diff --git a/tests/e2e/backup_restore_cli_suite_test.go b/tests/e2e/backup_restore_cli_suite_test.go
index b87079fa0b3..0b54539f99d 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/backup_restore_cli_suite_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/backup_restore_cli_suite_test.go
@@ -175,20 +175,23 @@ func runApplicationBackupAndRestoreViaCLI(brCase ApplicationBackupRestoreCase, u
 	// run restore via CLI
 	runRestoreViaCLI(brCase.BackupRestoreCase, backupName, restoreName, nsRequiredResticDCWorkaround)
 
+	// TODO: Testing whether this workaround is still needed. Remove if
+	// file-system restore tests pass without it.
+	//
 	// For file-system backup restores (KOPIA/restic), the restored pods may have
 	// broken networking because OVN-Kubernetes doesn't fully wire the network
 	// namespace for pods recreated by Velero with a restore-wait init container.
 	// Deleting the pods lets the deployment controller create fresh ones with
 	// proper networking while preserving the restored PVC data.
-	if brCase.BackupRestoreType == lib.KOPIA {
-		log.Printf("Restarting pods in namespace %s to ensure proper networking after file-system restore", brCase.Namespace)
-		err = kubernetesClientForSuiteRun.CoreV1().Pods(brCase.Namespace).DeleteCollection(
-			context.Background(),
-			metav1.DeleteOptions{},
-			metav1.ListOptions{LabelSelector: "e2e-app=true"},
-		)
-		gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
-	}
+	// if brCase.BackupRestoreType == lib.KOPIA {
+	// 	log.Printf("Restarting pods in namespace %s to ensure proper networking after file-system restore", brCase.Namespace)
+	// 	err = kubernetesClientForSuiteRun.CoreV1().Pods(brCase.Namespace).DeleteCollection(
+	// 		context.Background(),
+	// 		metav1.DeleteOptions{},
+	// 		metav1.ListOptions{LabelSelector: "e2e-app=true"},
+	// 	)
+	// 	gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+	// }
 
 	// Run optional custom verification
 	if brCase.PostRestoreVerify != nil {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/backup_restore_suite_test.go b/tests/e2e/backup_restore_suite_test.go
index 09090da4fbf..8b1f5d53312 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/backup_restore_suite_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/backup_restore_suite_test.go
@@ -266,20 +266,23 @@ func runApplicationBackupAndRestore(brCase ApplicationBackupRestoreCase, updateL
 	// run restore
 	runRestore(brCase.BackupRestoreCase, backupName, restoreName, nsRequiredResticDCWorkaround)
 
+	// TODO: Testing whether this workaround is still needed. Remove if
+	// file-system restore tests pass without it.
+	//
 	// For file-system backup restores (KOPIA/restic), the restored pods may have
 	// broken networking because OVN-Kubernetes doesn't fully wire the network
 	// namespace for pods recreated by Velero with a restore-wait init container.
 	// Deleting the pods lets the deployment controller create fresh ones with
 	// proper networking while preserving the restored PVC data.
-	if brCase.BackupRestoreType == lib.KOPIA {
-		log.Printf("Restarting pods in namespace %s to ensure proper networking after file-system restore", brCase.Namespace)
-		err = kubernetesClientForSuiteRun.CoreV1().Pods(brCase.Namespace).DeleteCollection(
-			context.Background(),
-			metav1.DeleteOptions{},
-			metav1.ListOptions{LabelSelector: "e2e-app=true"},
-		)
-		gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
-	}
+	// if brCase.BackupRestoreType == lib.KOPIA {
+	// 	log.Printf("Restarting pods in namespace %s to ensure proper networking after file-system restore", brCase.Namespace)
+	// 	err = kubernetesClientForSuiteRun.CoreV1().Pods(brCase.Namespace).DeleteCollection(
+	// 		context.Background(),
+	// 		metav1.DeleteOptions{},
+	// 		metav1.ListOptions{LabelSelector: "e2e-app=true"},
+	// 	)
+	// 	gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+	// }
 
 	// Run optional custom verification
 	if brCase.PostRestoreVerify != nil {