Cafe Jin applies for a beer and wine license on Convoy Street

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A corporation called JS VERSANTE INC has applied for a California license to sell beer and wine at 4690 Convoy St in San Diego. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) record names the business Cafe Jin and lists the license as type 41: on-sale beer and wine at an eating place, served with food.

The record shows an application, not a license, and it carries no date. It does not say whether the business is serving customers, whether it holds its other permits, or whether ABC will act on it. What it does establish is that a Convoy Street address with a history of restaurants has a new applicant in the state's licensing queue.

Why it matters

A beer and wine license decides whether the next restaurant at this Convoy Street address can sell alcohol with dinner, and who gets to try.

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Key Indicators

ABC license type

Type 41 covers on-sale beer and wine at an eating place, with alcohol served alongside food.

Applied for

License status on the state list

The record shows an application, not an issued license.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Organizations Involved

JS VERSANTE INC

Corporation

Holder of the type 41 application at 4690 Convoy St

The corporation named on the state license application for Cafe Jin at 4690 Convoy St.

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

State licensing agency

Publishes the licensing record at issue

The state agency that licenses alcohol sales in California and publishes applicant and licensee lists.

Timeline

October 2021 November 2026

2 events Latest: Today

November 2026
ABC list shows a type 41 application for Cafe Jin
Today Licensing

The state list showed an applied-for on-sale beer and wine license at 4690 Convoy St, held by JS VERSANTE INC.
Today
October 2021
Eastern Dynasty documented at 4690 Convoy St
Business

Eater San Diego reported Eastern Dynasty, a Cantonese restaurant, had replaced Jin's Pot at 4690 Convoy St and was serving lunch and dinner daily.
October 4th, 2021

Scenarios

ABC issues the beer and wine license for Cafe Jin

Likely Resolves by May 31, 2027

Discussed by: No analyst commentary; this rests on the standard processing path for a type 41 eating-place license at a restaurant address.

The department reviews the application, checks the premises and the applicant's qualifications, and moves the record from applied-for to licensed. A type 41 license is narrower than a full liquor license and is the common route for a restaurant that wants to serve beer and wine with meals. If the record changes status, the application has cleared its main state hurdle, though other permits may still be outstanding.

JS VERSANTE INC withdraws or is denied

Unlikely Resolves by May 31, 2027

Discussed by: No public projection; included because applications can lapse or fail review.

An applicant can abandon a filing, and the department can deny one over qualification, premises or protest issues. Either outcome removes the entry from the pipeline and leaves the address without this license. Nothing in the record indicates which way this will go.

Application still pending a year from now

Possible Resolves by May 31, 2027

Discussed by: No public projection; state licensing queues can run long when premises or applicant issues arise.

The record stays in applied-for status past the deadline, neither issued nor closed. This is the outcome where nothing observable happens: the entry sits on the list and the address's alcohol question remains open.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

October 2021

Eastern Dynasty replaces Jin's Pot on Convoy Street (2021)

Eater San Diego reported that Eastern Dynasty, a Cantonese restaurant with live seafood and a roast-meat counter, had taken over the space at 4690 Convoy St where Jin's Pot had operated. At least one member of the new ownership team had previously worked at Noble Chef on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

Then

Eastern Dynasty opened for lunch and dinner seven days a week at the same address.

Now

The storefront kept its identity as a Chinese restaurant location while changing operators and names.

Why this matters now

The address has changed hands before, so a new license record there is routine rather than remarkable.

February 2014

Jin's Pot opens on Convoy Street (2014)

A San Diego food blog noted a new restaurant called Jin's Pot in the plaza behind China Max on Convoy Street, serving pork rice noodle soup and other dishes at 4690 Convoy St.

Then

It drew local review attention for its spicy broth and lunch specials.

Now

By 2021, Eastern Dynasty had replaced it at the same address.

Why this matters now

It shows how little a single license record says: this address has hosted at least two restaurants under different names and owners, and the paperwork is the only trace most of that leaves.