Read our Ask a Local series: The lowdown on where to go and what to eat in Fayetteville

In The Fayetteville Observer's Ask a Local summer series, we got the lowdown on where to go, what to do and what to eat around Cumberland County from the people who know it best.

We asked people from all walks of life to share their favorite Fayetteville area spots.

From coffee and brunch to brews and late-night bites, the series captured an inside look at all the area has to offer.

Take a look back at the nine installments in this series.

This 42-year-old CEO's favorite Fayetteville hangout might surprise you

In the first edition, we interviewed self-proclaimed foodie John Burnside, a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran who owns short-term rental properties in vacation destinations throughout the South. He's a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, native who moved to Hope Mills from Charleston, South Carolina, about three years ago.

Burnside has a passion for cooking, but when he eats out, he prefers to support local businesses. Read on to learn about his favorite Fayetteville-area stops — including an upscale hookah bar and a restaurant with wacky waffle creations. Read the full story here.

Best pizza, crab legs and wings in Fayetteville, from an NYC transplant

New York City native Yamile Nazar heads Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department. In the six years since she moved to the area, she’s found food that speaks to her Latin roots and her upbringing in The Big Apple.

Nazar said she’s a fanatic for quality crab legs, salt-rimmed margaritas and crispy chicken wings. Click here to learn about her favorite bites and booze in the Fayetteville area, including her idea of the best downtown patio to enjoy summer festivals.

Best steaks, sweets and sports in Fayetteville, according to a millennial dad

Ian O’Brien, 38, is a pastor who moved to Cumberland County 15 years ago from his hometown of Imlay, Michigan, to pursue a job as an elementary school teacher.

The Gray’s Creek resident said that he and his wife have found some local breakfast and date night favorites — when they’re not eating pizza, ice cream and shaved ice with their children, ages 3, 7 and 10. Click here to read O'Brien's opinions on the best steak and sweet treats in the Fayetteville area.

Fayetteville leathersmith shares favorite spots for Filipino and Korean food

Steve Chadduck, is an Army veteran who crafts custom leather goods and teaches others how to do the same at a Fayetteville artists' collective. In his 25 years of living in the area, he’s found his fill of Korean, Filipino and Japanese eats.

Chadduck said his favorite food is sushi and he’s always in the mood for breakfast food. Click here to read his take on the best can’t-miss dishes in Cumberland County.

The unexpected spot for the best fried pork chop in Fayetteville

Lexi Hasapis, 44, is a Fayetteville native whose family has owned dozens of area restaurants over the years. She’s a part owner at Country Fish Fry, a Calabash-style fried seafood drive-thru on Fort Bragg Road.

Hasapis has a go-to Fayetteville-area restaurant for nearly every craving — dumplings, pizza, pasta, hushpuppies, tuna salad, burgers and barbecue. Plus, get the scoop on the downtown sports lounge with surprisingly delicious old-school food that she says everybody should try.  Read the full story here.

Best tacos, Mexican pizza and breakfast burritos in the Fayetteville area

Manuel Chavez, 40, is a California-born soldier stationed at Fort Liberty and a self-proclaimed “pizza snob” with a love for Italian and Mexican Cuisine. This is Chavez's second time in the area, having previously served here from 2009 to 2014 when the post was Fort Bragg.

Chavez said he’s found flavors here that mirror his West Coast upbringing and his Mexican roots, plus some distinctly Southern dishes. Click here to read about his favorite breakfast, barbecue and burgers.

Best 'grown and sexy' Fayetteville bars, according to a 34-year-old life coach

Zenaida Cranford, 34, is a Fayetteville life coach and military spouse who said she craves the Puerto Rican foods she grew up with, like seafood, rice, pork and avocado.

Since Cranford moved to the area in 2007, she’s found the nostalgic flavors of her youth, soul food favorites, notable cheese boards, vintage candy and lounges with a “grown and sexy” vibe, she said. Read the full story to get her top recommendations for food and fun in the ‘Ville.

This Fayetteville takeout restaurant has fried chicken that tastes like home

Bronx native LaQuia Rodriguez, 41, is a Fayetteville tax professional, military spouse and mom of four. By living and eating in the area intermittently for the past two decades, she’s found a bevy of old-school favorites.

Click here to learn about Rodriguez’s favorite Fayetteville food, including takeout that tastes just like her mom’s cooking, an epic Jamaican food mash-up and a Japanese restaurant that keeps her whole family happy.

Fort Liberty soldier on the best coffee, country cooking around Fayetteville

In the final installation of Ask a Local, we interviewed Niels Hansen, 52, a Fort Liberty soldier and Illinois native whose Fayetteville-area food picks include down-home country cooking, Japanese street food and Peruvian chicken.

Since Hansen was first stationed here in 2002, he said, he’s found the places that deliver life’s simple pleasures, like creamy pasta, tasty potatoes and a piping hot cup of coffee in the morning. Read the full story here.

Food, dining and business reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the free Fayetteville Foodies newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Where to go and what to eat in Fayetteville, NC