially help a young person with her future.
That’s character.
That’s real friendship.
That’s leadership.
And that’s why when I talk about Martin Danilowicz, I’m not simply recommending a chef.
I’m recommending a person and a friend.
From Martin Cooks to Roost—and Beyond
Martin’s career speaks for itself.
His previous restaurant, Martin Cooks, developed an enthusiastic following. When Roost opened in 2016, local coverage described it as the follow-up to that highly successful restaurant and highlighted Martin’s willingness to challenge conventional ideas about what diners expected from a menu.
His reputation as a chef was already firmly established. Martin was named Best Chef in Artvoice’s Best of Buffalo results during the Martin Cooks era.
His culinary curiosity also stretches well beyond Buffalo. Martin has described traveling through Italy in 2001 and cooking for hours with an Italian woman despite neither speaking the other’s language. He came away from that experience with a Bolognese recipe that, more than two decades later, was still being served at Roost. His lesson from the experience was simple: food can become a universal language.
The City of Buffalo Is Extremely Lucky to Have Roost Restaurant
I’ve told Martin this directly:
Western New York is lucky to have you. I truly believe that.
Put Roost in Manhattan.
Put it in Miami.
Put it in Los Angeles.
Put it in another major international city and Roost Restaurant would easily be a destination for celebrities, executives, professional athletes and people looking for an exclusive culinary experience. An exclusive restaurant that would’ve been impossible for the average joe to get into and even afford.
But fortunately it’s here.
On Niagara Street.
In Buffalo New York.
What’s even more interesting is that Martin was willing to take chances on Buffalo neighborhoods before everyone else necessarily saw the potential.
When he opened Martin Cooks on Connecticut Street, he recalled people questioning whether a high-end restaurant could succeed there. Later, he heard similar doubts about Niagara Street. Martin went anyway.
Today, it’s difficult to look at the growth and investment along Niagara Street without appreciating people who were willing to bet on the neighborhood early.
And Martin apparently isn’t finished taking chances. In February 2026, Buffalo Rising reported that an entity associated with Danilowicz completed the purchase of the former Garage restaurant property on Hertel Avenue, another sign of his continuing presence in Buffalo’s restaurant and hospitality landscape.
I genuinely believe Roost Restaurant is one of the most unique dining experiences in Western New York. Owned by a real leader and trailblazer.
But I believe Martin Danilowicz is even more special than the restaurant he created.
He’s creative.
He’s unconventional.
He’s incredibly talented.
He’s willing to take risks.
And underneath all of that is a person who genuinely seems to enjoy bringing people together. Maybe that’s why Roost works.
The food changes.
The menu changes.
The concepts change.
The ingredients change.
The experience evolves.
But Martin doesn’t.
He’s still walking around.
Still talking.
Still laughing.
Still creating.
Still making people feel welcome.
And apparently, if he overhears your 17-year-old daughter talking about becoming an architect, he might just sit down in the middle of a packed restaurant and do his best to help.
That’s Martin.
I went into Martin Cooks years ago because I felt terrible about conducting a felony traffic stop outside his restaurant.
I walked out having met someone I respected.
I returned because I wanted to try his food.
I kept returning because the food was incredible.
And all these years later, I’m proud to say I continue returning because Martin Danilowicz is my friend.
Western New York is incredibly fortunate to have a chef and restaurateur of his caliber.
My family and I are even more fortunate to know the man behind it all.
And if you’ve never experienced Roost, I highly recommend that you do.
Just remember my rule:
Don’t go once.
Go back.
Then go back again.
Because with Martin Danilowicz behind the food, you never quite know what Roost is going to become next.
Roost Restaurant
1502 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14213
Phone: 716-259-9306
www.roostwny.com
