The Roots of All Evil

Descending into The Roots of All Evil is like stepping into an underground garden of spirits. Located in the basement level of KYOTO TOWER SANDO, this bar specializes in craft gin and inventive cocktails, blending Japanese botanicals with global influences. The interior is compact and creative — imagine root-like motifs, moiré textures, dark nooks and ambient lighting that evokes water filtering through soil. The spirit is botanical first, with a strong focus on letting the gin shine, often complemented by subtle herbal notes, yuzu, ginger, dandelion root, and other earth-derived flavors. Menu highlights include THE ROOTS, built around burdock, ginger, and dandelion root, and BOTANICAL GARDEN, using lavender, rosemary and herbal tones. There’s also KI NO BI (beauty of the season), a Kyoto craft gin infused with yuzu, sansho (Japanese pepper) and gyokuro tea. Though it's a bar, there's a small food side of things: cheese platters, serrano ham, and light bites that pair nicely with the drinks. Because of its location inside the Tower’s basement food hall setting, patrons often drift in post-train or after shopping, making it a relaxed yet refined stop. The Roots of All Evil markets itself as a place for both gin aficionados and curious visitors: they have English menus, English-speaking staff, and presentations that surprise — part theater, part tasting experiment. The bar is open daily from 11:00 to 23:00. Its name is playful irony: “roots” allude to botanical origins and underground design, while “all evil” teases a rebellion against ordinary bar conventions.