diff --git a/ebos/eclproblem.hh b/ebos/eclproblem.hh
index 131c16124..2a6de9309 100644
--- a/ebos/eclproblem.hh
+++ b/ebos/eclproblem.hh
@@ -671,7 +671,11 @@ public:
         readThermalParameters_();
         transmissibilities_.finishInit();
 
-        readInitialCondition_();
+        const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
+        if (initconfig.restartRequested())
+            readEclRestartSolution_();
+        else
+            readInitialCondition_();
 
         updatePffDofData_();
 
@@ -695,15 +699,18 @@ public:
             checkDeckCompatibility_();
 
         // write the static output files (EGRID, INIT, SMSPEC, etc.)
-        if (enableEclOutput_)
+        if (enableEclOutput_ && !initconfig.restartRequested())
             eclWriter_->writeInit();
 
         simulator.vanguard().releaseGlobalTransmissibilities();
 
         // after finishing the initialization and writing the initial solution, we move
         // to the first "real" episode/report step
-        simulator.startNextEpisode(timeMap.getTimeStepLength(0));
-        simulator.setEpisodeIndex(0);
+        // for restart the episode index and start is already set
+        if (!initconfig.restartRequested()) {
+            simulator.startNextEpisode(timeMap.getTimeStepLength(0));
+            simulator.setEpisodeIndex(0);
+        }
     }
 
     void prefetch(const Element& elem) const
@@ -1461,10 +1468,6 @@ public:
      */
     void initialSolutionApplied()
     {
-        const auto& simulator = this->simulator();
-        const auto& vanguard = simulator.vanguard();
-        const auto& eclState = vanguard.eclState();
-
         // initialize the wells. Note that this needs to be done after initializing the
         // intrinsic permeabilities and the after applying the initial solution because
         // the well model uses these...
@@ -1478,10 +1481,6 @@ public:
         updateCompositionChangeLimits_();
 
         aquiferModel_.initialSolutionApplied();
-
-        const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
-        if (initconfig.restartRequested())
-            readEclRestartSolution_();
     }
 
     /*!
@@ -2440,7 +2439,7 @@ private:
         const auto& eclState = simulator.vanguard().eclState();
         const auto& timeMap = schedule.getTimeMap();
         const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
-        int episodeIdx = initconfig.getRestartStep() - 1;
+        int episodeIdx = initconfig.getRestartStep();
 
         simulator.setStartTime(timeMap.getStartTime(/*timeStepIdx=*/0));
         simulator.setTime(timeMap.getTimePassedUntil(episodeIdx));
@@ -2470,9 +2469,6 @@ private:
             polymerMoleWeight_.resize(numElems, 0.0);
         }
 
-        // this is a hack to preserve the initial fluid states
-        auto tmpInitialFs = initialFluidStates_;
-
         for (size_t elemIdx = 0; elemIdx < numElems; ++elemIdx) {
             auto& elemFluidState = initialFluidStates_[elemIdx];
             elemFluidState.setPvtRegionIndex(pvtRegionIndex(elemIdx));
@@ -2530,12 +2526,6 @@ private:
         // using message passing.
         this->model().syncOverlap();
 
-        // this is a hack to preserve the initial fluid states
-        initialFluidStates_ = tmpInitialFs;
-        // make sure that the stuff which needs to be done at the beginning of an episode
-        // is run.
-        this->beginEpisode();
-
         eclWriter_->endRestart();
     }
 
@@ -2915,6 +2905,7 @@ private:
 
         if (vanguard.deck().hasKeyword("BC")) {
             nonTrivialBoundaryConditions_ = true;
+
             size_t numCartDof = vanguard.cartesianSize();
             unsigned numElems = vanguard.gridView().size(/*codim=*/0);
             std::vector<int> cartesianToCompressedElemIdx(numCartDof);
@@ -3035,6 +3026,12 @@ private:
                                 }
                             }
                         }
+                        // TODO: either the real initial solution needs to be computed or read from the restart file
+                        const auto& eclState = simulator.vanguard().eclState();
+                        const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
+                        if (initconfig.restartRequested()) {
+                            throw std::logic_error("restart is not compatible with using free boundary conditions");
+                        }
                     } else {
                         throw std::logic_error("invalid type for BC. Use FREE or RATE");
                     }
diff --git a/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilEbos.hpp b/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilEbos.hpp
index ade1690ed..14dec9658 100644
--- a/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilEbos.hpp
+++ b/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilEbos.hpp
@@ -165,21 +165,6 @@ public:
 
             double suggestedStepSize = -1.0;
             if (isRestart()) {
-                // Set the start time of the simulation
-                const auto& schedule = ebosSimulator_.vanguard().schedule();
-                const auto& eclState = ebosSimulator_.vanguard().eclState();
-                const auto& timeMap = schedule.getTimeMap();
-                const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
-                int episodeIdx = initconfig.getRestartStep() - 1;
-
-                ebosSimulator_.setStartTime(timeMap.getStartTime(/*timeStepIdx=*/0));
-                ebosSimulator_.setTime(timeMap.getTimePassedUntil(episodeIdx));
-
-                ebosSimulator_.startNextEpisode(ebosSimulator_.startTime() + ebosSimulator_.time(),
-                                                timeMap.getTimeStepLength(episodeIdx));
-                ebosSimulator_.setEpisodeIndex(episodeIdx);
-
-
                 // This is a restart, determine the time step size from the restart data
                 if (restartValues->hasExtra("OPMEXTRA")) {
                     std::vector<double> opmextra = restartValues->getExtra("OPMEXTRA");
@@ -201,6 +186,20 @@ public:
         SimulatorReport stepReport;
 
         if (isRestart()) {
+            // Set the start time of the simulation
+            const auto& schedule = ebosSimulator_.vanguard().schedule();
+            const auto& eclState = ebosSimulator_.vanguard().eclState();
+            const auto& timeMap = schedule.getTimeMap();
+            const auto& initconfig = eclState.getInitConfig();
+            int episodeIdx = initconfig.getRestartStep() - 1;
+
+            ebosSimulator_.setStartTime(timeMap.getStartTime(/*timeStepIdx=*/0));
+            ebosSimulator_.setTime(timeMap.getTimePassedUntil(episodeIdx));
+
+            ebosSimulator_.startNextEpisode(ebosSimulator_.startTime() + ebosSimulator_.time(),
+                                            timeMap.getTimeStepLength(episodeIdx));
+            ebosSimulator_.setEpisodeIndex(episodeIdx);
+            wellModel_().beginEpisode();
             wellModel_().initFromRestartFile(*restartValues);
         }