diff --git a/pkg/kgo/consumer.go b/pkg/kgo/consumer.go
index 8b2b2318..eb15ec00 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/consumer.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/consumer.go
@@ -1186,6 +1186,44 @@ func (c *consumer) assignPartitions(assignments map[string]map[int32]Offset, how
 	}
 }
 
+// filterMetadataAllTopics, called BEFORE doOnMetadataUpdate, evaluates
+// all topics received against the user provided regex.
+func (c *consumer) filterMetadataAllTopics(topics []string) []string {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	var rns reNews
+	defer rns.log(&c.cl.cfg)
+
+	var reSeen map[string]bool
+	if c.d != nil {
+		reSeen = c.d.reSeen
+	} else {
+		reSeen = c.g.reSeen
+	}
+
+	keep := topics[:0]
+	for _, topic := range topics {
+		want, seen := reSeen[topic]
+		if !seen {
+			for rawRe, re := range c.cl.cfg.topics {
+				if want = re.MatchString(topic); want {
+					rns.add(rawRe, topic)
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			if !want {
+				rns.skip(topic)
+			}
+			reSeen[topic] = want
+		}
+		if want {
+			keep = append(keep, topic)
+		}
+	}
+	return keep
+}
+
 func (c *consumer) doOnMetadataUpdate() {
 	if !c.consuming() {
 		return
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct.go b/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct.go
index bf42dbca..0dcbf989 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct.go
@@ -65,29 +65,11 @@ func (*directConsumer) getSetAssigns(setOffsets map[string]map[int32]EpochOffset
 func (d *directConsumer) findNewAssignments() map[string]map[int32]Offset {
 	topics := d.tps.load()
 
-	var rns reNews
-	if d.cfg.regex {
-		defer rns.log(d.cfg)
-	}
-
 	toUse := make(map[string]map[int32]Offset, 10)
 	for topic, topicPartitions := range topics {
 		var useTopic bool
 		if d.cfg.regex {
-			want, seen := d.reSeen[topic]
-			if !seen {
-				for rawRe, re := range d.cfg.topics {
-					if want = re.MatchString(topic); want {
-						rns.add(rawRe, topic)
-						break
-					}
-				}
-				if !want {
-					rns.skip(topic)
-				}
-				d.reSeen[topic] = want
-			}
-			useTopic = want
+			useTopic = d.reSeen[topic]
 		} else {
 			useTopic = d.m.onlyt(topic)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct_test.go b/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct_test.go
index dc12083d..736730e8 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/consumer_direct_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
 	"sort"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
@@ -536,3 +537,71 @@ func TestIssue648(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("did not see ErrUnknownTopicOrPartition")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestIssue810(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	t1, cleanup1 := tmpTopicPartitions(t, 1)
+	defer cleanup1()
+
+	_, cleanup2 := tmpTopicPartitions(t, 1)
+	defer cleanup2()
+
+	// Non-regex consuming: topics are available immediately.
+	{
+		cl, _ := newTestClient(
+			ConsumeTopics(t1),
+			UnknownTopicRetries(-1),
+		)
+		defer cl.Close()
+
+		topics := cl.GetConsumeTopics()
+		exp := []string{t1}
+
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(topics, exp) {
+			t.Errorf("non-regex got %v != exp %v", topics, exp)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Regex consuming: topics are available only after discovery.
+	{
+		cl, _ := newTestClient(
+			ConsumeTopics(t1),
+			ConsumeRegex(),
+			UnknownTopicRetries(-1),
+			MetadataMaxAge(time.Second),
+			MetadataMinAge(100*time.Millisecond),
+		)
+		defer cl.Close()
+
+		var (
+			ticker  = time.NewTicker(100 * time.Millisecond)
+			fail    = time.NewTimer(15 * time.Second)
+			failed  bool
+			lastSaw []string
+			exp     = []string{t1}
+		)
+
+		defer ticker.Stop()
+		defer fail.Stop()
+
+	out:
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ticker.C:
+				lastSaw = cl.GetConsumeTopics()
+				if reflect.DeepEqual(lastSaw, exp) {
+					break out
+				}
+				cl.ForceMetadataRefresh()
+			case <-fail.C:
+				failed = true
+				break out
+			}
+		}
+
+		if failed {
+			t.Errorf("did not see expected topics in time, last saw %v != exp %v", lastSaw, exp)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/consumer_group.go b/pkg/kgo/consumer_group.go
index c1946eb4..dee54bd7 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/consumer_group.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/consumer_group.go
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ type groupConsumer struct {
 	cooperative atomicBool // true if the group balancer chosen during Join is cooperative
 
 	// The data for topics that the user assigned. Metadata updates the
-	// atomic.Value in each pointer atomically. If we are consuming via
-	// regex, metadata grabs the lock to add new topics.
+	// atomic.Value in each pointer atomically.
 	tps *topicsPartitions
 
 	reSeen map[string]bool // topics we evaluated against regex, and whether we want them or not
@@ -1714,11 +1713,6 @@ func (g *groupConsumer) findNewAssignments() {
 		delta int
 	}
 
-	var rns reNews
-	if g.cfg.regex {
-		defer rns.log(&g.cl.cfg)
-	}
-
 	var numNewTopics int
 	toChange := make(map[string]change, len(topics))
 	for topic, topicPartitions := range topics {
@@ -1741,20 +1735,7 @@ func (g *groupConsumer) findNewAssignments() {
 		// support adding new regex).
 		useTopic := true
 		if g.cfg.regex {
-			want, seen := g.reSeen[topic]
-			if !seen {
-				for rawRe, re := range g.cfg.topics {
-					if want = re.MatchString(topic); want {
-						rns.add(rawRe, topic)
-						break
-					}
-				}
-				if !want {
-					rns.skip(topic)
-				}
-				g.reSeen[topic] = want
-			}
-			useTopic = want
+			useTopic = g.reSeen[topic]
 		}
 
 		// We only track using the topic if there are partitions for
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/metadata.go b/pkg/kgo/metadata.go
index 515b6c63..cbe4b5ad 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/metadata.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/metadata.go
@@ -350,6 +350,14 @@ func (cl *Client) updateMetadata() (retryWhy multiUpdateWhy, err error) {
 		for topic := range latest {
 			allTopics = append(allTopics, topic)
 		}
+
+		// We filter out topics will not match any of our regex's.
+		// This ensures that the `tps` field does not contain topics
+		// we will never use (the client works with misc. topics in
+		// there, but it's better to avoid it -- and allows us to use
+		// `tps` in GetConsumeTopics).
+		allTopics = c.filterMetadataAllTopics(allTopics)
+
 		tpsConsumerLoad = tpsConsumer.ensureTopics(allTopics)
 		defer tpsConsumer.storeData(tpsConsumerLoad)