Haunted Bookshop owner Drew Sinton is looking for spooks in the Asian restaurant strip for a City Museum exhibition and tour about inner-city ghosts.

But Mr Sinton said his inquiries had reached a dead end because some Asian cultures believed ghosts were "a sign of bad luck" and restaurateurs were reluctant to report spooky sightings.

"A ghost of the premises is considered bad for business and suggests it's cursed (in Asian cultures)," he said.

Mr Sinton said Chinatown business owners were dobbing in their competitors, telling him there were ghosts at rival restaurants.

"They tell me there's no ghost (at their restaurant) but tell me there's one up the road at another restaurant," Mr Sinton said.

Then when I get there, they say there's no ghost here, but there's one at the restaurant I'd just been at. They're happy to talk about other people's ghosts but not their own."

While Mr Sinton is investigating a few paranormal presences in Chinatown, he said Melburnians were unlikely to find themselves dining next to a ghost.

"The ghosts aren't in the restaurant, they're usually upstairs or downstairs,'' he said.

"The Chinatown ghosts don't seem to do a great deal, they just appear and then disappear."

Among the ghost sightings being investigated by Mr Sinton are a lady ghost wearing a white dress and an old man without legs.

In most situations the ghost is fine and has just as much right to be here as we do," he said.

Last year, Mr Sinton revealed exclusively to the Leader his discovery of a ghost at Melbourne's QV shopping precinct.

"Since that story came out, QV has become a solid haunted place with lots of experiences and recordings on security cameras,'' Mr Sinton said.

"You start off with a rumour and it can go either way. It can dissolve or it can actually become stronger and factual."

Mr Sinton said he would take tips from readers who have seen a ghost in Chinatown.

If you believe you have spotted a ghost in Chinatown, contact Drew Sinton on 9670 2585.