diff --git a/lib/commands/restart.js b/lib/commands/restart.js
index ccdea61d6..049129e70 100644
--- a/lib/commands/restart.js
+++ b/lib/commands/restart.js
@@ -4,15 +4,15 @@ const Command = require('../command');
 class RestartCommand extends Command {
     async run() {
         const instance = this.system.getInstance();
+
         const isRunning = await instance.isRunning();
         if (!isRunning) {
-            const StartCommand = require('./start');
             this.ui.log('Ghost instance is not running! Starting...', 'yellow');
-            return this.runCommand(StartCommand);
+            return this.ui.run(() => instance.start(), 'Starting Ghost');
         }
 
         instance.loadRunningEnvironment(true);
-        return this.ui.run(instance.process.restart(process.cwd(), this.system.environment), 'Restarting Ghost');
+        await this.ui.run(() => instance.restart(), 'Restarting Ghost');
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/instance.js b/lib/instance.js
index febe178ca..c4b3d37fd 100644
--- a/lib/instance.js
+++ b/lib/instance.js
@@ -296,6 +296,17 @@ class Instance {
         await this.process.disable();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Restarts the Ghost instance
+     *
+     * @returns {Promise<void>}
+     * @method restart
+     * @public
+     */
+    async restart() {
+        await this.process.restart(this.dir, this.system.environment);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Gets a summary of this instance, comprised of various values from
      * the cliConfig and the ghost config
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/restart-spec.js b/test/unit/commands/restart-spec.js
index 64ad5482b..f92d28311 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/restart-spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/commands/restart-spec.js
@@ -7,40 +7,49 @@ const RestartCommand = require(modulePath);
 
 describe('Unit: Command > Restart', function () {
     it('warns of stopped instance and starts instead', async function () {
-        const instance = {isRunning: () => Promise.resolve(false)};
-        const logStub = sinon.stub();
-
-        const command = new RestartCommand({log: logStub}, {getInstance: () => instance});
-        const runCommand = sinon.stub(command, 'runCommand').resolves();
+        const instance = {
+            isRunning: sinon.stub().resolves(false),
+            start: sinon.stub().resolves()
+        };
+        const ui = {
+            log: sinon.stub(),
+            run: sinon.stub().callsFake(fn => fn())
+        };
+        const system = {
+            getInstance: sinon.stub().returns(instance)
+        };
 
+        const command = new RestartCommand(ui, system);
         await command.run();
-        expect(runCommand.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        expect(runCommand.args[0][0].description).to.equal('Start an instance of Ghost');
-        expect(logStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        expect(logStub.args[0][0]).to.match(/not running!/);
+
+        expect(instance.isRunning.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(ui.log.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(ui.log.args[0][0]).to.match(/not running!/);
+        expect(ui.run.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(instance.start.calledOnce).to.be.true;
     });
 
     it('calls process restart method if instance is running', async function () {
-        const runStub = sinon.stub().resolves();
-        const restartStub = sinon.stub().resolves();
-        const lreStub = sinon.stub();
         const instance = {
-            process: {restart: restartStub},
-            loadRunningEnvironment: lreStub,
-            isRunning: () => Promise.resolve(true)
+            isRunning: sinon.stub().resolves(true),
+            loadRunningEnvironment: sinon.stub(),
+            restart: sinon.stub().resolves()
+        };
+        const ui = {
+            log: sinon.stub(),
+            run: sinon.stub().callsFake(fn => fn())
+        };
+        const system = {
+            getInstance: sinon.stub().returns(instance)
         };
 
-        const command = new RestartCommand({run: runStub}, {
-            environment: 'testing',
-            getInstance: () => instance
-        });
-
+        const command = new RestartCommand(ui, system);
         await command.run();
 
-        expect(lreStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        expect(lreStub.args[0][0]).to.be.true;
-        expect(restartStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        expect(restartStub.args[0]).to.deep.equal([process.cwd(), 'testing']);
-        expect(runStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(instance.isRunning.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(ui.log.called).to.be.false;
+        expect(instance.loadRunningEnvironment.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(ui.run.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        expect(instance.restart.calledOnce).to.be.true;
     });
 });
diff --git a/test/unit/instance-spec.js b/test/unit/instance-spec.js
index e3bb797c0..cb87175d1 100644
--- a/test/unit/instance-spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/instance-spec.js
@@ -579,6 +579,19 @@ describe('Unit: Instance', function () {
         });
     });
 
+    it('restart', async function () {
+        const restart = sinon.stub().resolves();
+        const instance = new Instance({}, {environment: 'testing'}, '/var/www/ghost');
+
+        instance._process = {
+            name: 'local',
+            restart
+        };
+
+        await instance.restart();
+        expect(restart.calledOnceWithExactly('/var/www/ghost', 'testing')).to.be.true;
+    });
+
     describe('summary', function () {
         it('returns shortened object if running is false', async function () {
             const get = sinon.stub();