Old Rauma has more cafes per square metre than any other Finnish town, most of them tucked into the wooden houses. Quality is generally high and prices are reasonable by Finnish standards.
Buena Vista on Kuninkaankatu does modern Nordic small plates with a focus on local fish and Bothnian Sea ingredients. The room is intimate; book ahead in summer.
Wanha Rauma is the obvious tourist choice on the main lane through the old town but does Finnish standards — sautéed reindeer, salmon soup, pike-perch — competently and in a beautiful old wooden interior.
Café Sali, also in the old town, is the lunch and pastry stop: open-faced sandwiches, cinnamon buns, strong coffee. The terrace seating in summer is the best in town for people-watching.
Pizzeria Rosso on Kauppakatu is the local low-budget pick — wood-fired pizzas at half the cost of dinner elsewhere, popular with locals.
For something different, Villa Tallbo out on the Otanlahti coast about ten minutes' drive from the centre serves seafood with sea views and is a worthwhile detour for a longer dinner.