When Condo asked me to suggest places for an unorthodox London tourist map, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I’ve spent the last ten years wandering around this city studying its pubs, shops, buildings, restaurants and Victorian leftovers, and my taste often leans towards the old and locally important. Here are 26 of my favourite spots, some of which are near this exhibition's galleries, some of which really aren’t at all. — Isaac Rangaswami of @caffs_not_cafes and Wooden City

Ais for Ancient stone tablet. Three and a half centuries ago, someone scratched the words “this is Johns Street Ano Dom 1685” onto a stone tablet, like a child writing their name into wet sand. Today this crude 17th-century street sign is embedded into a modern building on the corner of Soho’s Golden Square. This building says “Fintex of London” on it and has an unremarkable café called Yolk at its base. To find the Ancient Stone Tablet, stand at 19 Golden Square’s wooden doorway, which is technically at 19 Lower John Street. Then tilt your head up.

—19 Lower John Street, W1F 9JJ

Bis for Bookshop. The first time I went to Shalimar Books in Elephant and Castle, I overheard customers who didn’t know each other comparing purchases at the counter, something I’ve seen nowhere else. As far as I know, this is London’s only South Asian book specialist. It sells books about topics like yoga, Parsi food and the Bahá’í Faith, as well as responsibly sourced craft items like prayer beads, Mughal paintings and ornate Kutch embroidery.

—38 Kennington Lane, SE11 4LS

Cis for Cantonese restaurant. At the time of writing, I’ve been to Wong Kei in Chinatown 84 times on my own. I know this because I take a photo of my food every time I eat there alone. This is the cheapest, good place to eat in central London. Get the beef brisket noodle soup or the stuffed green peppers, bean curd and aubergine (with minced prawns) on boiled rice. Bring cash. The tea and chilli oil are free.

—41–43 Wardour St, W1D 6PX

Dis for Drinking fountain. This Drinking Fountain in Bethnal Green Gardens bears an oxidised plaque, commemorating the tragic deaths of a houseful of women and children, and the passing stranger who ran in to help them.

—Museum Gardens, Bethnal Green, E2 9PA (just by the Cambridge Heath Road entrance)

Eis for Eel and pie shop. Roman Road in Bow is bordered by parks, A-roads and waterways, which makes it feel set away. I think this is why some elements of the old East End, such as G. Kelly, a heritage pie and mash shop, have persisted here.

—526 Roman Rd, E3 5ES

Fis for Fishing tackle shop. Central London used to have loads of specialist shops, but most of them have faded away in recent decades. I find that outer London areas contain more independent businesses, and I like Frames Fishing Tackle in Hendon because of its beautiful sign.

—202 W Hendon Broadway, NW9 7EE {not shown on map}

Gis for Georgian street. Fournier Street in Spitalfields is my favourite street in London, not just for its 300-year-old doorcases, but for its elaborate brickwork, boot scrapers and window shutter stoppers. My favourite shutter stoppers are the metal ones on a house with red brickwork, about half-way along the street. They’ve been fashioned into small heads with long beards and turbans.

—Fournier St, E1 6QE

His for Horse trough. In 1867 the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association rebranded as the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association. But that name still wasn’t quite accurate, because it catered to dogs and horses as well as humans and cows. The organisation installed these long Stone Troughs all over London, some which have since been repurposed as flower beds. I always pay my respects when I pass this one on Ray Street Bridge, just off Farringdon Road.

—Ray Street Bridge, EC1R 3BL

Iis for Italian sandwich bar. The incredible thing about Scotti’s Snack Bar is that the food is even better than its mid-century modern decor. Get the chicken escalope on toasted ciabatta, and make sure you have a chat with Al and Max, the Britalian brothers who live upstairs and have worked here their whole lives.

—38 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU

Jis for Jewish bakery. Remnants of Whitechapel’s Jewish past still exist, but there aren’t many. One is the decorative sign for the former premises of the Jewish Daily Post, at 88 Whitechapel High Street. Another is Rinkoff Bakery on Jubilee Street, a business founded by a Ukrainian refugee in 1911, that continues to evolve with the times.

—222–226 Jubilee St, E1 3BS

Kis for Kerala restaurant. If you want to eat South Asian food in London, the best thing to do is go to a neighbourhood like Barking, Ealing, East Ham, Forest Gate, Harrow, Hounslow, Ilford, Slough, Southall, Tooting, Wembley, West Ham and Whitechapel, assuming you don’t live in one of those areas already. Of those neighborhoods, East Ham means the most to me, and Udaya is my current favourite there.

—105 Katherine Rd, E6 1ES {not shown on web map}

Lis for Library. Simply a beautiful public building, Bethnal Green Library is furnished with beamed ceilings, Ionic pilasters and an absurd amount of polished wood.

—Cambridge Heath Rd, E2 0HL

Mis for Market. There is nowhere more atmospheric in London than Nine Elms Market on a Sunday morning. The diversity of this city is represented here, and you can find anything from power tools to al fresco massages, Moroccan grilled fish to Ukrainian BBQ. I first started going here regularly after reading an essay about it by the writer Jonathan Nunn. “Walk around and you see what a city can look like when it really gives people what they want,” Jonathan wrote.

—Nine Elms Lane, SW8 5AL

Nis for Neighbourhood restaurant. Here’s a friendly, unpreten­tious contemporary restaurant that spe­cial­ises in consistently delicious food. There’s also a reason they call it Quality Wines.

—88 Farringdon Rd, EC1R 3EA

Ois for Old urinal. This ornate cast-iron Pissoir remains under lock and key, which strikes me as a dreadful waste. It’s down a very compelling alleyway though, and definitely still worth a look.

—4 Star Yard, WC2A 2JL

Pis for Pub. Historical pubs tend to exaggerate their age, especially those that say they’re the oldest in London. As well as lots of lawyers, The Seven Stars in Holborn contains things that are genuinely old. Admire its low, bulging ceiling and be careful climbing its ancient stairs to the loo.

—53 Carey St, WC2A 2JB

Qis for Queen stink pipe. Below London flows an underground river of filth, designed to flush waste off the streets and stop the Thames smelling so bad. When this pioneering sewer system was introduced, the Victorians topped off their feat of civil engineering with ventilation shafts, otherwise known as Stink Pipes. Apparently they avert explosions caused by gas build-up. This one in Kennington has a crown.

—181a Kennington Ln, SE11 4EZ

Ris for Radical social centre. I love London, but sometimes it wears me down. For a dose of optimism and a vision of a more equitable city, I go to 56a Infoshop, a volunteer-run, 100% unfunded, DIY social centre.

—56a Crampton St, SE17 3LH

Sis for Seafood stall. In Charles Dickens’s day, “street food” meant eating cold whelks, cockles and jellied eels in the open air. Mick’s Shellfish Stall in Mitcham is one of several outposts keeping this native food tradition alive, in a completely unromantic way.

—The Goat Inn Car Park, CR4 4HJ {not shown on web map}

Tis for Tenement buildings. Walworth’s historical tenement blocks are clustered in a quadrilateral shape, which envelops you in their striking oldness and makes you feel you have travelled into the past. Stick your head into one of the Pullens Buildings’ communal entranceways, to see all the ceramic tiles and wooden bannisters that lie within.

—Penton Place, SE17 3SH

Uis for Underpass. London used to be a city of trams, and it still is, but only in Croydon. To catch a glimpse of this old transport system’s remnants, peer through the locked gates of the cobblestoned Kingsway Tram Tunnel.

—16–36 Southampton Row, WC1B 4AP

Vis for Victorian penny chute. In a corner of Soho Square you’ll find a long, sloping metal tube connected to a fence, where generous citizens can deposit their coins. This is a Victorian Penny Chute and there used to be a charity at the bottom of it. I’m not sure who the money goes to now, but I still throw pennies down it.

—1 Greek St, W1D 4EJ

Wis for Wooden manhole cover. Wooden paving was introduced in the 1800s because horseshoes and carriage wheels travelled over it more quietly than stone blocks. We’ve got asphalt now, but you can still find random patches of wooden paving all over London. I’m not sure why, but it tends to persist on top of Manhole Covers. I love this one in Waterloo because it’s down such a dark, forlorn side street.

—Intersection of Waterloo Rd and Alaska St, SE1 8UD

Xis for Xspresso shop. I’m actually more of a tea guy, but whenever I fancy an xspresso, I go to Omotesando Koffee just off Oxford Street.

—8 Newman St, W1T 1FB

Yis for Yoghurt soup. For a two-month period during the summer, I found myself eating at Somine in Dalston every Saturday. I take much comfort in the affordable daily stews and soups here, particularly the yayla çorbası, also known as yoghurt soup.

—131 Kingsland High St, E8 2PB {not shown on web map}

Zis for Zeppelin raid damage. On 8 September 1915, a 660lb German bomb fell from an airship in the sky and exploded in West Smithfield, creating an eight-foot crater and exposing the previously concealed Tudor entrance to the courtyard of St Bartholomew’s church. This Zeppelin Raid Damage is still visible on the stone walls of St Bart’s hospital.

—Sir William Wallace Memorial, W Smithfield, EC1A 7AQ