Best Sushi Restaurants in Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia — updated August 21, 2026
Three sushi options within reach of Smith Mountain Lake, ranked by how well their ratings hold up: a Moneta sushi and teppanyaki house, an all-you-can-eat spot in Forest, and a long-running Lynchburg steakhouse and sushi bar.
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Sushi around Smith Mountain Lake is a short list rather than a scene: one restaurant in the Moneta commercial strip near the lake, and two more worth the drive out toward Forest and Lynchburg. That means the ranking below is less about splitting hairs between rolls and more about which kitchen has the most settled track record. Check days closed before you go, since one of the three shuts on Tuesdays.
1. Edo Grill and Sushi
The strongest combination of rating and volume on this list, and the only one actually at the lake: 4.7 across 744 reviews is a settled number, not a hot start. The Mercantile Street location in Moneta puts it minutes from the Westlake side, and the menu runs made-to-order sushi alongside teppanyaki meals, with lunch specials during the day. Hours are 11:30am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 11:30am to 10pm Friday and Saturday, with the kitchen closed on Tuesday, a detail that catches out visitors mid-week. Open for both lunch and dinner on the days it operates. More at edogrillandsushisml.com.
2. New Yamada of Forest, Sushi & Sake (All You Can Eat)
The one to pick if you want volume: it runs an all-you-can-eat format, with OpenTable listing a buffet covering appetizers, ramen and grill at $30.99 per person, served 11:30am to 8pm, plus a higher-priced tasting option. Confirm current pricing when you book, since buffet rates move. The rating is 4.5 from 376 reviews, fewer than Edo but enough to take seriously. Beyond sushi, the kitchen turns out chicken and steak hibachi and lunch box plates. It sits on Gristmill Drive in Forest, so budget the drive from the lake. Details at newyamadaofforest.com.
3. Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
The highest review count here by a wide margin, more than 1,100, but the lowest rating at 4.1, which is what a long-running, high-traffic restaurant with an inconsistent record looks like rather than a fluke. It is a steakhouse and sushi bar in combination, on Candlers Mountain Road in Lynchburg near the retail corridor, which makes it the furthest of the three from the lake and the most likely to be part of a shopping or errand trip rather than a dinner out from the water. Worth knowing about if you are already in Lynchburg and want sushi with hibachi seating in the same room.