diff --git a/firedrake/bcs.py b/firedrake/bcs.py
index e6b60a0e4c..1fc6aa5a6a 100644
--- a/firedrake/bcs.py
+++ b/firedrake/bcs.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 from firedrake.adjoint_utils.dirichletbc import DirichletBCMixin
 from firedrake.petsc import PETSc
 
-__all__ = ['DirichletBC', 'homogenize', 'EquationBC', 'restricted_function_space']
+__all__ = ['DirichletBC', 'homogenize', 'EquationBC']
 
 
 class BCBase(object):
@@ -692,36 +692,57 @@ def homogenize(bc):
         raise TypeError("homogenize only takes a DirichletBC or a list/tuple of DirichletBCs")
 
 
-@PETSc.Log.EventDecorator("CreateFunctionSpace")
-def restricted_function_space(V, bcs, name=None):
-    """Create a :class:`.RestrictedFunctionSpace` from a list of boundary conditions.
+def extract_subdomain_ids(bcs):
+    """Return a tuple of subdomain ids for each component of a MixedFunctionSpace.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    V :
-        FunctionSpace object to restrict
     bcs :
         A list of boundary conditions.
-    name :
-        An optional name for the function space.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    A tuple of subdomain ids for each component of a MixedFunctionSpace.
 
     """
-    if len(V) > 1:
-        spaces = [restricted_function_space(Vsub, bcs) for Vsub in V]
-        return firedrake.MixedFunctionSpace(spaces, name=name)
-
-    if not isinstance(bcs, (tuple, list)):
-        bcs = (bcs,)
-
-    boundary_set = []
-    for bc in bcs:
-        if bc.function_space() != V:
-            continue
-        for dbc in bc.dirichlet_bcs():
-            if isinstance(dbc.sub_domain, (str, int)):
-                boundary_set.append(dbc.sub_domain)
-            else:
-                boundary_set.extend(dbc.sub_domain)
-    if len(boundary_set) == 0:
+    if len(bcs) == 0:
+        return None
+
+    V = bcs[0].function_space()
+    while V.parent:
+        V = V.parent
+
+    _chain = itertools.chain.from_iterable
+    subdomain_ids = tuple(tuple(_chain(as_tuple(bc.sub_domain)
+                                for bc in bcs if bc.function_space() == Vsub))
+                          for Vsub in V)
+    return subdomain_ids
+
+
+def restricted_function_space(V, ids):
+    """Create a :class:`.RestrictedFunctionSpace` from a tuple of subdomain ids.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    V :
+        FunctionSpace object to restrict
+    ids :
+        A tuple of subdomain ids.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    The RestrictedFunctionSpace.
+
+    """
+    if not ids:
         return V
-    return firedrake.RestrictedFunctionSpace(V, boundary_set=boundary_set, name=name)
+
+    assert len(ids) == len(V)
+    spaces = [Vsub if len(boundary_set) == 0 else
+              firedrake.RestrictedFunctionSpace(Vsub, boundary_set=boundary_set)
+              for Vsub, boundary_set in zip(V, ids)]
+
+    if len(spaces) == 1:
+        return spaces[0]
+    else:
+        return firedrake.MixedFunctionSpace(spaces)
diff --git a/firedrake/eigensolver.py b/firedrake/eigensolver.py
index 10dc58abad..ad05815527 100644
--- a/firedrake/eigensolver.py
+++ b/firedrake/eigensolver.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Specify and solve finite element eigenproblems."""
 from firedrake.assemble import assemble
-from firedrake.bcs import restricted_function_space
+from firedrake.bcs import extract_subdomain_ids, restricted_function_space
 from firedrake.function import Function
 from firedrake.ufl_expr import TrialFunction, TestFunction
 from firedrake import utils
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def __init__(self, A, M=None, bcs=None, bc_shift=0.0, restrict=True):
             M = inner(u, v) * dx
 
         if restrict and bcs:  # assumed u and v are in the same space here
-            V_res = restricted_function_space(self.output_space, bcs)
+            V_res = restricted_function_space(self.output_space, extract_subdomain_ids(bcs))
             u_res = TrialFunction(V_res)
             v_res = TestFunction(V_res)
             self.M = replace(M, {u: u_res, v: v_res})
diff --git a/firedrake/variational_solver.py b/firedrake/variational_solver.py
index 89a80ab593..4a1ac396c5 100644
--- a/firedrake/variational_solver.py
+++ b/firedrake/variational_solver.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 )
 from firedrake.function import Function
 from firedrake.ufl_expr import TrialFunction, TestFunction
-from firedrake.bcs import DirichletBC, EquationBC, restricted_function_space
+from firedrake.bcs import DirichletBC, EquationBC, extract_subdomain_ids, restricted_function_space
 from firedrake.adjoint_utils import NonlinearVariationalProblemMixin, NonlinearVariationalSolverMixin
 from ufl import replace
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def __init__(self, F, u, bcs=None, J=None,
         self.restrict = restrict
 
         if restrict and bcs:
-            V_res = restricted_function_space(V, bcs)
+            V_res = restricted_function_space(V, extract_subdomain_ids(bcs))
             bcs = [bc.reconstruct(V=V_res, indices=bc._indices) for bc in bcs]
             self.u_restrict = Function(V_res).interpolate(u)
             v_res, u_res = TestFunction(V_res), TrialFunction(V_res)
diff --git a/tests/regression/test_restricted_function_space.py b/tests/regression/test_restricted_function_space.py
index ae3ea28ed4..51e2139ae6 100644
--- a/tests/regression/test_restricted_function_space.py
+++ b/tests/regression/test_restricted_function_space.py
@@ -173,16 +173,6 @@ def test_restricted_function_space_coord_change(j):
     compare_function_space_assembly(new_V, new_V_restricted, [bc])
 
 
-def test_restricted_mixed_space():
-    mesh = UnitSquareMesh(1, 1)
-    V = FunctionSpace(mesh, "RT", 1)
-    Q = FunctionSpace(mesh, "DG", 0)
-    Z = V * Q
-    bcs = [DirichletBC(Z.sub(0), 0, [1])]
-    Z_restricted = restricted_function_space(Z, bcs)
-    compare_function_space_assembly(Z, Z_restricted, bcs)
-
-
 def test_poisson_restricted_mixed_space():
     mesh = UnitSquareMesh(1, 1)
     V = FunctionSpace(mesh, "RT", 1)