diff --git a/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go b/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
index 4991423b9..cb74f4768 100644
--- a/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
+++ b/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 type CmdRestore struct {
 	Exclude []string `short:"e" long:"exclude" description:"Exclude a pattern (can be specified multiple times)"`
+	Include []string `short:"i" long:"include" description:"Include a pattern, exclude everything else (can be specified multiple times)"`
 	Target  string   `short:"t" long:"target"  description:"Directory to restore to"`
 
 	global *GlobalOptions
@@ -39,6 +40,10 @@ func (cmd CmdRestore) Execute(args []string) error {
 		return errors.New("please specify a directory to restore to (--target)")
 	}
 
+	if len(cmd.Exclude) > 0 && len(cmd.Include) > 0 {
+		return errors.New("exclude and include patterns are mutually exclusive")
+	}
+
 	snapshotIDString := args[0]
 
 	debug.Log("restore", "restore %v to %v", snapshotIDString, cmd.Target)
@@ -74,7 +79,7 @@ func (cmd CmdRestore) Execute(args []string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	selectFilter := func(item string, dstpath string, node *restic.Node) bool {
+	selectExcludeFilter := func(item string, dstpath string, node *restic.Node) bool {
 		matched, err := filter.List(cmd.Exclude, item)
 		if err != nil {
 			cmd.global.Warnf("error for exclude pattern: %v", err)
@@ -83,8 +88,19 @@ func (cmd CmdRestore) Execute(args []string) error {
 		return !matched
 	}
 
+	selectIncludeFilter := func(item string, dstpath string, node *restic.Node) bool {
+		matched, err := filter.List(cmd.Include, item)
+		if err != nil {
+			cmd.global.Warnf("error for include pattern: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		return matched
+	}
+
 	if len(cmd.Exclude) > 0 {
-		res.SelectFilter = selectFilter
+		res.SelectFilter = selectExcludeFilter
+	} else if len(cmd.Include) > 0 {
+		res.SelectFilter = selectIncludeFilter
 	}
 
 	cmd.global.Verbosef("restoring %s to %s\n", res.Snapshot(), cmd.Target)
diff --git a/cmd/restic/integration_test.go b/cmd/restic/integration_test.go
index 5803c38e8..93c98fa60 100644
--- a/cmd/restic/integration_test.go
+++ b/cmd/restic/integration_test.go
@@ -78,6 +78,11 @@ func cmdRestoreExcludes(t testing.TB, global GlobalOptions, dir string, snapshot
 	OK(t, cmd.Execute([]string{snapshotID.String()}))
 }
 
+func cmdRestoreIncludes(t testing.TB, global GlobalOptions, dir string, snapshotID backend.ID, includes []string) {
+	cmd := &CmdRestore{global: &global, Target: dir, Include: includes}
+	OK(t, cmd.Execute([]string{snapshotID.String()}))
+}
+
 func cmdCheck(t testing.TB, global GlobalOptions) {
 	cmd := &CmdCheck{global: &global, ReadData: true}
 	OK(t, cmd.Execute(nil))
@@ -563,7 +568,7 @@ func TestRestoreNoMetadataOnIgnoredIntermediateDirs(t *testing.T) {
 		// restore with filter "*.ext", this should restore "file.ext", but
 		// since the directories are ignored and only created because of
 		// "file.ext", no meta data should be restored for them.
-		cmdRestoreExcludes(t, global, filepath.Join(env.base, "restore0"), snapshotID, []string{"*.ext"})
+		cmdRestoreIncludes(t, global, filepath.Join(env.base, "restore0"), snapshotID, []string{"*.ext"})
 
 		f1 := filepath.Join(env.base, "restore0", "testdata", "subdir1", "subdir2")
 		fi, err := os.Stat(f1)
@@ -573,7 +578,7 @@ func TestRestoreNoMetadataOnIgnoredIntermediateDirs(t *testing.T) {
 			"meta data of intermediate directory has been restore although it was ignored")
 
 		// restore with filter "*", this should restore meta data on everything.
-		cmdRestoreExcludes(t, global, filepath.Join(env.base, "restore1"), snapshotID, []string{"*"})
+		cmdRestoreIncludes(t, global, filepath.Join(env.base, "restore1"), snapshotID, []string{"*"})
 
 		f2 := filepath.Join(env.base, "restore1", "testdata", "subdir1", "subdir2")
 		fi, err = os.Stat(f2)