diff --git a/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go b/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
index 393d0347d..e4d939fd2 100644
--- a/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
+++ b/cmd/restic/cmd_restore.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/debug"
 )
 
 type CmdRestore struct {
@@ -78,11 +79,17 @@ func (cmd CmdRestore) Execute(args []string) error {
 	// TODO: a filter against the full path sucks as filepath.Match doesn't match
 	// directory separators on '*'. still, it's better than nothing.
 	if len(args) > 2 {
-		res.Filter = func(item string, dstpath string, node *restic.Node) bool {
-			matched, err := filepath.Match(item, args[2])
+		pattern := args[2]
+		cmd.global.Verbosef("filter pattern %q\n", pattern)
+
+		res.SelectForRestore = func(item string, dstpath string, node *restic.Node) bool {
+			matched, err := filepath.Match(pattern, node.Name)
 			if err != nil {
 				panic(err)
 			}
+			if !matched {
+				debug.Log("restic.restore", "item %v doesn't match pattern %q", item, pattern)
+			}
 			return matched
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/node.go b/node.go
index f677199c8..2a118f815 100644
--- a/node.go
+++ b/node.go
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ func nodeTypeFromFileInfo(fi os.FileInfo) string {
 
 // CreateAt creates the node at the given path and restores all the meta data.
 func (node *Node) CreateAt(path string, repo *repository.Repository) error {
+	debug.Log("Node.CreateAt", "create node %v at %v", node.Name, path)
+
 	switch node.Type {
 	case "dir":
 		if err := node.createDirAt(path); err != nil {
@@ -135,7 +137,12 @@ func (node *Node) CreateAt(path string, repo *repository.Repository) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("filetype %q not implemented!\n", node.Type)
 	}
 
-	return node.restoreMetadata(path)
+	err := node.restoreMetadata(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		debug.Log("Node.CreateAt", "restoreMetadata(%s) error %v", path, err)
+	}
+
+	return err
 }
 
 func (node Node) restoreMetadata(path string) error {
@@ -156,6 +163,7 @@ func (node Node) restoreMetadata(path string) error {
 	if node.Type != "dir" {
 		err = node.RestoreTimestamps(path)
 		if err != nil {
+			debug.Log("Node.restoreMetadata", "error restoring timestamps for dir %v: %v", path, err)
 			return err
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/restorer.go b/restorer.go
index d97bd0a5f..05c6b10d4 100644
--- a/restorer.go
+++ b/restorer.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/restic/restic/backend"
+	"github.com/restic/restic/debug"
 	"github.com/restic/restic/repository"
 
 	"github.com/juju/errors"
@@ -17,8 +18,8 @@ type Restorer struct {
 	repo *repository.Repository
 	sn   *Snapshot
 
-	Error  func(dir string, node *Node, err error) error
-	Filter func(item string, dstpath string, node *Node) bool
+	Error            func(dir string, node *Node, err error) error
+	SelectForRestore func(item string, dstpath string, node *Node) bool
 }
 
 var restorerAbortOnAllErrors = func(str string, node *Node, err error) error { return err }
@@ -44,7 +45,8 @@ func (res *Restorer) restoreTo(dst string, dir string, treeID backend.ID) error
 	}
 
 	for _, node := range tree.Nodes {
-		if err := res.restoreNodeTo(node, dir, dst); err != nil {
+		excluded, err := res.restoreNodeTo(node, dir, dst)
+		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
@@ -62,10 +64,12 @@ func (res *Restorer) restoreTo(dst string, dir string, treeID backend.ID) error
 				}
 			}
 
-			// Restore directory timestamp at the end. If we would do it earlier, restoring files within
-			// the directory would overwrite the timestamp of the directory they are in.
-			if err := node.RestoreTimestamps(filepath.Join(dst, dir, node.Name)); err != nil {
-				return err
+			if !excluded {
+				// Restore directory timestamp at the end. If we would do it earlier, restoring files within
+				// the directory would overwrite the timestamp of the directory they are in.
+				if err := node.RestoreTimestamps(filepath.Join(dst, dir, node.Name)); err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -73,19 +77,30 @@ func (res *Restorer) restoreTo(dst string, dir string, treeID backend.ID) error
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (res *Restorer) restoreNodeTo(node *Node, dir string, dst string) error {
+func (res *Restorer) restoreNodeTo(node *Node, dir string, dst string) (excluded bool, err error) {
+	debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "node %v, dir %v, dst %v", node.Name, dir, dst)
 	dstPath := filepath.Join(dst, dir, node.Name)
 
-	if res.Filter != nil && res.Filter(filepath.Join(dir, node.Name), dstPath, node) {
-		return nil
+	if res.SelectForRestore != nil {
+		debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "running select filter for %v", node.Name)
+
+		if !res.SelectForRestore(filepath.Join(dir, node.Name), dstPath, node) {
+			debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "SelectForRestore returned false")
+			return true, nil
+		}
 	}
 
-	err := node.CreateAt(dstPath, res.repo)
+	err = node.CreateAt(dstPath, res.repo)
+	if err != nil {
+		debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "node.CreateAt(%s) error %v", dstPath, err)
+	}
 
 	// Did it fail because of ENOENT?
 	if pe, ok := errors.Cause(err).(*os.PathError); ok {
 		errn, ok := pe.Err.(syscall.Errno)
 		if ok && errn == syscall.ENOENT {
+			debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "create intermediate paths")
+
 			// Create parent directories and retry
 			err = os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(dstPath), 0700)
 			if err == nil || err == os.ErrExist {
@@ -95,13 +110,16 @@ func (res *Restorer) restoreNodeTo(node *Node, dir string, dst string) error {
 	}
 
 	if err != nil {
+		debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "error %v", err)
 		err = res.Error(dstPath, node, errors.Annotate(err, "create node"))
 		if err != nil {
-			return err
+			return false, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	return nil
+	debug.Log("Restorer.restoreNodeTo", "successfully restored %v", node.Name)
+
+	return false, nil
 }
 
 // RestoreTo creates the directories and files in the snapshot below dir.